Moving Emotions towards confidence in the Transformative Appropriation for a Meaningful Understanding of cultural heritage: a neuroScientific approach to EUropean Museums

Project Information

META-MUSEUM

Grant agreement ID: 101132488

DOI

10.3030/101132488

EC signature date 30 May 2024

Start date 1 October 2024

End date 30 September 2027

Funded under

• Culture, creativity and inclusive society

Total cost

€ 2 952 857,50

EU contribution

€ 2 952 857,50

Coordinated by

POLITECNICO DI TORINO
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - META-MUSEUM (Moving Emotions towards confidence in the Transformative Appropriation for a Meaningful Understanding of cultural heritage: a neuroScientific approach to EUropean Museums)

Reporting period: 2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

META-MUSEUM deals with emotional responses in understanding the transformative nature of Cultural Heritage (CH) to empower citizens to face societal transformations with confidence. Europe is now facing crises and rapid transformations affecting people wellbeing. These challenges generated anxiety and insecurity. The transformative nature of CH is connected with its interpretation made over time. So far, this process has been limited to scholars, generating a linear communication, leaving little room for democracy dialogue. This lack of interaction has hindered citizens’ sense of belonging and attachment to cultural heritage, keeping them from their active role in “transforming” cultural heritage.
META-MUSEUM seeks to address different segments of population, included disaffected public and non-visitors.
Thanks to a transdisciplinary approach, META-MUSEUM aims at developing ways of communicating CH that can strike the public through:
-a theoretical framework developed in an iterative process, to design principles for transformative cultural experiences
-an experimental core investigating emotional and cognitive responses in different cultural experiences (PILOT1,2,3).
META-MUSEUM brings together multidisciplinary expertise, promote democratic access to CH, foster participation and deeper understanding of the CH transformative nature, strengthening confidence, resilience and empathy. The project aims at validating assessment protocols for emotional and cognitive responses during cultural encounters, testing communicative and co-creative solutions, providing cultural professionals with a toolkit for designing and assessing cultural experiences.
Within META-MUSEUM, social sciences are supporting the project implementation in deepening the understanding of cultural heritage as a social experience, the values they derive from cultural experiences, and the responses they evoke.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

WP1: POLITO ensured procedures for the technical management and administrative coordination, defining rules, ethical procedures and management structure. A dedicated platform has been set up with restricted access for the project members, enabling easy material sharing, and smooth communication. Project communication structure and meetings were defined, including monthly coordination meetings. 2 General Assemblies have been organised (1 in person, and 1 online). WPLB meetings are organised quarterly. The LUP is under definition. POLITO is supervising the quality of the project: activities implementation, findings, and DELs preparation are regularly evaluated. For this purpose, meetings with the Advisory Board members have been held. POLITO maintains contact with the PO for administrative matters and oversees project reporting in line with EC requirements.
WP2: POLITO, UNI JENA and NCK drafted the first version of the theory, as starting assumptions to be used in WP4, and applied to experimental measurements. As planned, the theory is subsequently updated.
KMOP and OPI-PIB conducted interviews with experts, stakeholders and cultural professionals.
Between January and May 2025 KMOP, OPI-PIB and UNIROMA1 framed the General Assessment and Interpretation Model. OPI-PIB, with POLITO, UNIROMA1, NCK and UNI JENA designed questionnaires for WP6 experiments. OPI-PIB organized thematic workshops to set WP6 protocols.
EMA, NCK, and POLITO are developing and testing educational modules. The alpha version of the training modules will be finalized by November 2025 and used in dissemination activities.
WP3: BEIA defined the features, level access and structure of the database where all data collected will be stored.
WP4: UNIJENA, POLITO, BEIA, NCK, KMOP and OPI-PIB, worked on the design of the methodological framework for WP6, WP7, and WP8 experiments. Beneficiaries are discussing digital and physical prototypes for future experimental campaigns.
The Consortium addressed with the attaCHbox app, taking into account technical aspects and cultural content.
WP5: STICHTING VU and UNIROMA1 worked on the protocol for the assessment of confidence and wellbeing. STICHTING VU worked on lab-based experiments on emotional reactions, and got the Ethical Committee approval. Experiments are ongoing: cultural stimuli prepared by POLITO and UNIJENA are tested, according to the theory.
WP6: POLITO, NCK and OPI-PIB carried out surveys in the associated partners museums and, through discussion with museum staff, key elements have been identified to design and carry out experimentations. POLITO got Ethical Committee approval for WP6 activities. The first session of measurements has been carried out between April and July 2025 at Museo Egizio, MAC Barcelona and MuséoParc Alésia and reported in D6.1 Status quo measurement assessment report, finalised in September 2025.
WP7; activities will start in the second year of the project.
WP8: VILNIUS TECH carried out tests for sensors selection in prototyping the M4 System to be implemented in Pilot3. Devices have been tested during the EU Researchers’ Night in Turin in September 2025, with POLITO, when preliminary tests to deliver real-time analysis and participant feedback on emotional reaction have been carried out.
WP9: C&D&E activities are described in other sections of the Continuous Report.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Although the project has not yet achieved any definitive results in its first year of implementation, numerous actions and activities towards the planned objectives and results have already been carried out.
The transformative nature of CH has been explored during preliminary workshops organized by WP2-WP4-WP6 beneficiaries. the theoretical development is in progress, according to the experimental evidence.
The measurement of emotional and cognitive responses during cultural experience has been carried out and assessed in ecological settings (i.e. not in laboratory) in WP6.
Additionally, there have been several opportunities for transdisciplinary work, in line with the META-MUSEUM approach: beneficiaries from different disciplines (neuroscience, digital design and cultural heritage studies) have worked in defining cultural stimuli to be tested in laboratory (WP5); the experimental phase required the alignment of sociologists, cultural heritage experts and scholars, neuroscientists, geomatics, psychologists (WP6); preliminary tests in urban context involved computer science, neuroscience and cultural heritage communication (WP8).

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