Reactivating Neglected Heritages, Reweaving Unspoken Memories. A Study on the Adaptive Reuse of Former Asylums into “mind museums”.

Project Information

ReMIND

Grant agreement ID: 841174

DOI

10.3030/841174

Project closed

EC signature date 11 April 2019

Start date 15 July 2019

End date 16 May 2022

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 224 933,76

EU contribution

€ 224 933,76

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE
United Kingdom

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ReMIND (Reactivating Neglected Heritages, Reweaving Unspoken Memories. A Study on the Adaptive Reuse of Former Asylums into “mind museums”.)

Reporting period: 2019-07-15 to 2021-07-14

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

ReMIND was a two-year-long research project focussing on the adaptive reuse of former asylum historical complexes as 'mind museums'.
What has been termed a ‘mind museum’ is a site-specific and place-based cultural institution whose chief mission is to foster critical reflection and informed discourses on the history of and contemporary approaches to the treatment and management of mental health in society, with the aim to promote awareness and contribute dismantling taboos, stereotypes, and stigma about mental health today.

To build awareness of mental health and promote its care today we need to talk more about mental health to dismantle stigma and stereotypes. In fact, even though statistics predict that by 2030 almost nine in ten people will experience a mental health problem by the time they are 38 years old (WHO 2018) and mental health has been included in Sustainable Development Goals, it is still a taboo and a little-known matter for many people.

ReMIND has been the first study focusing on mind museums and one of the first research projects looking at former asylums as heritage. Therefore, the primary and overarching objective of the research was to develop an all-round and rigorous investigation of mind museums across Europe, with key attention to the Italian scenario, to develop a critical interpretation of what they are, how, what they do and with which effects. ReMIND however not only aimed to describe mind museums, but it sought to offer a critical understanding of their potential for effecting attitudinal change in visitors that may help to dismantle stigma and promote collective senses of care, and to be one of those much-needed ways to talk more and in a different way about mental health in past and present perspectives.

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

Along with a wide theoretical desk-based bibliographical research with a chief focus on former asylum history, adaptive reuse and difficult built heritage, the project carried out a comprehensive survey of asylum reuse into ‘mind museums’. This consisted of visits to relevant examples (limited by travelling restrictions and museum closure due to the Covid-19 outbreak), and a series of interviews with museum curators and cultural associations working at former asylum sites and museums, with key attention to the Italian context.
The study focused on a single case study, the Museo di Storia della Psichiatria, in Reggio Emilia in Italy where a series of visits, institutional interviews with museum staff and both remote and in-person visitors studies have been carried out from December 2020 to August 2021. In particular, a set of qualitative visitor studies has been carried out online resorting to an innovative methodology involving the mingling of different methods from different disciplines, including ethnography, architecture and visual anthropology and museum studies. 13 remote interviews have been conducted, consisting in unstructured narrative interviews and photo or video elicited interviews.
Knowledge and data gathered through desk-research and fieldwork have been organised, compared and critically elaborated into project conclusions coalescing in different publications, lectures and conferenced papers for a total of 7 academic publications including a research monograph and 10 conference papers, seminars and talks.

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)

ReMIND has been the first study focussing on mind museums and one of the first proposing an interpretation of former asylums as heritage. Its associate research monograph 'Mind Museums' to be published by Routledge by the end of 2022 will be the first academic work published on this subject.
Project results and impact can be discussed in relation to the main 3 project objectives to

a. Advance knowledge on former asylum as heritage and Mind Museums.
By discussing former asylums as a neglected heritage in danger, ReMIND brought forward their so far mostly overlooked historical and architectural value as well as their potential role in urban, cultural and social development contributing to nurturing a scientific debate on their conservation and valorisation. By focusing on the reuse of asylums as museums the project highlighted the need to develop further research exploring sustainable and socially-relevant reuse strategies for these historical sites, able not only to preserve the built fabric of this heritage but also to foster its reflexive reactivation, based on awareness of the histories and memories it embodies.

b Produce new critical theories and research methods.
By working at the intersection of different disciplines, the ReMIND developed an original interdisciplinary theoretical approach for thinking through adaptive reuse, a key issue in the contemporary architectural debate, in light of emerging theories on critical heritage. Research undertaken within ReMIND project contributed to advancing knowledge in the field of museum studies with key regard to the critical evaluation of museums and sites of conscience exhibitionary environment and their impact on visitors' behaviours. In particular, the visitor studies methodology implemented in the project to overcome the COVID-19 impact on the planned fieldwork proved to be of great interest for its innovative approach and original findings.

c Acquire new skills and expertise in museum and heritage studies.
By undertaking theoretical and field research on the specific case of the adaptive reuse of a historically complex built heritage for museological purposes, the Fellow, Dr Francesca Lanz, could widen her knowledge in the field of museum and heritage studies. The fellowship offered her an opportunity for training and international mobility; offered her the chance to acquire new expertise and skills, and supported and fostered her scientific production with a teaching break that allowed her to concentrate on studying and writing. Eventually, ReMIND demonstrates that a MSCA-IF fellow can be an opportunity of great value not only for post-doc and early career researchers but also for mid-career scholars.

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