Mobartech, an informal education project for bringing people closer to cultural heritage

In this paper, I present a multidisciplinary research project entitled Mobartech, which was sponsored by the Lombardy Region as part of a broader initiative co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The overall aim of this project was to develop an innovative method of engaging the general public in the study, conservation, and consumption of cultural heritage. It was jointly conducted by several partners, including four departments of the University of Milan Bicocca (UNIMIB). One of the project’s concrete objectives was to set up a mobile van (a mini-laboratory) with the dual mission of conducting scientific research and disseminating cultural knowledge, while visiting small museums and works of art at different locations across the region. In the initial pilot phase of the project, three case studies were conducted, involving: 1) an individual painting, The Fourth Estate by Pellizza da Volpedo (1901); 2) frescoes from the Giotto period at the Palazzo dell'Arcivescovado in Milan; 3) the UNESCO world heritage site of Mantua and Sabbioneta. UNIMIB’s Department of Human Sciences and Education was present at the UNESCO site with the role of raising locals’ and tourists’ awareness of the cultural/historical links between the two cities and enhancing their cultural knowledge about these towns. Specifically, we offered an informal education path that involved members of the public in acts of consumption, participation, and interpretation. The project phases included: initial familiarization with the local area by administering questionnaires; interviews with key informants (architects, restorers, guides, ceramists, photographers, ...); targeted observations; discovery and exploration of the site with a variety of audiences; and finally, the design of a guided discovery kit for the two cities. Participants in the project included groups of middle and high school students, including some on educational work placements, who worked with the researchers to devise a kit for enhancing visitors’ consumption of the heritage site. First, a pilot version of the kit was developed and tested. It was then modified based on the pilot test outcomes. Being involved in the development of the kit helped the students to think critically about the cities where they lived and to select the most meaningful information about these sites to be communicated to others, whether fellow citizens or tourists. A key feature of the kit design phase was the balance offered between hands-on and digitally supported activities.