Living lab for a new public experience

Proposal Information
Within the context of the 2018 European Heritage Year, the project aims at creating « Living Labs » whose mission is to rethink part or all of a historic monument or European museum’s tour circuits, in order to make them more accessible to all publics. A citizen-based method, these « Living Labs » will include public and private stakeholders as well as individuals within a collaborative process, and should include users early in the process. Based on a cooperation principle, experience sharing and exchanging, these « Living Labs » will bring together into groups all actors of a production chain in order to think and implement the project on each site. Thus, a « living lab » could gather local authorities, companies, research laboratories, professionals in specific areas (such as heritage, mediation, archaeology, scenography, digital, territorial marketing…), experts, inhabitants and potential users. This group lasts for a given period of time until the product inauguration and meets periodically during site residencies. The form, functioning of « Living labs » and guidance of projects will be defined and realised in cooperation with all the European partners of the project, would they be a hosting site, a public or private institution, a company specialised in a relevant sector for this project.  Expected results: Making the Living Lab a tool to rethink the vision of tourism and heritage at the European scale in order to define, experiment and experience new uses. Developing a new open form of museographical development project governance by putting the public at the very core of the process in order to create new dynamics and enable a deeper anchoring of these monuments and museums in their territories using their (human) resources to exist, develop and evolve. Raising awareness and reflecting on the evolution of uses and professional activities which lie at the core of the current mutations of our societies. For instance, cultural mediation is a changing occupation which has to adapt and meet new audiences’ expectations. This project represents an opportunity to reflect on current and future forms of mediation to be put in place within heritage buildings and museum spaces.
Duration of Project
max. 48 months
Partners Involved
County Council (Conseil Départemental) of Seine-et-Marne, owner of the castle of Blandy-les-Tours
European Commission Contribution
EC contribution: max. € 2 million