Heritage in Crisis: The theft and return of the Mask of Warka

The erasure of heritage objects and the threat to material culture in the Middle East, particularly due to ongoing wars and conflicts, represents a profound loss to both regional and global history. These objects are not just remnants of the past; they embody the identities, memories, and traditions of civilisations that have shaped human progress. …

Introduction to EduHub

The EduHub is the educational arm of the HeritageLab. 

We believe in our responsibility towards the community and that our skills should be shared with those who can benefit from them the most.  This section reflects our commitment to this mission statement through a series of articles written specifically for the HeritageLab EduHub by our core team of heritage professionals and art historians. Through our wide range of expertise, this section provides pedagogical tools for those interested in delving deeper into the fields of heritage documentation, community narratives, material culture, and museology, among others.

To demonstrate our commitment, these articles are freely available on our EduHub. 

If you would like to engage any of our experts for a collaboration, you can reach out to the relevant team member directly. 

Digital Humanities: Visuals to Preserve and Document Heritage

Documenting the past and the evolution of heritage sites cannot be done without a degree of visualisation, whether through analogue photos, digital technology, or even a simple sketch. Often visuals take an even more integral role in documenting what is no longer there.  In this piece, we look at the different types of visuals and …

On Official and Unofficial Narratives

The Politics of Heritage: On the Tension Between Official and Unofficial Narratives All heritage is intangible. Buried under modern structures and contemporary sociopolitical dynamics at sites of cultural and historic value lie centuries of cultural traditions and practices, overshadowed today by the prestigious status of World Heritage Site (WHS). Sites like Stone Town in Zanzibar, …

Looking at Heritage Artefacts: Towards a Deeper Cultural Understanding

Material culture refers to the physical objects and architecture that a society, or cluster of people, use to define itself. It encompasses items from everyday tools and clothing to buildings, monuments, and even art. While tangible, material culture actually carries layers of meaning and reveals complex stories about people’s lives, values, beliefs, and history. Thus …