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Key research themes
1. How can contemporary art mediate the value and social perception of industrial monuments and technological ruins?
This research area investigates the transformative role contemporary art plays in reinterpreting, valorizing, and reconnecting industrial and technological relics to society. It explores how art interventions facilitate heritage recognition, public mediation, and social revalorization of obsolete industrial sites and objects, an endeavor increasingly important amid widespread deindustrialization and the fragility of industrial remains.
Key finding: Through an archaeological and interdisciplinary framework, this paper develops a typology of contemporary art's interactions with industrial and technological ruins, identifying four types: conversion of industrial spaces... Read more
Key finding: The paper highlights how adaptive reuse and artistic interventions of industrial buildings foster dialogue between old industrial structures and contemporary functions, emphasizing architectural openness and flexibility. It... Read more
Key finding: Using the former Brewery in Turda as a case study, the paper exemplifies how contemporary interventions in industrial heritage buildings can reposition them as social condensers and cultural emblems. It shows that despite... Read more
Key finding: By employing a multimodal autoethnographic approach at a Spanish industrial complex, this study foregrounds the experiential and sensorial richness gained from 'preserving-by-not-preserving.' It argues for recognizing the... Read more
2. What business model transformations characterize the sustainable operation and tourism of post-industrial monuments?
This theme examines how post-industrial heritage sites transition from production facilities to tourism and service-oriented enterprises, focusing on evolving business models, economic sustainability, and regional development implications. It analyses operational strategies that enable heritage sites to balance conservation with economic viability, contributing to the knowledge economy and sustainable development in post-industrial contexts.
Key finding: Based on research on 42 post-industrial tourism sites within Poland's Industrial Monuments Route, the article identifies three key business transformation models: post-production organizations servicing tourists, hybrid... Read more
Key finding: This paper reveals that protection efforts tend to prioritize visually iconic industrial monuments, often neglecting less aesthetic but socially significant elements such as workers’ housing and labor history. It highlights... Read more
Key finding: Through expert discussions, this work emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, policy frameworks, and community involvement in conserving industrial heritage. It outlines the critical role of tailored... Read more
3. How can authenticity and conservation principles be operationalized in the preservation and adaptive reuse of historic industrial monuments across cultural contexts?
Focused on the practical and conceptual challenges of preserving industrial monuments, this theme explores frameworks for maintaining architectural and cultural authenticity during conservation and adaptive reuse. It emphasizes the reconciliation of heritage values with contemporary functions, structural interventions, and socio-cultural contexts to sustain the integrity and relevance of industrial heritage in diverse global settings.
Key finding: Through empirical analysis of the Large Machine Factory, the study presents strategies ensuring authenticity in conservation, including minimal intervention, historical façade restoration, preventive structural reinforcement,... Read more
Key finding: Investigating Finnish cases, this paper uncovers how industrial chimneys transform from operational structures into heritage monuments through social recognition by local communities. It reveals that preservation decisions... Read more
Key finding: Reviewing over 50 years of industrial archaeology, this article stresses the importance of rigorous archaeological methods for uncovering and conserving industrial heritage’s material authenticity. It advocates for... Read more