European Museums in an Age of Migration (MeLa)

European Commission, FP7-SSH, 266757, 01/03/11-28/02/15. Dr Perla Innocenti Principal Investigator.
The aim of MeLa was to define innovative museum practices that reflect the challenges of globalization, mobility and migration. Project Partners:Dip. Progettazione dell'Architettura and Dip. Industrial Design, Arte, Comunicazione e Moda - Politecnico di Milano; CIID - Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design; Department of Curating Contemporary Art - The Royal College of Art; Dip. Studi Americani, Culturali e Linguistici - L'Orientale University of Naples; History of Art - University of Glasgow; Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona; Department "Homme, nature, société" - Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle/Musée de l'Homme; The International Centre for Cultural and Heritage Studies - Newcastle University.

1) Redefinition of the museums’ ways of organizing and representing their collections in order to encompass a complex variety of voices and subjects. This strategy brings out the concepts of multiplicity (of voices, points of view, theories, etc.) and hybridity (of forms and physical expressions in architecture and exhibition settings) that operate in contemporary culture, and exploits them to create truly democratic forms of European citizenship.
2) Innovative research methodology that entails the use of both traditional and experimental research tools, including brainstorming sessions, “research by art” and “research by design” activities, experimental pilot projects of virtual of real exhibitions.
3) Research findings were also conveyed as policy briefs for the European Union and the museum community.