From 25 to 28 May, the Forum of Slavic Cultures, in cooperation with the Regional Museum Koper, the European Museum Academy and the Goriški Museum, organised the international summer school of museology Piranova. This year’s sixteenth edition bore the title Expanding Horizons: Echoes of Heritage in the Future of Museums. The programme took place in Koper, in the premises of the Regional Museum, where thirteen speakers from seven countries contributed to establishing a dialogue on pressing issues in contemporary museological practice. In addition to students, the invitation to participate was accepted by curators, conservators, and professionals working in museum institutions – not only from Slovenia, but also from the USA, Germany, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, and others.
We explored how heritage inspires museums to be not only preservers of the past but also co-creators of a diverse, inclusive, and future-oriented museology – how the past, as an “echo,” is reflected in contemporary museum practices. Participants engaged in discussions on how digital tools can enhance accessibility, interaction, and the long-term preservation of heritage. Cultural heritage is intertwined with the challenges of (cultural) identity, migration, multiculturalism, and digitalisation – all crucial when considering the structure of contemporary society.
After the inaugural addresses by Andreja Rihter, Director of the FSK; Marko Bonin, Director of the Regional Museum Koper; and Vesna Pajič, advisor to the Mayor of Koper for culture and international projects, the programme began with an online lecture by Dragana Lucija Ratković Aydemir, founder and director of Muses Ltd, a Croatian company specialising in heritage interpretation, (eco) museology, and sustainable cultural tourism. From the same organisation, Mateja Kuka Brkić and Iva Klarić Vujković joined us to offer a practical insight into the design of exhibition programmes. Dorian Koçi, an expert in political history and museum communication, complemented the programme with a lecture on the changing role of museums.
The morning of the second day was dedicated to contemporary technologies and their application in museum institutions – with contributions from Massimo Negri, Scientific Director of the European Museum Academy; Darko Bilandžić, Head of Marketing at the Vučedol Culture Museum; Laura Diamanti, coordinator of the Heritage in Motion award; and Henrik Zipsane, Director of the European Museum Academy. In the final segment of the programme, co-curated by Slovenian museum advisor Borut Rovšnik, speakers focused on the themes of migration and multiculturalism: Danish curator Jakob Parby presented the exhibition Becoming a Copenhagener; Małgorzata Waszczuk from Poland, a representative of the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, focused on the research and interpretation of sensitive heritage; Giacomo Sferlazzo, a political activist and artist from Lampedusa, presented the PortoM project, which collects and displays “migrant objects”; and Helen Crutcher, a researcher of the interpretation of climate change and its impact on global heritage, spoke on how museum institutions address migration.
On Wednesday, 28 May, the programme continued in Nova Gorica, where guests were welcomed by Vladimir Peruničič, Director of the Goriški Museum. Curators guided us through the collections at Kromberk Castle, and in the Tactile Gallery – where touching objects is allowed (and encouraged!) – we explored ways in which art can be made more accessible to people with visual impairments.
Piranova concluded in the cross-border cities of Nova Gorica and Gorizia, this year’s holders of the title European Capital of Culture. In cities where past and future meet, we visited the Museum at the Border and walked across the Europe Square, which links the two countries. This year, Piranova once again embraced openness – towards the new, the unknown, and the different. At the same time, it offered a space for reflection on our past and our heritage. As Andreja Rihter, Director of the FSK, emphasised in her address – we must learn how to use the “echoes” of heritage to shape an innovative and relevant future for museums.
