Research project BL/38/24 (Research action BL)
Summary
Objectives of the networking:
The ambitions for expected results are high. Indeed, the aim is to set up and develop a sound and experienced network. Not only will partners be joined in a network, but cultural heritage data from the three partner institutions will also be brought together to form the largest sigillographic corpus ever made available to date. In addition to this impressive outlook, the partnership will be extended to other European actors, thereby ensuring the sustainability of the project and the enrichment of the sources corpus made available for research. Setting up this corpus will also contribute to the conservation of fragile and threatened cultural heritage. From experience in Belgium, we know that 20% of all the seal moulds produced in the 19th and 20th century no longer have an original counterpart or the original is deteriorated. Comprehensive digitisation campaigns are therefore essential and the proposed network will greatly contribute to this preservation effort.
Project partners
The 3 main partners provide varied and complementary added value to the project. The partners from France and Portugal bring in their confirmed expertise in networking at national level so that the project can develop smoothly without suffering from inexperienced partners. The Belgian input as a partner is its proven expertise in developing and successfully implementing large-scale seal digitisation projects with regard to the underlying science and technology.
The goal of the network is to enable the persons in charge of these three projects and their teams to join forces and share their experiences, and in particular to link all three projects on a website or Internet platform. Subsequently, the aim is to extend this collaboration to other European partners. The two-day workshop to round off the project will provide the opportunity to get in contact and create bonds with new partners and to publish the proceedings.
The work plan seduces by its simplicity, which is bound to lead to success. The development of the network will take place within fifteen months. Between January 2019 and March 2020, the partners will meet three times for two days to present their projects, encounter the national partners and develop a common platform. The second part of the project will consist, in late 2020, of a workshop for presenting the platform and sharing expertise among the three partners. This colloquium will also provide the opportunity to meet partners from other European countries and to extend the network and the corpus of sources.
Long term perspective regarding institutional research cooperation:
The proposed project aims at the creation of a new network and the extension of this network. The strength of the partnership will contribute to the development of a larger network that will broaden the scope of research. The expert knowledge accumulated by the three partners will also serve as basis for similar projects in other countries, which may later be integrated in the network and the tool to be developed. The network but also the pooling of the databases from existing partners and later on from new partners, will enable us to highlight the most precious seals of our European cultural heritage. Further research opportunities will open: comparison of sigillographic practices, identification of circles of influence, and impact on the diplomacy and iconography. In addition to valorisation and preservation, a number of other aspects of sigillographic studies benefit from the works of the EuroSeal network. Other disciplines related to history and art history will also be able to capitalise on the results yielded by the network.
