How do we engage with the architectural and artistic legacies of undemocratic regimes? How can we transform sites of contested memory into spaces for dialogue, education, and critical reflection?
These questions are at the core of the international conference Ways to Communicate Dissonant Heritage: Architecture, Art, Exhibitions, organized within the framework of the project Developing an Inclusive Process for Communicating Dissonant Heritage.
The conference brings together historians, architects, artists, and curators working on the recuperation of dissonant heritage across France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Greece, Germany, and Croatia. Through shared experiences and case studies, participants will explore architecture as a contested medium, art as a site of ideological struggle, and exhibitions as powerful tools for multivocal storytelling.
Featuring contributions from leading institutions involved in the project, the event seeks to foster a dynamic exchange of ideas on how societies can confront uncomfortable heritage with transparency, creativity, and inclusivity.
Entrance is free; prior registration is recommended via this link.
AGENDA
09:00 | Welcome and registration
09:30 | Opening remarks
- Jordi Guixé, EUROM director
- Carmina Gustrán, Comissioner of the commemorative programme 50 en Libertad
09:45 | Keynote Speech
Models for the enhancement of prison heritage: the French experience
Fabienne Huard-Hardy, Centre de Ressources sur l’Histoire des Crimes et des Peines.
10:30 | Coffee Break
11:00 | Presentations: Developing an Inclusive Process for Communicating Dissonant Heritage
- Dora Ivanova, Buzludzha Project Foundation
The Buzludzha Monument in Bulgaria - Alessia Zampini, Università di Bologna, and Valentina Gili, Università di Brescia
The former “Bruno Mussolini” Military College of Aeronautics in Forlì (Italy)
11:45 | Panel 1 – Art and Dissonant Heritage
Moderated by David González (EUROM – UB)
- Daniel Rico, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
On Critical Conservation Considered as One of the Fine Arts - Horst Hoheisel, artist (Germany)
The Memory of Art – The Art of Memory
- Sanjin Mihelic, Museum of Arts and Crafts (Croatia)
Reframing Dissonance: Architecture, Memory, and Contested Sites in Croatia
13:15 | Lunch Break
14:30 | Visit to La Model Former Prison
15:30 | Panel 2 – Architecture and Dissonant Heritage
Moderated by Dora Ivanova (Buzludzha Project Foundation)
- Camille Sepulchre, Université Catholique de Louvain (Belgium)
Enclosing the Insane: The Pharmakon Behind Asylum Architecture - Viktor Janák, Zamecek Memorial (Czech Republic)
Concrete monster or dignified memorial? Reconstruction of the Zámeček Memorial - Anna Feu, Feu Godoy Arquitectes (Spain)
Corbera d’Ebre: An Alternative Approach to Memory Preservation
17:00 | Coffee Break
17:30 – 19:00h | Panel 3 – Exhibitions and Dissonant Heritage
Moderated by Ricard Conesa (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distáncia – EUROM)
- Núria Ricart, Universitat de Barcelona – EUROM (Spain)
Dissonant Heritage and Museography: La Model Memory Site - Aida Rechena, Museu Nacional Resistência e Liberdade, Fortaleza de Peniche (Portugal)
National Museum of Resistance and Freedom: The Museumization of the Memory of Repression - Emmanouil Avgeridis, ASKI (Greece)
Celebrating freedom in a space of torture: the former EAT-ESA Headquarters in Athens
Organized by the European Observatory on Memories of the UB Solidarity Foundation, the Buzludzha Project Foundation and the Department of Architecture, University of Bologna; in partnership with EuroClio – European Association of History Educators and Atrium European Cultural Route – Council of Europe. In cooperation with the City Council of Barcelona and the Ministry of Territorial Policies and Democratic Memory within the framework of the programme “Spain in Freedom. 50 Years”.
Related Project
Developing an Inclusive Process for Communicating Dissonant Heritage