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This paper explores how participatory artistic practices can activate cultural heritage sites as spaces of intercultural encounter and shared meaning-making. Drawing on critical heritage studies (Smith; Harrison), the concept of the contact zone (Pratt; Clifford), and the idea of imagined communities (Anderson), the study investigates how collaborative artistic engagement with heritage landscapes may contribute to emerging forms of belonging in a diversifying urban context.
The research is based on a qualitative case study of a two-day participatory drawing workshop held in Branitz Park, a historic cultural landscape in Cottbus, Germany. The workshop brought together international students and local residents and invited them to explore the park through individual and collaborative drawing exercises. Using participant observation, pre- and post-workshop surveys, visual artworks, and field notes as qualitative data sources, the study examines how participants interacted with one another and with the heritage environment.
The findings suggest that shared artistic practices can temporarily transform heritage sites into spaces of encounter where participants negotiate meanings of place across cultural and linguistic differences. Drawing functioned as a non-verbal form of communication that encouraged curiosity, reduced social distance, and enabled collaborative interpretations of the landscape. Participants reported experiencing the park more attentively and expressed an increased sense of comfort and connection within the group.
Rather than claiming long-term transformation, the study argues that participatory art can create meaningful moments of connection and highlight the potential of heritage landscapes to function as contact zones where diverse communities engage with place and with each other.
Nota biográfica | Short Bio
Niloofar Soleymani is a graduate of the Master’s program in World Heritage Studies at Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU) Cottbus–Senftenberg, Germany. Her research focuses on critical heritage studies, participatory art, and intercultural engagement in heritage sites. Her work explores how collaborative artistic practices can support dialogue, social connection, and shared interpretations of cultural landscapes.
| Palavras-chave | Keywords | Cultural_Heritage Participatory_Art Contact_Zone Belonging |
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