A co-design method for museums to engage migrant communities with cultural heritage

This chapter presents an experimental method designed to engage migrant participants with local cultural heritage. The initiative was part of an exploratory field study conducted in the context of the European-funded project MEMEX, a research effort promoting the social wellbeing of communities at risk of exclusion through the narration and collection of memories and stories related to cultural heritage. To engage members of such communities with the topic of cultural heritage, we deployed a two-stage intervention: a five-day photo-challenge, where participants were asked to photograph sites that they felt connected to, and a four-hour co-design workshop in which they explored the photos they had captured and co-created stories around specific sites, linking them to their memories. This chapter reflects how this process can benefit designers, individuals, and organizations in the cultural sector in capturing and reflecting on cultural heritage, engaging communities at risk of exclusion while supporting scientific and societal impact.