VIRTUAL ISTANBUL HERITAGE(S)

Abstract

Re-creative Practice spans multiple disciplines, united by a deep engagement with historical objects held in museum collections. It is both the methodology that underpins my artistic practice and the foundation of my pedagogical philosophy. This presentation explores case studies that demonstrate effective strategies for embedding Re-creative Practice into art education, empowering students to undertake primary research in museums to enrich their learning and inform their creative work. At the core of this approach is a model that involves “mining” museum collections to reverse-engineer historical artifacts, enabling the creation of contemporary works inspired by either their aesthetic qualities or the techniques used to make them. Central to these case studies is the pedagogical strategy of “learning alongside”—a shift from traditional hierarchies of master and pupil toward a collaborative, co-productive relationship between educator and student. This strategy highlights the value of haptic engagement with historical objects, demonstrating how insights drawn from the past can be integrated with contemporary making technologies to foster more sustainable modes of production. It also repositions museum collections not merely as records of the past, but as dynamic resources that can actively shape the future of creative practice.