The seminar explores intangible cultural heritage (ICH) as living practices, knowledge, skills, expressions and traditions transmitted within communities and what it means to conserve it in the context of museums and conservation practice.

An introduction to ICH and living heritage provides the conceptual foundation to the course before participants explore i.e.

• how museums can move beyond collecting material objects to documenting and supporting knowledge, relationships, memories, skills and practices associated with those objects
• the idea of community-based museums which act as platform for communities rather than a repository about communities – with the Volkskundemuseum Wien and the Community Museum at Gya (Leh, Ladakh) in India serving as case studies
• the care and display of sacred objects in museums 
• intangible heritage conservation strategies

The seminar includes site visits, case study analyses and interactive exercises.

These will be announced at the start of the course.

The seminar will take place from Monday 5 - Thursday 8 October 2026 in Vienna.

The seminar is organized together with Univ.-Ass. Mag. Martina Amort (Intangible Heritage Conservation, LV-Nr. S70225). To successfully complete the seminar, you must register for both modules!