Maastricht Centre for Arts and Culture, Conservation and Heritage

Crimes involving high-value unique goods, such as luxury items and works of art have evolved significantly: as opposed to forgery or theft, criminals now exploit luxury items by turning them into financial assets which are then used for laundering wealth, obscuring transactions and evading sanctions. To unpack how this process works and can be prevented, the transdisciplinary project PRICELESS has been launched, involving MACCH researchers dr. Christoph Rausch (project leader), dr. Donna Yates and dr. Rachel Pownall.

The world has moved online, with entire repositories, archives and cultures now in the digital realm. PURE3D is a groundbreaking initiative that addresses challenges those working in Digital Humanities are currently facing by developing access infrastructure for viewing interactive Digital Heritage and Digital Humanities 3D content online. This project is led by MACCH researchers dr Costas Papadopoulos and prof dr Susan Schreibman.

Rivier Atelier is a newly funded research initiative by the Rijksdienst voor Cultureel Erfgoed and the Province of Limburg in collaboration with Natuurmonumenten, led by MACCH researchers Christian Ernsten and Claartje Rasterhoff. The project seeks to formulate nuanced landscape visions and heritage management strategies in response to the impact of climate change on watermill landscapes. Between 2023 and 2025, this initiative employs historical, archaeological and design research to examine the Geul River and its surrounding vicinities’ watermill landscapes.