project


From a playful challenge, to a fascinating game. Step in the building world!



The challenge

Did you know that buildings can talk?

The SINCERE project invites you to accept the challenge to become the one who will give a voice to a cultural heritage building that you feel connected to.

The idea is very simple, and there is no right or wrong way to do this. Just follow these simple steps:
1) Visit a cultural heritage building of your choice, or you are already living/studying/working in one? (even better!)
2) Observe the building carefully with all your senses, walk around it and through it, looking carefully its details, listening deeply, touching its surfaces, and smelling.
3) Frame a spot you would like to impersonate, it could be as small as a nail, and as big as the whole facade. Anything you think that has something to "tell us".
4) Record a short video showing this spot talking, with your voice!. If you are alone, you can use your smartphone filming this spot and talking over. If you are more, you can interview each other, create dialogues between different parts, etc.
5) Share your TalkingBuilding account in anyway you feel like, tagging it with #TalkingBuildings on social media, or sending it directly to us at info@sincere-project.eu.

And please do not hesitate to ask us any question.

The game just started and we will develop it together!

Click the image above to watch a short slideshow that visualizes those steps, which you can share also with your friends to engage them also! You could even adapt it to your local context, and language, and initiate your own challenge, focusing on the social media of your choice.



The game

Inviting people to visit cultural heritage buildings, and give them a voice is only the warming up for the Talking Buildings Game. The process of impersonation requires many layers to reveal hidden aspects and missing perspectives.

So, the game just starts with the Talking Buildings Challenge, and depending on the context and the interests of the local initiators of the game could develop in different directions.

For example, the challenge could be framed around a technical topic, like sustainable renovation, energy production, circular construction, preservation, etc., and ask the participants to spot parts of building that are relevant in this context, organizing workshop to help them see "with the eyes of the experts" during the observation phase, and empower them to imagine stories that can provide useful input to experts.

In this page we will be documenting all different variations and provide material to support you in initiating your own version of the game!



Instances

The SINCERE Talking Buildings Game is currently being initiated with customized graphics and communication in the following areas:

Rhodes story

Framing: general
Language: Greek
Main medium: Audio&Video
Campaign: TBD
Story collection: TBD
Other media: Facebook group

Ostrava story

Framing: the eyes of the expert
Language: Czech
Main medium: Photos&text
Campaign: TBD
Story collection: MUSEum+
Other media: TBD

Holon story

Framing: Sustainable architecture, participatory workshops
Language: English
Main medium: Photos&text / Audio&Video
Campaign: workshop invitations (Hornig, Xanthi)
Story collection: SINCERE blog
Other media: TBD


Examples of talking buildings

We are preparing a comprehensive list of "talking" buildings around the world.

In the mean time, you can watch on Youtube the heritage in dialogue, the full recording (or just the teaser).

This was the first ever online dialogue between two cultural heritage buildings, and more, organized by the SINCERE project for the European Heritage Days 2024.