1,2,5,6,3,1,2,- 1School of Computing and Engineering, University of West London, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain – England, Scotland, Wales (fabio.tosti@uwl.ac.uk)
- 2The Faringdon Research Centre for Non-Destructive Testing and Remote Sensing, University of West London, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain – England, Scotland, Wales
- 3National Research Council of Italy (CNR) - Institute for Electromagnetic Sensing of the Environment (IREA), Naples, Italy
- 4Royal College of Art, School of Communication, London, UK
- 5Institute for Environment and Human Security, United Nations University (UNU-EHS), Bonn, Germany
- 6University of Malta, Faculty of Science, Geosciences Department, Msida, Malta
- 7Historic England, Geophysics Team, Portsmouth, UK
The BLUE-HeArTS project establishes a UK and EU multidisciplinary partnership and supports the development of a major Horizon Europe Pillar 2 project proposal for the call HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-HERITAGE-01: “Artistic intelligence” (Focus 2). The project employs the transformative power of the arts to address complex societal challenges, enhance soft skills and promote innovation and competitiveness.
BLUE-HeArTS integrates artistic creativity, advanced sensing technologies, and cultural heritage research into a unified framework that addresses climate-driven risks to heritage assets within the “Blue Environment”, i.e., coastal, riverine, and subterranean water systems. By embedding artists as active partners, the project translates scientific data from non-invasive sensing technologies and climate modelling, into storytelling and extended reality (XR) experiences that inspire creativity, empathy, and public engagement.
A central component of the project’s strategy is the evaluation of potential pilot demonstrators, with sites such as the Reculver Tower in Kent, UK, identified as illustrative case studies. The project proposes to explore the application of satellite monitoring, utilising high-resolution thermal imagery, alongside climate modelling to assess heritage vulnerability. Such an approach is designed to inform prototype artistic performances, effectively bridging the gap between technical data and public perception.
BLUE-HeArTS key objectives include:
- Identifying real-world case studies in UK, Italy, and Malta as pilot demonstrators for narrative technologies to be further developed in the Horizon Europe project.
- Designing a simplified XR-based prototype to test the effectiveness of scientific content interpreted through artistic perspectives.
- Engaging partners, including policymakers and social sciences/humanities experts, to explore the historical, cultural, and environmental complexity of the selected sites.
- Developing and refining the Horizon Europe proposal.
Ultimately, BLUE-HeArTS demonstrates that human-centered, art-driven innovation is essential for promoting cultural resilience. By linking technology and culture, the project ensures heritage research is inclusive and resilient to climate change.
Acknowledgements
The Authors would like to acknowledge the project BLUE-HeArTS (January – September 2026), funded by the British Academy under the "Pump Priming Collaboration between UK and EU Partners 2026" programme (Award Reference: PPHE26\100311).
How to cite: Tosti, F., Catapano, I., Ghani, A. M., Daou, D., D'Amico, S., Lastorina, A., Linford, N., Motavallizadeh Naeini, M., and Tessema, T.: BLUE-HeArTS: BLUE Heritage through Art, Technology, and Science, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-19572, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-19572, 2026.
