Project Groups
Starting in 2026, the UWA Cluster of Excellence will adopt a new research structure, consisting of Concept and Mehtod Units (CMUs), Project Groups (PGs), and Individual Research Projects (IRPs).
Project Groups are small and versatile cross-disciplinary teams, including professorial, postdoctoral, and doctoral researchers. They work on specific case studies and on new topics and materials that emerge in particular as a result of bottom-up cross-disciplinary interaction. The duration of the PGs, running typically for two to four years, depends on their research goals and planned output.
The first set of PGs has been implemented in January 2026. They exemplify the UWA’s range of heuristic approaches, contribute to reaching UWA II’s objectives and provide innovative and inspiring fora for incoming early career researchers.
Turning Rock into Pixels: The Jewish Cemetery Altona
The Project Group Turning Rock into Pixels aims to explore the rich cultural heritage of the Jewish cemetery at Königstraße in Hamburg-Altona, which features over 7,000 inscribed tombstones.
Writing in Colours
The Project Group Writing in Colours focuses on the significant role of colours in written artefacts (WAs) and their influence on reader engagement, examining these aspects from symbolic and pragmatic perspectives.
Written Artefacts and the Body
The Project Group Writing in Colours focuses on the significant role of colours in written artefacts (WAs) and their influence on reader engagement, examining these aspects from symbolic and pragmatic perspectives.
Parchment Panomics: A Holistic Approach to Understanding and Conserving Parchment Manuscripts
In cooperation with the Kairouan Manuscript Project and the Tunisian National Heritage Institute’s National Laboratory for the Preservation and Conservation of Parchment and Manuscripts, this PG will explore the material life cycles of parchment manuscripts from the former library of the Grand Mosque in Kairouan, Tunisia.
Gleaming Words: Cultural Interaction in Eurasian Golden Plate Inscriptions
The Project Group Gleaming Words investigates the cultural and historical significance of writing on golden plates across Eurasia, tracing their diffusion from ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt through the Mediterranean and eastwards to Persia, South, East and Southeast Asia.
Written Artefacts for Staging
The Project Group examines how WAs have historically been employed to facilitate and document performative events like ceremonies, musical and theatrical performances. The group explores the production, revision, and reproduction of these artefacts in relation to visual, auditory, and other sensory elements.
Navigating Multigraphic Written Artefacts
This Project Group advances UWA’s commitment to digital innovation by utilizing AI and computer vision to enhance the study of multigraphic WAs, which include multiple sign systems like scripts and pictorial elements.
Materiality and Textual Transmission
The Project Group investigates the impact of material features on the history of transmission of texts, merging text-focused approaches with material analysis to enhance philological studies.
Writing the Family: Genealogical Written Artefacts in Africa, Asia, and Europe
The Project Group Writing the Family seeks to advance the cross-cultural study of genealogy as a scholarly field. The group emphasizes the role of handwriting in shaping social realities, particularly highlighting how genealogical writing impacts the imagination of family and kinship structures.
Provenancing Plant-Based Writing Supports
The Project Group aims to advance understanding of the origins and historical transmission of plant-based writing materials like paper, palm leaves, and papyrus. By employing advanced material-science methods, the group addresses the challenges of determining the provenance of these materials.