The CONteXT research project aims to add to the - often scarce - knowledge about the collection of Congolese wooden heritage objects at the Royal Museum for Central Africa by letting the objects themselves speak through the analysis of their material history. By processing high-resolution X-ray microtomography (μCT) imagery of one hundred Congolese objects, information about the objects' original context and history can be non-invasively derived. The knowledge extracted from the scans will help heritage experts at the museum gain a better understanding of the cultures they study: how were the objects in the collection constructed, what materials were incorporated and how were the objects used. The study will also help museum curators understand the ageing processes of materials, the sensitivity of materials to changes in different environments and any ancient conservation treatments used to preserve objects; ultimately to improve the care and preservation of the objects in the collection.
Through the study of material clues, the CONteXT project hopes to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the objects' materials, which is inextricably linked to the understanding of the object's cultural meaning and value: the object's context. To reconstruct this comprehensive context, the project will engage members of the objects' source communities in a knowledge exchange network. In collaboration with heritage researchers, creators or users from the Democratic Republic of Congo and from the Belgian diaspora, the project aims to gain an in-depth understanding of the material and immaterial context of the objects. The network will also enable open discussion of the often overlooked ethical questions that arise when studying African heritage objects. Through the partnership with the objects' source communities, CONteXT will gather perspectives on sampling, visualising and uncovering sensitive or secret information of African heritage objects.