Endangered Material Knowledge Programme

VOICES FROM THE FIELD - 'The future of life in the oases of the Sahara depends on water from the foggaras' by Juan Ignacio Robles, Tarik Ghodbani, Mohamed Hadeid, and SidAhmed Bellal.

EMKP grantee Juan Ignacio Robles, Principal Investigator of the project, 'Foggaras: Water production in the Adrar palm grove oases (Sahara, Algeria)’, has written a new article for the Voices from the Field series. This piece focuses on his fieldwork experience during this project, and what the team have managed to document so far. The article highlights the importance of preserving this material practice in the face of economic changes that could change the social and ecological landscape of these oases.

If you would like to learn more, please click here: https://www.emkp.org/the-future-of-life-in-the-oases-of-the-sahara/

IMAGE CREDIT // J.I. Robles, 2025 // IMAGE LICENSED UNDER CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

WORLD DAY FOR CULTURAL DIVERSITY FOR DIALOGUE AND DEVELOPMENT 🌍

According to UNESCO, the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development is about more than just the celebration of cultural diversity, but also the importance of cultural exchange and global dialogue for the benefit of all.

We are celebrating this day by highlighting and thanking all of the community members from around the world who have shared their material culture knowledge with EMKP teams and projects. EMKP projects create not just a dialogue between the communities and the research teams, but also with different people across the globe through the EMKP repository. None of this would be possible without the generosity of these knowledge-holders and knowledge-bearers.

IMAGE CREDIT // Kristen Pearson, 2022 // IMAGE LICENSED UNDER CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

VOICES FROM THE FIELD - 'Forty Years On - Traditional Image-Casting in Thailand' by Tristram Riley-Smith

EMKP Legacy Digitisation grantee Tristram Riley-Smith, Principle Investigator of the project, 'Traditional Image-Casting in Thailand’, has written a new article for the Voices from the Field series. This piece focuses on his return to Thailand after 40+ years to revisit the sites of his 1984 research, and his reconnection with the traditional foundries of Chiang Mai and Wat Chang. The article is a fascinating window into how what a Legacy Digitisation Grant can mean for not just the grantee, but for the community as well.

If you would like to learn more, please click here: https://www.emkp.org/forty-years-on-traditional-image-casting-in-thailand/

IMAGE CREDIT // Pitchaya Soomjinda, 2026