This research project on the decolonisation of coffee culture will adopt a multidisciplinary approach, drawing on cutting-edge artistic and scientific technologies as well as historical archives. The project aims to address the complex and intertwined histories of labour, colonialism, extractivism and environmental impact associated with coffee production and consumption. The project will be explored across multiple sites and historical periods, with a particular focus on the intertwined histories of the Caribbean basin, Britain and Japan. The objective is to examine the potential of artistic methodologies utilising digital environments and techniques to facilitate the development of transformative engagement strategies to address inequity, marginalisation and barriers to inclusion within the arts, culture and heritage sector. This project will pay particular attention to fragile and potentially vulnerable artefacts associated with coffee production and consumption. It will trace the impact of colonialism on labour and the plantation economy, and examine the ways in which humans and nature have been subjected to relentless exploitation. By exploring artefacts and documents from museum collections in digital environments, it will seek to link past colonial practices and their violence with contemporary discussions about the global influence of plantation economies and the role of technology in reshaping society.
Coffee plant and butterfly by Maria Sibylla Merian