SENSES brings together researchers and professionals to combine knowledge and find novel ways of presenting the European court residence, seen as the locus of multiple sensorial experiences. At the crossroads of court studies, sensory history and digital humanities, SENSES focuses on the “court residence” of late mediaeval and early modern Europe. This means the material and spatial environment of the courts in Europe from 1300 to 1800 within their social context, at all spatial scales from the single building (or part) to the landscape created around it and the supra-territorial residence network it belongs to. We will explore the full gamut of sensory experiences linked with the court residence and its life throughout history until today: from essential human activities, such as preparing food and crafting things, to the grandest and most complex, such as perceiving performances of music and dance in dedicated spaces and dining rituals.

Our goal is to build a better understanding of this complex cultural phenomenon and thus to support its survival as European heritage. To achieve this, SENSES will be multi-disciplinary and trans-sectoral, building bridges between academic disciplines on the one hand, and between academia and the cultural heritage sector on the other. We want to offer a sound research-based platform for developing novel, sensory-based interactions between the public (consumer), and the heritage (art, architecture, music) of the past. By exploring new ways of making and keeping this artistic heritage relevant for audiences of the future, we will contribute actively to European identity-building.