Traditionally, the idea of cultural heritage has been limited to physical objects received from the past, whose artistic merit was already sanctioned by some higher authority and whose preservation was restricted to institutions such as museums and archives. The expansion of scholarly interests as well as technological developments have more recently led to the consideration of other forms of human expression, which include more volatile or intangible elements such as oral traditions, music, and films. This presentation draws on the experiences gathered within project INDIGO to discuss if the case of contemporary graffiti can help us reconsider the traditional boundaries of cultural heritage. It will focus on the 'time' and 'selection' factors in the definition of cultural heritage: Does the passing of time play a key role in determining what is cultural heritage and what is not? To what extent is cultural heritage the result of a process of selection and valorisation on the part of scholars or other key actors? Is cultural heritage not just something we inherit from the past, but first and foremost our legacy for the future, built also on the basis of our own present?

The INDIGO graffiti project is funded by the Heritage Science Austria programme of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW)