This project investigates the material dimension of diplomacy through the study of gifts exchanged with the Holy See. Conducted through on-site research at the Vatican in early 2026, the work combines visits to the Vatican Museums and Apostolic Library with interviews with curators and ambassadors. It traces how objects, ranging from everyday artefacts to national symbols, embody negotiations of power, belief, and identity. In a time when traditional sources of information face growing distrust, Material Diplomacy looks to material culture as an alternative archive of global dynamics. The collection of gifted objects reveals shifting systems of value and belief, reflecting the political, religious, and colonial narratives embedded in their making and exchange. By interpreting these gifts through a design perspective, the research reframes the Vatican’s collection as both witness and agent in moments of conflict and reconciliation.

One of the research outcomes were a series of diagrams tracing the location of the political gifts and the different “characters” involved in their handling, as seen below.

The video documentation collected during our on-site visit resulted in a clip, which traces our footsteps throughout the Vatican knowledge institutions with a focus on the mediation of the gift and how it travels through hands, states, and devices. The video essay was part of the Research Night at Nieuwe Insitute in 2026.