Stories of feelings and things: intangible heritage from within the built heritage paradigm in the UK

Abstract

Stories of feelings and things: intangible heritage from within the built heritage paradigm in the UKThe changing nature of heritage over recent decades has stimulated a focus on intangible heritage -the understanding of which specifically from within the UK built heritage paradigm remains inconclusive. This is problematic when considering developments in policy and practice that demonstrate a steady dismantling of a material focus. To gain sector-specific insight into how the intangible heritage of buildings is conceptualised, a series of 16 semi-structured interviews were conducted with built heritage professionals. Data was collated into eight themes (stories; history; events; memory; use; discord; craft; emotion) and an explanatory model developed, revealing the understanding of intangible heritage as a collection of 'narratives' that contribute towards an overarching building 'story'. Both 'buildings' and 'people' were acknowledged as co-authors of this story; however, professionals did not acknowledge their own role within the storytelling process. This downplays their role as curator of heritage, as well as their personal experiences that inevitably shape the storytelling process. Findings suggest built heritage practice should be reconceptualised as a storytelling activity. This will offer greater opportunities for intangible heritage to be consolidated within the built heritage paradigm, by encouraging professionals to see themselves as translators of intangible heritage as well as custodians of physical heritage.

La Musealización del Arte y la Historia: estrategias discursivas y de comunicación, inclusión, transformación digital y participación en museos

“…Geoghegan, McIlvenna y van der Vaart (2017) identifican tres estrategias para desarrollar narrativas locales a partir de colecciones nacionales: la colaboración inter-institucional, la implicación de historiadores locales y la recogida de información local en eventos comunitarios e historias orales. También de los nuevos materiales culturales, como los del patrimonio intangible (Djabarouti, 2020), de la vida cotidiana (Morgan y Macdonald, 2020). Y, en lo que respecto más específicamente al ámbito de la museología, de la tipología de las casas-museo, según defiende Mikula (2015).…”

Listed Buildings as Socio-material Hybrids: Assessing Tangible and Intangible Heritage Using Social Network Analysis

“…As contemporary heritage practices shift from a sole concern with material preservation to a more dynamic understanding of intangible heritage, alternative approaches, which can accommodate buildings as changing, dynamic entities, are undoubtedly required (DeSilvey, 2017, p. 50). A variety of ontological shifts have already been suggested in order to achieve this, such as a 'managed decline' approach (DeSilvey, 2017), conceiving buildings as events (Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, 2004), perceiving buildings as containers of intangible heritage (Skounti, 2009, p. 83); a 'null ontology' (Tait & While, 2009) and the reinterpretation of buildings as stories (Djabarouti, 2020;Hollis, 2009;Walter, 2014). What these theoretical works have in common is their ability to transform listed buildings into what DeSilvey (2017, p. 29) describes as '...processual events, continually formed and transformed by their movement through a field of social and physical relations'.…”

“…These broader developments within critical heritage studies are consequently adding additional complexity to the role of built heritage professionals, who must now consider the complex relationship between these two heritage domains within assessments (Kearney, 2009, p. 220); for example, Douglas-Jones et al (2016, p. 824) have more recently described the conservation and management of built heritage as ‘…a complex process involving not only physical fabric, but also cultural, aesthetic, spiritual, social and economic values’. This is particularly problematic, especially when considering the built heritage industry is already a complex sector involving many professionals with different perceptions and priorities (Djabarouti & O’Flaherty, 2020; Jones, 2009, p. 11; Mısırlısoy & Gan Günç, 2016, p. 92).…”

Imitation and intangibility: postmodern perspectives on restoration and authenticity at the Hill House Box, Scotland

“…In doing so, the perception of authenticity and restoration is brought within the context of a dynamic postmodern outlook, where plurality, multiplicity and continuity are championed (Tiesdell, Taner, and Heath 1996, 7;Graham, Ashworth, and Tunbridge 2000, 75); and differences between 'original' and 'copy' are distorted (Cohen 2007, 77;Steiner 2010, 245). This is an increasingly relevant viewpoint to explore when considering built heritage policy and practice are increasingly shifting towards a more postmodern outlook (see Djabarouti 2020), and architectural conservators/designers are beginning to favour similarity over contrast (see Plevoets and Cleempoel 2019, 31).…”