Changes in the Medieval Colour Scheme of the Southern Façade of Wrocław Town Hall—A Case Study

The aim of this article is to discuss the colour transformations of one of the most representative Gothic façades in Central Europe—the southern façade of Wrocław Town Hall. Based on iconographic, architectural, and stratigraphic research, it was possible to find the remains of two stages of medieval colour changes. Based on these discoveries, an attempt was made to reconstruct both phases of the medieval colour scheme. The research findings enable the object to be described with regard to the architecture and colours of late gothic façades in Poland, Czechia and Germany.

El precio del delito: delincuencia y fiscalidad en la ciudad de Valencia durante el reinado de Alfonso el Magnánimo (1416-1458) según los libros de cuentas del justicia criminal

Social study about the crimes in the city of Valencia during the Alphonso the Magnanimous reign trough the account books of the Criminal Justice official and him rear revision by the Rational Master. It is quantified the number of done crimes, who are their protagonists, which are the crime typologies and the economic quantity that provide to the city and to the royal treasure, regardless of the structure of other active tribunals (town hall, government, local police). We present an urban criminality approximation through the Criminal Justice action in a concrete period by the documentary sources regularity. Estudio social y fiscal sobre los delitos cometidos en la ciudad de Valencia durante el reinado de Alfonso el Magnánimo a través los libros de cuentas del Justicia Criminal y su posterior revisión por parte del Maestre Racional. Se cuantifica el número de delitos que se cometen, quiénes son sus protagonistas, cuáles son las tipologías delictivas y las cantidades económicas que proporcionaban al municipio y a las arcas reales, independientemente de la estructura de otros tribunales en activo (bailía, gobernación, almotacén). Se presenta una aproximación a la criminalidad urbana a través de la acción del Justicia Criminal de Valencia en un periodo determinado por la regularidad de las fuentes documentales.

Rokokowe rzeźby z ogrodzenia pałacu Mniszchów w Gdańsku. Autorstwo – styl – program ikonograficzny

In 1751, Jerzy August Mniszech purchased a plot in Długie Ogrody Street: the area where a large -scale residence was erected. Its designer was most probably Pierre Ricaud de Tirregaille. An important element in shaping the spatial composition of the entire palace and garden ensemble was formed by the main gate, characterized by an extremely dynamic, sculptural form, typical of Rococo art. At the top of the gate and on the fence posts there were figures: personifications of Minerva and Ceres, four putti representing the seasons and vases. At the beginning, the article presents the history and style of the sculptures. Then the question of attribution is discussed. In literature, Johann Heinrich Meissner is the most frequently indicated creator of the entire sculptural ensemble. This attribution, in view of the shortage of sources, requires confrontation with other, preserved works of the artist. Johann Heinrich Meissner (1701–1770) was born in Królewiec. He was present in Gdańsk, where from 1726 he owned a valued workshop. Having lived in the Old Town, near the Church of St Catherine, in 1755 he moved to Długie Ogrody where he located his studio, so he was a direct witness to the project carried out for Jerzy August Mniszech. Meissner’s workshop created, among other things, garden sculptures and elements of temple decorations. Among the sacred implementations, mention should be made of the decoration of the main altar in the Cathedral in Frombork, which includes four full -figure angelic figures, vases, flames and garlands made of pine wood. Meissner was also responsible for the statues of angels from the organ front in Gdańsk’s Church of St Mary, expanded in 1757–60. The soft modelling of forms precisely emphasizes the anatomy. Figures’ gestures are naturalistic. The sculptures in front of the Mniszech Palace are stylistically different from them: strongly stylized, exaggerated, they feature vibrating surface characteristic of the Rococo. Their authorship should therefore be associated with another sculpture workshop operating in Gdańsk in the mid -18th century. Another thread is the symbolic diagram of the fence decoration. In order to understand the ideological meaning of the figures in question, it is necessary to juxtapose them with the iconography found in Gdańsk’s art (e.g. Minerva decorated the façade of the Great Armory and the hall of the Main Town Hall, while the statues of Ceres were placed at the tops of tenement houses) and with European trends.

Heritage and Participation: a case study of advocacy in post-earthquake Christchurch

<p>This dissertation explores the advocacy for the Christchurch Town Hall that occurred in 2012-2015 after the Canterbury Earthquakes. It frames this advocacy as an instance of collective-action community participation in a heritage decision, and explores the types of heritage values it expressed, particularly social values. The analysis contextualises the advocacy in post-quake Christchurch, and considers its relationship with other developments in local politics, heritage advocacy, and urban activism. In doing so, this dissertation considers how collective action operates as a form of public participation, and the practical implications for understanding and recognising social value. This research draws on studies of practices that underpin social value recognition in formal heritage management. Social value is held by communities outside institutions. Engaging with communities enables institutions to explore the values of specific places, and to realise the potential of activating local connections with heritage places. Such projects can be seen as participatory practices. However, these processes require skills and resources, and may not be appropriate for all places, communities and institutions. However, literature has understudied collective action as a form of community participation in heritage management. All participation processes have nuances of communities, processes, and context, and this dissertation analyses these in one case. The research specifically asked what heritage values (especially social values) were expressed through collective action, what the relationship was with the participation processes, communities, and wider situation that produced them, and the impact on institutional rhetoric and decisions. The research analysed values expressed in representations made to council in support of the Town Hall. It also used documentary sources and interviews with key informants to analyse the advocacy and decision-making processes and their relationships with the wider context and other grassroots activities. The analysis concluded that the values expressed intertwined social and professional values. They were related to the communities and circumstance that produced them, as an advocacy campaign for a civic heritage building from a Western architectural tradition. The advocacy value arguments were one of several factors that impacted the decision. They have had a lasting impact on rhetoric around the Town Hall, as was a heritage-making practice in its own right. This dissertation makes a number of contributions to the discussion of social value and community in heritage. It suggests connections between advocacy and participation perspectives in heritage. It recommends consideration of nuances of communities, context, and place meanings when using heritage advocacy campaigns as evidence of social value. It adds to the literature on heritage advocacy, and offers a focused analysis of one of many heritage debates that occurred in post-quake Christchurch. Ultimately, it encourages practice to actively integrate social and community values and to develop self-reflexive engagement and valuation processes. Despite inherent challenges, participatory processes offer opportunities to diversify understandings of value, co-produce heritage meanings with communities, and empower citizens in democratic processes around the places they live with and love.</p>

Heritage and Participation: a case study of advocacy in post-earthquake Christchurch

<p>This dissertation explores the advocacy for the Christchurch Town Hall that occurred in 2012-2015 after the Canterbury Earthquakes. It frames this advocacy as an instance of collective-action community participation in a heritage decision, and explores the types of heritage values it expressed, particularly social values. The analysis contextualises the advocacy in post-quake Christchurch, and considers its relationship with other developments in local politics, heritage advocacy, and urban activism. In doing so, this dissertation considers how collective action operates as a form of public participation, and the practical implications for understanding and recognising social value. This research draws on studies of practices that underpin social value recognition in formal heritage management. Social value is held by communities outside institutions. Engaging with communities enables institutions to explore the values of specific places, and to realise the potential of activating local connections with heritage places. Such projects can be seen as participatory practices. However, these processes require skills and resources, and may not be appropriate for all places, communities and institutions. However, literature has understudied collective action as a form of community participation in heritage management. All participation processes have nuances of communities, processes, and context, and this dissertation analyses these in one case. The research specifically asked what heritage values (especially social values) were expressed through collective action, what the relationship was with the participation processes, communities, and wider situation that produced them, and the impact on institutional rhetoric and decisions. The research analysed values expressed in representations made to council in support of the Town Hall. It also used documentary sources and interviews with key informants to analyse the advocacy and decision-making processes and their relationships with the wider context and other grassroots activities. The analysis concluded that the values expressed intertwined social and professional values. They were related to the communities and circumstance that produced them, as an advocacy campaign for a civic heritage building from a Western architectural tradition. The advocacy value arguments were one of several factors that impacted the decision. They have had a lasting impact on rhetoric around the Town Hall, as was a heritage-making practice in its own right. This dissertation makes a number of contributions to the discussion of social value and community in heritage. It suggests connections between advocacy and participation perspectives in heritage. It recommends consideration of nuances of communities, context, and place meanings when using heritage advocacy campaigns as evidence of social value. It adds to the literature on heritage advocacy, and offers a focused analysis of one of many heritage debates that occurred in post-quake Christchurch. Ultimately, it encourages practice to actively integrate social and community values and to develop self-reflexive engagement and valuation processes. Despite inherent challenges, participatory processes offer opportunities to diversify understandings of value, co-produce heritage meanings with communities, and empower citizens in democratic processes around the places they live with and love.</p>

LGBTQ Older Adult Recruitment in the Midst of a COVID-19 Lockdown: Reminiscences of a Post-Doctoral Fellow

Within days of obtaining ethics approval for a qualitative study “Optimizing LGBTQ Engagement with Hospice and Palliative Care in the Island Health Region” our local Covid-19 lockdown began. It took several months to have new Covid-19 research protocols (Zoom Town Hall meetings/Zoom or telephone interviews) approved. Being impatient, I teamed with another group of researchers to launch “Covid-19: Your Current Experiences and Planning for the Future,” an online survey with a large qualitative component where we planned to oversample LGBTQ respondents. In time both projects were approved, and here I reflect on recruitment lessons learned. These include my perceptions how Zoom Town Hall meetings and interviews differ from those I’ve conducted in-person, reflections on how to use social media (including targeted Facebook advertising) to recruit participants, and sadly, how to manage anti-LGBTQ sentiment that resulted from even the most targeted advertising.