Narrative Approach To Living Heritage

This paper attempts to sketch out a theoretical framework that addresses the particular needs of living heritage. ICCROM has been at the forefront of developing a conservation practice which addresses the concerns of living heritage such as religious and pilgrimage sites (e.g. Wijesuriya 2015; Wijesuriya, Thompson, and Court 2017), and others have considered the implications for the conservation process (e.g. Poulios 2014). However, to date there has been no attempt to develop a theoretical foundation for these practices. In place of the still-dominant understanding (at least as encountered in much Western practice) of historic buildings as primarily art-historical, this paper proposes a narrative approach that allows the site or building to remain within its cultural/religious context, including an acceptance of ongoing change. While the argument proceeds from Western sources, it invites dialogue with complementary understandings of the working of tradition from other regions of the world. Any theoretical model for living heritage must address the central question of how living buildings endure between generations, that is, their continuity between past, present and future. Since modernity entails a commitment to a radical discontinuity with the past, such an approach must engage with the resources of premodernity to develop (or perhaps return to) a non-modern understanding of tradition as developmental and creative (Author, 2017). The principal sources used in the investigation of this proposed narrative approach include Alasdair MacIntyre’s rehabilitation of tradition, Hans-Georg Gadamer’s development of philosophical hermeneutics and Paul Ricoeur’s work on narrative and time.

The case study of Villa Beatrice d’Este: management planning of a multi-layered site with Medieval ruins in the Veneto Region, Italy

Villa Beatrice d’Este is a 17th century Venetian Villa in the Veneto Region, Italy, located within the area of the Euganean Hills Regional Park. The villa was built to replace a previous 13th century Medieval Monastery, whose structure was integrated in the villa. Remains of the Medieval structures are still visible today. The monumental complex constitutes an example of a multi-layered site with continuous life from Medieval times up to the present days. For this reason, the site was selected as a case study by the EU-funded project RUINS[1], in view of proposing a management plan to protect and valorise its complex heritage, as an example of heritage site with Medieval ruins in Europe. [1] RUINS, Sustainable re-use, preservation and modern management of historical ruins in Central Europe - elaboration of integrated model and guidelines based on the synthesis of the best European experiences. A project funded by the EU through the Interreg Central Europe Programme.

Ruina historyczna - ingerencje i ich uwarunkowania.

Skuteczna ochrona historycznych ruin, podobnie jak innych zabytków, uwarunkowana jest współczesnym użytkowaniem. Dostosowanie ruin do standardów użytkowych wymusza ich konserwację profilaktyczną i zachowawczą, ale też konieczne dla nowych funkcji ingerencje architektoniczne. Zasady postępowania z ruinami zawarte zostały w Karcie Ruin Historycznych przyjętej przez Polski Komitet Narodowy ICOMOS w 2012. Przeprowadzona, na tle ustaleń Karty, charakterystyka znanych w środowiskach konserwatorskich i architektonicznych obiektów pozwoliła wyodrębnić, poza tradycyjnymi metodami konserwacji profilaktycznej, cztery rodzaje ingerencji polegających na wprowadzaniu uzupełnień zabytkowych ruin, w różnym ich zakresie i skali – poczynając od uzupełniania ubytków scalającego destrukty murów oraz urządzeń „małej architektury” po obiekty użytkowe oraz kubaturowe uzupełnienia w miejscach niezachowanych fragmentów pierwotnej bryły budowli. Ocena metod ingerencji pozwala określić ich uwarunkowania i skonfrontować je z zaleceniami Karty Ruin Historycznych. Konfrontacja zaleceń Karty z przykładami przekształceń wybranych obiektów potwierdza trafność zapisów Karty oraz ich przydatność w konserwatorskiej ocenie przekształceń ruin i zachowania zabytkowych wartości. Ingerencje umożliwiające użytkowanie ruin są zgodne z oczekiwaniami społecznymi, dążeniami ich właścicieli, a co najważniejsze – znacznie zwiększają szanse remontów zabezpieczających ruiny przed zniszczeniem.

Sustainable re-use, preservation and modern management of historical ruins. RUINS’ tools & guidelines

Owners and managers of the thousands of medieval ruins around Europe face the challenge of preservation despite limited options for modern use of their sites. The RUINS project develops approaches that help managers to find contemporary, social uses for old ruins while keeping historical heritage intact. Research and evaluation of various sites will create a basis for comprehensive management plans. A lack of functionality of medieval ruins leaves limited opportunities for establishing a viable economic future of these sites. Giving new functions to ruins can result in broad, economically profitable ways of using the medieval ruins. The aim is finding the balance between the needs of stakeholders and public expectations concerning use of medieval ruins on one hand, and on the other hand preservation of authenticity and historical value of medieval ruins. The individuation of the new function requires a specific knowledge of the building in all its aspects, but also considerations regarding socio-economic values of the context that identifies its historical meaning and artistic value. The approach is to find new aims to monuments, but in harmony with the characteristics that give value and meaning to them. Within the INTERREG Central Europe project RUINS, is developing an handbook that supplies an operational tool useful to guide owners and managers of the thousands of medieval ruins around Europe toward a stainable re-use, preservation and modern management of historical ruins. The work follows an outline composed by 5 chapters that will try to respond in an exhaustive way to the aims related to contemporary use of historical ruins.

Ruins: living heritage

Ruins are representative of European values and illustrative of European history and heritage and our aim should be to raise awareness of this heritage in order to create a stronger identification with Europe and a further European integration as well. While people are living in and around World Heritage sites, their role in heritage processes and management has changed considerably. Nowadays we must connect the conservation goals with the objective of smart, inclusive and sustainable growth. Local communities must be encouraged to use their local cultural assets as a springboard through a process whereby local actors, are encouraged to assume an active stewardship over the heritage and are empowered develop that heritage in a responsible, profitable and sustainable manner. In their evocative and fascinating image, ruins must be returned to the contemporary life from which they often appear, instead, dramatically separated. Interventions on ruins appear difficult and risky, on the boundary line between archaeological and architectural restoration. The contemporary architectural interventions on the ruin oscillate from conservation to reintegration, up to the absolute extremism consisting in the reconstruction, considered acceptable and suitable only if based on the contemporary design that, from the knowledge of the history, leads to a creative and modern form and image of the architectural work.

Integrated natural sciences approaches to the protection of medieval ruins

The aim of this paper is to present the Report of innovative restoration techniques, technologies and materials used in conservation in the context of natural sciences and heritage science of the RUINS Project. First, the specifics of preservation and maintenance of ruins are briefly described. Subsequently, the context of natural sciences and the new scientific discipline of heritage science, including the link to innovation, are indicated. The paper then presents the structure of the report and an example of one record representing one specific technique. Record structure is ready to be transferred to versatile data set so it could be converted into an updatable online database in the future.

Information panels and scenic illumination as important elements of ruin presentation

This paper is focused on the issue of information panels and the illumination of monuments, especially ruins. First, methodological recommendations of ICOMOS Charter for the Interpretation and Presentation of Cultural Heritage Sites are mentioned as it is necessary to follow the recommendations when planning and implementing any interpretive infrastructure. There follows a brief characteristic of the function, intervention, positive and negative of the information panels as important elements of the interpretative infrastructure. Similarly, scenic illumination of monuments is presented. Two case studies of installation of information panels are than described - Jihlava Town Fortification (CZ) and Remains of Slav Hill Fort. The conclusion than offers methodological steps for the choice of solution and realisation of interpretive infrastructure.

Ruins of sacred buildings: ideological message and problems of its preservation

The ruin is a building, whose shape is deformed and decoration have suffered significant loses. So the viewer’s attention is attracted by the ideological message of ruins, which is always different from the set of meanings of the complete edifice, and often contradicts it. This is clearly seen in the case of sacred buildings. In the 16th and 17th centuries Roman Catholic writers claimed, that the ruins of pagan temples in Rome are monuments of the ancient Roman Empire’s power, but their current state clearly shows the defeat of paganism and triumph of Christianity. The prelates thought that it was necessary to take care of the ruins, but they should not be rebuilt. Protestant writers in the British Isles took a similar attitude to the local ruins of monastic temples, seeing in them a clear manifestation of the fall of the “papist religion” and the triumph of Protestantism. During the French Revolution, remains of the ruined churches were consciously preserved as monuments of the decline of Christianity and the triumph of the new cult of reason. So rejection of the religion granted protection to ruins of sacred buildings. However the religious indifference growing in many communities causes problems with determining the place of such ruins in public space. Reducing them to the role of bizarre "street furniture" (eg the church of Saint-Livier in Metz), causes their ideological neglection, often contributes to their material destruction. Preventing such situation seems to be an important challenge for conservators dealing with the problem of "permanent ruin".

Historyczne ruiny – między doktryną konserwatorską, a społeczną akceptacją

W ujęciu doktrynalnym ruina jest postrzegana jako pełnoprawny zabytek, o autonomicznych wartościach. Natomiast charakter wysoce polemiczny z doktryną i teorią ma praktyka wyrażająca się w konkretnych ingerencjach w substancję zabytkową i otoczenie zabytku. Można powiedzieć, że cały okres powojenny, to okres afirmacji, pochwały odbudowy. Hasło odbudowy zakorzeniło się, jako pozytywne i twórcze. Dla realizacji koncepcji doktrynalnej ochrony ruin celowe jest przywrócenie społecznej umiejętności postrzegania piękna ruin historycznych, jako znaków w krajobrazie. Celowe jest edukowanie społeczności na ile ruiny bez własnej funkcji użytkowej mogą być jednak użyteczne, jako atrakcja regionalna, magnes przyciągający turystów i budzący wyobraźnię. To duże wyzwanie dla specjalistów z zakresu ochrony dóbr kultury, którzy nie tylko powinni dogłębnie poznawać doktryny konserwatorskie, rozumieć istotę zabytku, ale także zaznajamiać się z technikami informacyjnymi, edukacyjnymi i negocjacyjnymi, by móc mieć wpływ na podejmowane decyzje o losach kolejnych zabytków, w tym szczególnie ruin historycznych.

Indigenous Cultural Heritage: Developing New Approaches and Best Practices for World Heritage Based on Indigenous Perspectives and Values

In support of advancing the recognition and inclusion of Indigenous Cultural Heritage in all its diverse forms within the UNESCO World Heritage Convention and World Heritage Site designations, this paper documents and discusses the presentations, Indigenous-led Forum, and recommendations and outcomes of the International Conference on Indigenous Cultural Heritage organized by the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Theory and Philosophy of Restoration and Conservation in partnership with the First Nations House of Learning, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, in November 2019.