Post on 04-Aug-2015
transcript
Possibilities of Emptiness: Working with the Echoes of Industrial Culture
Professor Dr Mike RobinsonDirector, Ironbridge International
Institute for Cultural HeritageUniversity of Birmingham, UK
Reflections on a World Without Remains and Reminders
• Histories are all in the future
• A place of different conversations
• Amnesiac communities
• Does it matter?
BIG Question
Assuming we consider industrial heritage to worth retaining, preserving, protecting,
interpreting, etc. …….HOW do we go about it?
SHIFTFrom:• emphasis on
‘museumification’
• reliance on public sector subsidy / culture
• public sector / ‘expert’ management
SHIFTTo:• integration into
wider cityscape / landscape / ‘policyscape’
• increased private sector engagement
• sustainable management practices
The Fate of Industrial Space
Without an agenda for industrial heritage we are condemned to coffee shops, housing estates and retail parks
At the same time:
How many art centres do we need?
Multi-level Approach
Policy Level
• Integrated Industrial Heritage Landscape approach
• Urban vision – alignment of community desire, political will and financial planning
• Embedded in economic policy and contemporary industrial sectors
• Planning for scaling back public subsidy
• Positive incentives for continuing industrial use
• Adaptive re-use
• New re-incarnations
Sheffield’s Little Mesters Yards
Multi-level Approach
Site Management Level
• Flexible utilisation of resources – planning• Maximising audience appeal / participation• Flexible utilisation of resources – diverse
revenue streams/ stakeholders• Planning for scaling back public subsidy