"Finding the Spirit of Place." This question belongs
to a process of reflection that began in Victoria Falls in 2003
when the General Assembly of ICOMOS first tackled the topic of intangible
heritage. The theme chosen for that Scientific Symposium, "Place-Memory-Meaning:
Preserving Intangible Values in Monuments and Sites" gave an
opportunity for participants to deepen their understanding of the
relationship between tangible and intangible heritage. This reflection
occurred at the same time that the General Assembly of UNESCO adopted
the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The question of the spirit of place continued to be discussed in
Xi'an in 2005, when the General Assembly of ICOMOS recognized, through
the adoption of a Declaration, that it is important to protect the
setting or the environment of monuments and historic sites, which
can serve as an additional layer of protection, as it is to protect
the monuments and sites themselves
As we are all aware, the theme "Finding the Spirit of the
Place" is also the discussion theme for the 16th General Assembly,
which will take place in Quebec in 2008. It brings us to focus on
the relationship that links us to places and objects we consider
as heritage and through which these places and objects acquire meaning
and value.
In preparation for the 2008 General Assembly, and to further reflections
on this subject, the Scientific Committee of ICOMOS Canada 2007
Congress calls for the submission of abstracts for papers on one
of the following four sub-themes:
1. To understand, identify, aprehend the spirit of place.
What is spirit of place? Where does it hide or where is it hidden?
How can it be identified? Who decides that a place has a spirit?
What are the analytical tools at our disposal to understand the
genius loci?
2. To make appropriate use of the spirit of place
Who determines the spirit of place? How do we manage different perceptions
of intangible values associated with place? Does archaeological
research unveil, transform or disguise the spirit of place?
3. To conserve and transmit the spirit of place
Which actors are called into action to preserve the genius loci?
What kind of attention do our charters and declarations give to
protecting the genius loci? Do our heritage law as provide or allow
the same protection of spirit of place at the same level as for
material fabric of our heritage places? How do we intervene to improve
the living conditions for inhabitants of exceptional vernacular
heritage that is extensively deteriorated, without destroying the
spirit of such heritage, its meaning and its values?
4. To interpret and communicate the spirit of place
How do we communicate the spirit of place? How do we discover and
interpret the spirit of historic cities, and how do se ensure that
this spirit infused contemporary architecture and development?
These are just some of the many question that the Scientific Committee
of ICOMOS Canada 2007 Congress invites for consideration, so that
the Congress will provide an opportunity to share knowledge and
experience that will eventually contribute to enlarging our professional
practice. We should not limit our reflection solely to the definition
and search for the spirit of place, but should also focus on attitudes
and behaviors that we need to adopt in our daily practice to reveal
the spirit, to protect it and transmit it to future generations.
ICOMOS members are invited by ICOMOS Canada to submit abstracts
of your proposed presentation, maximum 500 words or 3,000 characters
in Times Roman 11 Pt font, no later than 15 June 2007,
to the following e-mail address: ghafourim@mocad.ca Please indicate
in your text under which sub-theme you wish to present you paper.
Attach a maximum 5-line abstract of your proposal and a maximum
3-line resume of your CV (bio) for publication.
The Committee will select papers that best respond to the theme
as well as those that have potential to provoke discussion among
participants, Authors of selected papers will benefit form a 50%
reduction in the Congress registration fee.
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