from Sydney Morning Herald -
Don't shoot the Texta messengers
go to article

Steve Grody's new illustrated book Graffiti L.A. is out now.

I confess - I have a thing for graffiti. It all began when my to-die-for lecturer talked about graffiti in one of my urban geography classes. From there, street arts and graffiti have always been on my outlook lens. Living in clean, (almost)utopian suburbia of Singapore, there aren't many chances to meet street arts so much often. In fact, before uni, I didn't know how "graffiti" look like. Maybe there was some underground making of provocative street art going on but they weren't unlikely to make friendly headlines in the mainstream media in Singapore. We are simply taught that tagging on public properties is strictly unlawful. And in whole wide world, graffiti is labeled as an anti-social activity in the orthodox urban planning dictionary.

While in Sydney, i witnessed many impressive graffiti works whose forms transcended into "bold, colourful designs as beautification of locations that will normally considered urban blight." Those expressions tales a whole lots of social problems which many cities are facing - poverty, social marginalisation, political struggle, self-identity, masculinity etc. Behind each mural carries significant tales, as much as John Denver missed his countrytown while singing his "Country Road"!

"Surf or Die" , 2006
- undying passion of surfing culture in Australia






"I've a dream", 2006
-the aboringinals' longing for peace while struggling with the present urbanity.







The role of "place" put graffiti in another debate. I don't know any museums that have housed graffiti works but its art identity has been always been contested under a spatial art-political regime. I ask:
- Is graffiti an art creation? Is this "out-of place" form simply not an art?
- Will its status quo be redefined as an "art" only if it enters into the "sacred spaces" of a art gallery? from out-of-ghetto image to the high-end art....?
- will its meaning change under a process of displacement from its street ghetto to the art gallery?

I await comments, responses and those who already have a read on the new book. Peace.
.

s/pores: New Directions in Singapore Studies
go to online journal

Citizen Historian: The Unrewarded Amateur Conscience
go to online journal

Archives & Social Studies: A Journal of Interdisciplinary Research
go to online journal

Beginning Preservation: A forum for discussing preservation and conservation
go to weblog

Added several links on the sidebar which point to online journals and weblog that may be of interest.
.

from yesterday.sg -
Panel discussion about heritage on Radio Singapore International
go to web-post

A couple of recent radio interviews related to museums in Singapore. It may be the sign of the times that museums are now "officially" a life-style centre. Whose life-style was that again? And are we in danger of confusing the means with the end?
.

from The Art Newspaper -
Getty sets standards in China
go to article

An update on the long-term project at Mogao, near Dunhuang, where the Getty has been very sensitive not to be seen as imposing a Western approach to site and heritage conservation on the local context. Even if nothing else, the crafting of a set of site conservation guidelines, also known as the "China Principles" would be an advance on the progress made in the thinking of the large-scale preservation of heritage sites. Also see the Getty project web-page.
.

from Adbusters
Anabolic Art: Underground Chinese Art Meets Footloose Global Capital
go to article

The hike of globalisation in China, well, isnt quite as well-perceived as its comparative theorem has offered. The regular boost of art flavour in the country is a far cry from the representative works of its local artists. Rather, art is just a commodity to be owned as "ours". Adbusters has recently published an article which speaks the ugly side of globalisation. Although Adbusters isnt a legitimate channel for art news but i think this article carries a valid notion.

from The International Council of Museums -
International Museum Day 2007
go to web-page

The theme for this year's International Museum Day, which falls on 18th May 2007, is "Museums and Universal Heritage". Not entirely sure of the appropriateness of the theme in the light of various complex issues today that various countries and museums are facing over repatriation of artefacts in collections.

That earlier mode of museum collecting was predicated upon that notion of a universal human culture and history, hence the right of the more advanced and developed nations (meaning European and North American) to declare themselves as worthy, hence rightful custodians and students of these ancient artefacts. This would be construed as patronising, to say the least, and offensive in today's terms.
.

from The New York Times -
Umbrian Umbrage: Send Back That Etruscan Chariot
go to article

Serendipity has it that 2 earlier posts (here and here) form the context of this article which highlights the claims of a town in central Italy to the ownership of the Etruscan chariot which was painstakingly restored after much research at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

The underlying irony is that if the chariot had not been taken out of Italy (legally or otherwise) and given pride of place in the museum, its historical significance could in all likelihood be lost, hence avoiding a contest of wills all together. A victim of its own "success", maybe?
.

from The New York Times -
Do You Know Where That Art Has Been?
go to article

Yet another article on the sometimes dubious antiquities trade which attracts and support the illicit trade in antiquities. However, whit sets this article apart from others on the same topic is that it is featured in the business section of a prominent newspaper.

Two other earlier audio programmes from NPR which also discussed the complex and entangled web of antiquities trade and the attempts to stamp out illicit activities.

"Getty Villa: Elegance Hides Darker Story"
20th January 2006
(go to web-page)

"A Trove of Stolen Treasure"
17th May 2006
(go to web-page)
.

from Guardian -
Jewels in the crown to be protected. But who will pay heritage price?
go to article

Another step taken in the UK to strengthen efforts made to preserve historic buildings and sites. However, identification and registering of such sites, can only be the first step towards preservation. It serves nobody any good if a site is ear-marked but left derelict due to inadequate resources. The underlying difficulty has to do with the issue of private property (rights) versus public heritage (responsibilities). The two need not be mutually exclusively, but for all intent and purpose, is usually perceived as such.
.

from New York Times -
Olympic Construction Unearths Ancient Treasure Trove
go to article

A triumph of sorts for preservation - even in the face of crass commercialism in the run-up to the Olympics in Beijing. This is a welcomed contrast to earlier callous attitude towards heritage preservation in this over-heated economy where history is often perceived to be standing in the way of progress.

"There are two enemies of antiquity protection," said Xu Pingfang, president of the China Archaeological Society. "Construction is one. Thieves are the others. They know what they want, and they destroy the rest."

from Guardian -
Iran's rich architecture and rare treasures threatened by possible US strikes
go to article

As the time approaches to recollect the reprehensible act of invasion, a timely article to remind one and all of the devastation of war that can be wrought on our shared world heritage - lest we forget.
.

from The Independent -
British Library to start charging
go to article

from The Guardian -
Cuts threaten services at British Library
go to article

from The Telegraph -
British Library could start charging scholars
go to article

from The Telegraph -
Don't let the British Library starve
go to article

from The Guardian -
Culture cuts hurt everyone
go to article

from The Guardian -
Can we afford cuts to the British Library's funding?
go to article

from La Scena Musicale -
Waiting for the axe to fall
go to article

A spate of articles commenting on the recent threat to cut funding of the arts and heritage, affecting the museums in the UK and the British Library.It's back to the stone-age if this goes through.

[ Thanks to the Singapore Heritage Mailing List for the initial news. ]

from Canadian Broadcasting Corporation -
Afghanistan being 'systematically looted' warns museum organization
go to article

A sobering update - and also the realisation that the enchanting and captivating artefacts displayed in museums often have a murky (and possibly illegal) past. It is ironic that encouraging a greater appreciation of heritage can lead to the side-effect of driving the illicit trade in antiquities - or is this a problem already there, regardless of who or how many passes through the portals of the museum.

from yesterday.sg

A slew of interesting posts in the past weeks which looked back on various familiar places in Singapore:

shots@ bonham hill (view from Fort Canning Hill)
Beauty World
Lorong Chuan
Bishan Two Zero

Enjoy!

from ashpanda
Save Palmer Road
go to blog post
go to "Save Palmer Road" web-site

A worthy local effort to raise awareness and preserve the dwindling historic areas still standing in present-day Singapore. Also see previous post here.

[ Thanks to yesterday.sg and Singapore Heritage List for the alert ]

from Ming Bao
Qin Terracotta Warriors under microbiological attack
go to article

Other links about the collection:
go to Wikipedia
go to Travel China Guide

News from a Chinese Paper on how the Qin Terracotta Warriors, one of China's greatest discovered heritage assets in the 20th century and which is dated back to 246 BC, are suffering from the attack of 48 different microscopic organisms.

A professor from Belgium, Paul Stoffels, upon examination and analysis said that the microbiological attack is in 3 main aspects: surface layer of the Warriors, the wall and floor area of the site. There are also damages in the colour and the internal structure of the terracotta figures. Scientists are currently actively seeking solutions to solve this problem.

[Thanks to Francisco Chan from the Museum of Macau who alerted us the news.]

from CBC
Acropolis museum on sched for 2007 opening
go to article

Another development ratcheting up the debate around the question: "Should the Elgin Marbles be returned?" (See earlier posts here, here and here.)

from The Guardian
Canterbury's miracle
go to article (2nd October 2006)

from BBC News
Crumbling cathedral 'needs £50m'
go to article (3rd October 2006)

from International Herald Tribune
Britain's Canterbury Cathedral appeals for funds for repairs
go to article (3rd October 2006)

from Christian Today
£50m Needed to Save Canterbury Cathedral
go to article (5th October 2006)

from Episcopal News Service
Global fundraising campaign launched to save Canterbury Cathedral
go to article (9th October 2006)

Save Canterbury Cathedral Fundraising
go to web-site

Having spent some time in Canterbury in my younger days, I recall going around and looking at some of the diverse range of conservation and restoration works already happening there some 15 years ago.

It seems that the biggest threat facing such a historical monument comes not from the passage of time, but rather from an overwhelming number of visitors - both tourists and pilgrims. This could indeed be a case study of how and why heritage tourism might not be a sustainable solution for the long-term preservation of historic sites or monuments.

Singapore Heritage Mailing List
go to web-page

Re-posting the following announcement and would like to encourage readers of this weblog to join in the diverse and insightful discussions over at the mailing list.

On 10/10/06 12:18 PM, "Chua Ai Lin" wrote:

Dear list members,

Today is the 6th anniversary of the Singapore Heritage Yahoogroup!

At this point last year, there were 267 registered subscribers, and now we have 461. In the past year, the number of postings each month have varied between 121 and 276.

If you have friends who would like to join the list too, do tell them that one does not need a Yahoo email address to receive messages, simply send a blank email to:
singaporeheritage-subscribe[at]yahoogroups.com

It's great to see more and more of you sharing on the list, and here's to more interesting discussions in the coming year!

--Ai Lin
Sg-Heritage Yahoogroup moderator

Print Clock: A method for dating early books and prints
go to web-site

A web-site which explains in greater detail the new-found theory of dating prints (taken from woodblocks and copper plates) using image- and statistical-analysis comparing breaks in printed lines and also the difference in their thickness. This expands on an earlier news article (see previous post) announcing the research done by a biologist! There is also a more technical scientific paper available (PDF file).

from wikimapia
National Monuments of Singapore

Following on from an earlier post, I have finished marking-up all the locations of gazetted national monuments in Singapore for a start.




A close-up of the city centre area, which has the majority of the gazetted monuments:



Point and click on a location, and then click the "info" button to get links to more information and images, where available online.

Next in line will be various conservation areas and also locations which have some historic significance. As the wikimapia interface is very much a collaborative one, do add on information and locations where possible.

Also, I have tagged locations on wikimapia with a general tag: "heritage", and will also be using other more specific ones such as: "monument", "museum", "conservation_area" etc.

You can change markers on the map via the drop-down menu for filtering by tags at the top-right of the map window - or leave it unfiltered to get an overwhelming sense of details!

Have a browse round and leave your comments or feedback here ...

from yesterday,sg
Post-Earthquake Cultural Resource Documentation Trip to Yogyakarta
go to article

Highlights of a talk given at the Heritage Conservation Centre in Singapore. [ Thanks to yesterday.sg for the post! ]

from Guardian
Road plans put Stonehenge status at risk
go to article

An update on the effort to rollback an ill-conceived plan for a traffic tunnel in the vicinity of the World Heritage site, which besides threatening the actual site, might also damage archaeological evidences in the area (see earlier BBC report).

Seletar Airbase Project
go to weblog

A highly commendable project to document a historic part of Singapore that has to make way for "progress". Perhaps loosing physical markers of one's past and memories is the price one pays for growing up in Singapore - or does it have to be that way?

[ Thanks to yesterday.sg for the link ]

from The Guardian
History has the edge over football, poll reveals
go to article
go to History Matters web-site

It would seem that for the appreciation of history to surpass that of popular sports, a deep-seated tolerance for a diversity of understanding and experience of history is a pre-requisite. And the British seems to have charted their direction well, following on from the earlier campaign in raising the awareness of archives in the UK (see previous posts here and here).

Save Our Chinese Heritage
go to web-site

A recently launched initiative to document historic Chinese architecture in Singapore by means of digital images.

[Thanks to the Singapore Heritage Mailing List and yesterday.sg for the heads-up!]

from The Art Newspaper
A moment of truth for all in the antiquities field
go to article

A timely article to keep the debate on antiquities trade in view. Museums, as much as collectors, can often collude (unintentionally or otherwise) in what has been universally declared as illegal under the 1970 UNESCO convention on cultural properties.

The suggestion is to deal with the problem on 2 fronts - one, to strengthen the commitment of museums to decline cultural artefacts with undocumented provenance, even as gifts; and, two, to consider allowing the legitimate public and private acquisition of (duplicate or similar) archaeological finds from documented source. The success of these efforts would depend largely on a strong recognition of reality and the right thing to do - as consumers and purveyors of cultural heritage products.

from BBC News
Replica clothes pass Everest test
go to article

An update on a successful attempt to reconstruct and use actual mountaineering attire of the fateful Everest ascent in 1924, using actual materials and tailoring of the period (see previous post). A very fitting piece of concrete field (historical) research, one must add.

from Southeast Asian Archaeology
Palmer Road Wang Hai Da Bo Gong Temple
go to update
go to site report (3.46 MB, PDF)

An update to the archaeological dig at an unassuming historical site, which might even pre-date the arrival of Stanford Raffles in Singapore, tucked away at one end of Keppel Road. See satellite map of the area with the temple centered in the map.

Thanks to Lim Chen Shien for first news of the update on the Singapore Heritage Mailing List.

from Southeast Asian Archaeology
Fort Tanjong Katong
go to update (scroll down)
go to preliminary site report (2.27 MB, PDF)

An update on the popular archaeological dig (see previous posts here and here) which has confirmed the existence of a fort beneath the present-day park and also discovered several other features of the fort which were otherwise undocumented. Due to uncertainty on the next phase of the project, the team has decided to back-fill the exposed site in order to protect the archaeological finds, and await further development.

There is also a link to a previous architectural student project (397 KB, PDF) at NUS on "Exhibition of Design Ideas for an Interpretive Center at Katong Park" (8th January 2006).

For those not familiar with the location of the dig, here is a link to a satellite map of the area with the park in the centre.

Thanks to Lim Chen Shien and Chua Ai Lin for first news of the updates on the Singapore Heritage Mailing List.

from yesterday.sg
Conservation in Progress
go to weblog post

A belated link to a couple of on-going conservation projects at the Heritage Conservation Centre. There is also information on other current research projects.

from Otterman speaks...
Yesterday.sg Meetup No. 2
go to weblog entry

An update on the various progress and developments with the weblog on heritage matters in Singapore previously (see previous post).

Particularly interesting is a report done for a school project by 3 students from Raffles Girls' Secondary on Kampong Buangkok and ideas about its preservation.

from The Art Newspaper
Parthenon fragment returned to Greece
go to article

A recent development in Germany in the quest for the return of the Parthenon marbles to Greece. This may (or may not) have an effect on the majority of the marbles still lodged at the British Museum. See earlier posts here and here.

from The Guardian
Extreme weather 'blighting buildings and beauty spots'
go to article

One more unexpected use of documentation mentioned earlier of architectural heritage and sites - tracking of deterioration due to weather effects as part of the larger mapping of global climate change.

from The Times
Rocked to our foundations
go to article

from The Washington Post
What Was and Never Shall Be
go to article

from The Guardian
Tomb raiders
go to article

As we approach the thrid anniversary of the recent war, it is timely to be reminded of the fragility of our collective cultural heritage in the face of unbridled aggression. If the destruction of tangible cultural hertiage is a war crime - albeit a minor one at that - then the evidence in Iraq was plenty enough (see here and here). Earlier reports of looting and lax security in the aftermath of the invasion also cast a pall over the claims of "freedom" and "liberation" - however noble-sounding that might be.

Yesterday.sg
go to weblog

There is a recently re-launched weblog initiated by the National Heritage Board for all things related to cultural heritage and history of Singapore. (Apologies for the delay in picking this up and many thanks to the Singapore Heritage group for "leaking" this earlier here and here.)

With the revamp, the focus has shifted to a more inclusive perspective on other heritage related posts written by non-NHB staff - all in all, a welcomed transformation from its earlier incarnation as Heritage SG. This can only be a positive step forward. Well-deserved kudos to all involved!

from DER SPIEGEL
Indonesia Investigates German Archeologist for Fraud
go to article

I guess I wrote too soon. [ News article by way of Dr. Geoff Wade on the Singapore Heritage mailing list ]

from World Heritage Forum
World Heritage Sites in Google Earth
go to article
go to UNESCO web-page
download Google map [ free Google Earth required ]

One can now take a virtual tour of the various World Heritage Sites across the globe. Wouldn't it be nice if there is a similar map for Singapore's own national monuments, heritage sites, urban conservation areas and historical architecture?

Tags : UNESCO, World Heritage Sites, Google Earth, cultural heritage, Singapore

from Getty Conservation Institute
Newsletter 20.3 (Fall 2005)
go to newsletter

The latest issue of the GCI newsletter focuses on the various aspects and considerations when documenting large-scale monuments and historic sites. In the lead article, it was discussed that the role of documentation primarily fulfils 3 functions:

(1) recording and collating of available information;
(2) as a reference for conservation and preservation decisions; and
(3) for advocacy and communication.

It would be interesting to apply these considerations to the usual documentation that is done on a much smaller scale (but not any less complex, sometimes) for museum artefacts.

from Guardian
Titanic salvage firm loses bid to own artefacts
go to article

This news from elsewhere which might (or might not) have implications for something similar right here on Singapore's doorsteps (see links here and here).

NHB Heritage Journal (Vol. 2, 2005)
go to table of contents

From the most recent issue of the NHB Heritage Journal:

Articles

Films as Social History - P. Ramlee's "Seniman Bujang Lapok" and Malays in Singapore (1950s-60s)
Syed Muhd Khairudin Aljunied
Abstract / PDF

"Fragments of the Past": Political Prints of Post-war Singapore
Lim Cheng Tju
Abstract / PDF

Notes and reviews

Iberians in Singapore-Melaka Area and Adjacent Regions, by Peter Borschberg
Reviewed by Yong Huei Sim
Abstract / PDF

Framing History: Displaying the Singapore Family through Photography
Jason Toh
Abstract / PDF

Noticed a couple of weblogs with a focus on (heritage) preservation.

World Heritage Forum
From the weblog:

This website is made to exchange information on UNESCO World Heritage issues.

HangingTogether
From the weblog:

HangingTogether is a place where some of the staff at RLG, a membership organization of libraries, archives, and museums, can talk about the intersections we see happening between these three different types of institutions. We travel to our members a lot and go to conferences and wanted to be able to take note of the interesting things we see along the way. Stop in, stay awhile, and hang out.

Closing the year with links to 3 articles, each covering an issue which could be seen as pointing to emerging trends in heritage preservation and conservation.

from CBC
U.S. artifacts at risk because of poor storage
go to article

The recent Heritage Health Index Report on the state of storage of heritage collections in the United States may be a depressive read, but the underlying forces resulting in such a state of affairs began much earlier, when pressure to reign in costs in museums often resulted in support functions being sidelined. In moving forward, there must be renewed recognition (and funding) for the essential long-term nature of the care of tangible heritage artefacts - building both (in-house) professional expertise and infra-structure for processes and physical spaces.

from New York Times
If Cambodia Can Learn to Sing Again
go to article

With intangible heritage, the picture seems rosier, with increasing levels of awareness and number of initiatives in documenting, recording and making available various reference resources of intangible traditional heritage, which might otherwise be lost due to a break in transmission. Disruptive acts of war or political apathy, notwithstanding.

from BBC news
Classic poets' voices go online
go to article

Advances in digital technologies have made the realisation of a separate category of heritage materials inevitable. Digital collections, which often incorporate references to either tangible or intangible heritage, are increasingly seen as the next frontier in heritage preservation. Although not likely to supersede tangible or intangible forms of heritage materials, digital collections will nevertheless fulfill the role of enhancing the long-term effort in preserving the memory of human civilisations across the world.

---

Wishing one and all a Happy and Peaceful New Year!

from The Art Newspaper
Nazi photo archive goes online
go to article

A clear case of how historical records, even those with a "negative" association, could be used for a greater good in time to come. In this case, it was the merticulous (or some would say, manic) documentation by a criminal regime that, because it was preserved, became the critical source for visual records aiding the restoration of the historic cathedral in Dresden (see previous BBC news item).

from UNESCO
2005 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award Winners
go to web-page

The recently announced winners for the conservation of built heritage in the Asia-Pacific region inculded a team from the National University of Singapore who did some highly commendable work in Lijiang, China (see NUS press release and more information).

from International Herald Tribune
China is racing to get its art treasures back
go to article

An interesting take on further attempts to buy back historical Chinese artefacts, which was briefly highlighted here in a previous post. Only now, there is a strong whiff of ultra-nationalism and purposefulness, given the involvement of the military in China.

from The Guardian
How Britain helps China destroy Tibet
go to article

When museums get drawn into political agendas, perhaps unwittingly. It points to a larger but mistaken assumption that cultural and heritage matters somehow transcends the merely political (or everyday), which is never the case.

Singapore Updates
A couple of updates, if you have not already come across them:

The Changi Museum Revamped
go to weblog posting
With the most recent renovation completed to coincided with the slew of programmes marking the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, the museum has added several new artefacts and storyboards.

Southeast Asian Archaeology
go to news page
An update of the site with additional pages of information in and around Singapore.

from The Art Newspaper
Travel vandals: the Grand Tour has gone sour
go to article

When the aim of sustaining cultural heritages is solely driven by commercial interests, inevitably, its becomes unsustainable. This is the dilemma facing listing (and also de-listing) cultural heritage monuments and sites from the World Heritage Sites list. Perhaps a more sensible approach, as one of the solutions proposed in the article, is to attend to the value and meaning of such experiences:

"[T]ourists should get better educated about where they are going so that they respect it more and get more out of it. Slower, better informed travel, with the readiness to put something back in the way of direct contribution to improving and protecting the experience is the way to be a tourist."

It could also be said that such a need for self-education and reciprocity extends to all cultural heritage "tourists", including visitors to museums and other cultural heritage institutions.

from The Telegraph
£600m sale ruffles the famed calm of Raffles
go to article

When does heritage ends and business begins - and vice versa?

from Reason
Ancient Treasures for Sale
go to article

It has often being opined that the instinct to collect is a selfish one. And the thin line separating the selfish from the greedy can often lead to the wanton destruction and dispersion of heritage artefacts. Perhaps, it may not be too far away that we begin to see a new breed of museums which do not own artefacts from another culture, but will instead seek to borrow.

from The Guardian
Goodbye to all that?
go to article

In the equation between urban development and preservation, a lack of political will and patronage (in terms of funding allocation) is a sure-fire way to tilt the balance away from preservation. This is borne out by the conclusion of the article, which does not appear to bode well for the situation in the UK:

"Not only is conservation unpopular with the government - and English Heritage is losing the argument on the key planning debates - but the organisation senses that the wider climate of opinion has turned against the heritage lobby. It is well aware that even its name is a handicap in its attempts to influence the metropolitan establishment which finds the word 'heritage' deeply off-putting. If they could, they would change it to something less dated."

from BBC News
Killing Fields deal sparks anger
go to article
and
Killing Fields deal hits delay
go to article

When national memories become fair game for foreign commercial exploits, it could signify one of 2 underlying trends - abject poverty or abject callousness. Either way, it does not excuse such a highly idiotic decision in the first instance.

from Archive Awareness Campaign, UK
"Impact Assessment and Evaluation Report" for AAC 2004
go to report (PDF format, 1.52 MB)

A report on the Archive Awareness Campaign 2004 in the UK, previously posted here, has been released. A few interesting points to note in the findings, bearing in mind the UK context:

- Most archives users are above 55 years; and
- Archive users are primarily repeat-users.

With the campaign, there was some very minor success in encouraging younger users. However, the real paid-off seems to be in terms of encourage new users, although repeat-users still predominate.

The Search for Kota Purba Linggiu (Old City of Linggiu)
go to compilation of articles (PDF format)

Following the recent news in The Star of claims by a researcher that the ruins of a "lost city" is very likely located in Johor, there had been developments and interest generated right up to the Cabinet of the Malaysian Government. Three exploration teams have been given the task of searching for the "lost city" starting in March 2005 and a report is expected by August 2005. The above links to a compilation of various news articles since.

from Guardian Unlimited
Art for shuffling's sake
go to article

An amusing article that makes me laugh. The writer started off with how Richard Wollheim, a well known British philosopher of art, used to regularly spent 4 hours in front of a single painting in his museum visits "for stray associations or motivated misperceptions to settle down...that the picture could be relied upon to disclose itself as it was." Then, he proceeded to show how, at the other end of the spectrum, the "herd instinct" the modern blockbuster show produces neither do the greatest paintings justice nor encourage meaningful museum experiences.

He muses "We are doing this art appreciation thing all wrong. We pay large sums of money to see beautiful paintings and then see them in conditions that are about as conducive to aesthetic pleasure as rush-hour strap-hanging on London's Victoria Line. At the end of the article, he concluded firmly that "if we were really serious about art appreciation, we would choose to see paintings in more rewarding ways than we do at present.

The state of visitorship at blockbuster shows in the Singapore museums have not reach the point whereby visitors have to book in advance or be limited to timed-ticket entry, so to me, beseides raising the general consciousness of problems associated with blockbuster shows, this article more importantly triggers us to think about how we can take the initiative to construct a more positive museum experience for ourselves despite circumstances.

from Southeast Asian Archaeology
Fort Tanjong Katong
go to website

With the end of the first phase of the archaeological dig at Tanjong Katong Park for the remnants of a demolished fort, a progress report (PDF format) had been posted. There is also a photo gallery besides other online resources.

from GCI Newsletter
Partnerships: A Joint Issue with UNESCO
go to newsletter (HTML version) or (PDF version, 3Mb)

In the latest GCI newsletter, the exploration of the theme of partnerships is timely. As the awareness of heritage broadens in the larger society, partnerships across different social sectors become critical in achieving an enduring impact for heritage conservation / preservation efforts. No longer can we assume the innate "goodness" of heritage conservation or preservation efforts. Indeed, an active engagement with all aspects of society is important in ensuring the sustainability and relevance of conservation / preservation projects.

from The Star Online
Lost city believed found in Johor
go to article

Museum hopes Johor will assist in lost city quest
go to article

Manuscript leads to lost city
go to article

As the region braces itself for the exploration and possible opening up of a "lost city", it would surely have tremendous historical impact if the conjuncture proves correct. And not least of the future worries would be the detrimental effects of touristic encroachment, if indeed an ancient site is eventually found.

from Contemporary Art from the Islamic World
Modernity, Islam and Tradition
go to article

For those who missed the earlier exhibition on traditional woodcarving in Malaysia shown at the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore, this online article reviews some of the concerns in sustaining a traditional cultural practice in an ever-changing world. It is also an example in which the preservation of heritage must attend to both intangible and tangible aspects in tandem.

from Today
Film buffs to the rescue
go to article
(PDF version here and here)

Definitely a noteworthy development within the larger picture of heritage preservation in Singapore. It is always an encouraging sign when preservation efforts moved beyond the walls and confines of museums. For the yet-to-be-set-up Asian Film Archive - which is to be a private enterprise - the government agencies identified as being critical to its mission (perhaps from a funding perspective) are the Media Development Authority (MDA) and the Film Commission.

from The Art Newspaper
How much difference does Unesco make?
go to article

On the occasion of the announcement of 3 additional sites located on the Indian sub-continent being added to UNESCO's World Heritage list, the article delves into the conflicting motivations and competing concerns of having a historical area listed.

First and foremost would be the boost to the local tourism industry versus preservation needs. Next up would be long-terms sustainability versus greater access. It would be mistaken to assume that there is some golden (or pre-determined) standard by which such contradictions would be magically and effortlessly resolved. At best, it would be a continual search and dialogue of workable solutions at the local level.

It is also critical to note that being listed on UNESCO's World Heritage List affords no legal protection or financial support. Perhaps, it points to a larger problem of funding (or more precisely, under-funding) of the heritage sector on a global scale.

ICOM Relief for Museums
go to web-portal

from UNESCO World Heritage Centre
World Heritage sites in regions hit by the recent earthquake and tsunami
go to press release

from Daily News (Sri Lanka)
UNESCO to help restore libraries in tsunami affected regions
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As the world takes stock of the immense devastation to human lives caused by the 26 December earthquake and resultant tsunami, reports are beginning to trickle in on the damage to heritage institutions and sites.

Determining and verifying the extent of such damage would naturally be difficult. It is only appropriate that humanitarian relief efforts take precedent over heritage preservation. However, it is also pertinent to be reminded in UNESCO's press release that:

"It is [also] crucial to include heritage in the reconstruction efforts, as heritage contributes to communities’ sense of identity and continuity and is a vital resource for future sustainable development in this region."

A link to ICOM's web-portal which updates on the situation in South and Southeast Asia is also included in the Link section of this web-log.

from The Guardian
Babylon wrecked by war
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A somewhat late confirmation of what had been previously reported - that the invasion of Iraq endangered unique and significant heritage sites. Will this latest report make any difference in terms of safe-guarding these sites from further destruction? Only time will tell.

from The Straits Times
Parts of Changi Prison 'exported'
go to article (PDF format)

Introducing a "new concept" in the preservation of monuments - the distributed site, with original components disbursed across the oceans and seas. To say that it is indeed a strange concept would be understating the case, obviously. It makes one wonder what exactly had been promised and agreed away from public eyes. Or perhaps the historical significance of Changi Prison is not considered "Singaporean" enough to remain intact here?

from The Guardian
Unesco's 'blue berets' to rescue cultural treasures
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The new UNESCO set-up of "cultural protectors" would be a welcomed enhancement of the work of the International Committee of the Blue Shield, which was set up in 1996 - also considered as the cultural equivalent of the Red Cross - and has as its mission : "to work for the protection of the world's cultural heritage by co-ordinating preparations to meet and respond to emergency situations."

from Archive Awareness Campaign, UK
“Britain’s most-wanted” reveals secret hiding place!
go to press-release (PDF format)

This year's Archive Awareness Campaign follows from a successful run in 2003. Extending from a 1-month programme to a full 3-month programme in 2004, this looks like a massive and well-coordinated programme aimed at making public and private archives in the UK accessible to the general public.

from The Straits Times
Sentosa bid to buy ... sunken Tang treasures
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This latest story of how Singapore's foremost tourist resort island sees the uses of heritage is a sobering counter-point to the idealism of heritage preservation and presentation as we know it. Increasingly, the larger issue (and very real problem) of sustainability of heritage preservation outside a mass-market paradigm cannot be simply ignored. It also points to the utter bankruptcy of ideas for funding heritage efforts, if not for the mass-market option.

Also, if anyone else had noticed that the story involves a Chinese cargo bound for the Near East, shipwrecked off the coast of present-day Indonesia, salvaged and sold by a German company, to be purchased by Sentosa Development Corporation of Singapore, which has an American as its CEO. Perhaps, the global underpinning of such a story is inevitable (or is it deliberate?) given the core (tourism) business of the potential buyer of the sunken cargo.

from Conservation : The GCI Newsletter
Heritage Charters and Conventions
go to Summer issue

The latest issue of Getty Conservation Institute's Newsletter, providing an overview and discussion of the various international charters that are in place to protect cultural heritage around the world. There is a particular article looking at the specific challenges in Asia.

from Singapore Heritage Mailing List
Fort Tanjong Katong Dig Call For Volunteers
go to e-mail call (PDF format)

A call for volunteers for a new archaeological dig at Katong Park (see map), which is seeking evidence of Tanjong Katong Fort. Some early pictures (here and here) of the park found on the National Archives of Singapore PICAS database.

This dig follows on from the earlier dig at St. Andrew's Cathedral. A (PDF format) report of that earlier dig can be found on NUS Asian Research Institute web-site.

Please pass the word around!

from Discover
Bring Back the Buddha
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Following the wanton destruction of a unique heritage site by the Taliban, international efforts and proposals to restore the over-sized standing Buddhas of Bamiyan have not been in short supply. After such a drastic turn of events, would any restoration effort do justice to the violent past of the site? Or would an empty niche be the more "authentic" and evocative approach?

from The New York Times
An Unmoveable Feast of Hemingway History Struggles to Survive
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A stark reminder that petty political squabbles can often derail the best of international efforts in heritage preservation. What more that the perpetrator of such narrow-mindedness is supposedly the greatest freedom-fighting nation of all times.

Singapore Stuff
go to weblog

A new weblog which has posts that link to various online resources about the history and culture of Singapore and the region. Well worth a browse! A link to the weblog has also been added to the sidebar of this weblog.

from National Geographic News
Dictators "Defacing" Famed Burma Temples, Editor Says
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How historic sites of a country are treated can often be taken as a proxy barometer for measuring the social "well-being" of a society. The political upheaval and subsequent curtailment of political freedom which happened in Burma is obviously having a negative impact on significant heritage sites in that country.

from The Rolex Awards 2004
An ancient art as a modern model
go to online article
go to PDF article (21.5 Mb)

An inspiring example of how the revival of a traditional craft - which could also be understood as a form of restoring an intangible heritage - becomes a social and economic good. In this particular case, it is putting the traditional art of silk textiles in Cambodia back into production again.

from The Straits Times
A touch of old Kampong Glamour
go to article (PDF format)

An update on the soon-to-be completed Malay Heritage Centre, and with it bringing back a sense of place to an urban community which had continually faced the twin pressures of infrastructure development and displacement.

from The Washington Post
New Athens Subway Showcases Artifacts
go to article (free site registration required)

It is heartening to know of efforts which try to balance urban development with heritage preservation and awareness. In this story, the building of the underground subway system in Athens for the 2004 Olympics had encountered various delays due to the presence of archaeological artefacts being unearthed during construction. However, these historic finds (and associated information) were incorporated as displays into the final subway building, turning what would probably be a nondescript urban feature into an unique experience and attraction in itself.

from Bernama
A National Heritage Board In The Pipeline, Says Dr Rais
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Some policy-level development on the Malaysian front regarding heritage preservation efforts.

from The Independent
Afghanistan's Buddhas may rise again
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Still very much shrouded in confusion on whether the destroyed historic sites should be restored - and if to be restored, to what degree of finish. One cannot deny the senseless destruction wrought by the Taliban regime, but is restoration the only option in preserving the site?

from BBC News
Bone return consultation launched
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An update on the Working Group on Human Remains in the UK which has been tasked to scrutinise the legality of human parts being kept in public museums and collections in England and Wales. There is a strong lobby for the return of such human remians on the one hand, but also strong reasons for not returning on the other from the scientific and museum community. This debate has often times generated extremely heated and polarised arguments (see an earlier post here).

Reading this together with the previous stories on the clamour for the return of heritage artefacts to their (rightful) country of origin, it appears that even with the best standards of stewardship in caring for these historic and cultural items, it is still not enough justification for keeping something in a museum collection. How would this impact on the work of conservation and collections care? Is doing one's work to one's best ability and matching high standards enough, then? Or does one need to be doing right, as well?

from BBC News
UK exhibits seized in Australia
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Aboriginal artefacts, including two early bark etchings, have been seized in Australia while on loan from two British museums. The members of the Dja Dja Wurrung tribe have secured an emergency order preventing the items being returned to the British Museum and the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Gary Murray, of the Dja Dja, said:

It's not British culture we are talking about here, we are talking about our rights as a first nation... We believe strongly that they connect us to our country, our culture and ancestry...If you haven't got a past then you haven't got a future and it is our future at stake here."

How about the view point of the lenders? The Royal Botanic Gardens and the British Museum definitely want their artefacts back and reiterate the importance of continuing to lend objects to exhibitions around the world.

"Exhibitions of this kind, bringing rare material from collections throughout the world, provide invaluable opportunities to make available to the world public the latest research and interpretations of the objects and the human cultures that produced them...The Emergency Declaration puts at risk the very legal framework that allows such exhibitions to take place drawing on loans from Europe and America."

BBC is doing an opinions poll on this issue "Who should own historic artefacts?"and the comments posted so far are very interesting!

from Xinhua Online
HK to air new radio program on heritage
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What started out as a public consultation exercise in Hong Kong on urban heritage preservation policy evolved into an on-air collaborative oral history project. One cannot help but draw the conclusion that this is what community relevance and public outreach in heritage preservation is positively about.

This project will enjoy joint-support from government agencies as well as a non-government organisation, The Conservancy Association. Interestingly, The Conservancy Association, has as its mission to preserve both the natural environment, as well as the cultural heritage of Hong Kong.

from National Heritage Board
The Heritage Journal
go to journal site

The Inaugural Issue of the Heritage Journal (published by the National Heritage Board, Singapore) has been launched, featuring "research articles on the history, culture and the art practices of Asia, with an emphasis on material culture, cultural resource management and museum practice". Happy reading!

from The New York Times
Along the Silk Road, China Begins to Guard Its Heritage
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As China ascends in terms of economic wealth, its heritage wealth becomes even more of a touristic draw and reaching potentially unsustainable (and self-destructive) levels. Hence, the efforts of the Getty Conservation Institute to put in place a set of China Principles.

"The China Principles, which generally update existing international conventions, enshrine conservation principles and mandate an interdisciplinary management process. They require a master plan that, for example, researches and sets visitor capacity limits. These guidelines have now largely been disseminated to the provinces, which are responsible for most heritage sites."

from New York Times
Where Pagodas Draw Tourists, Concrete Is Unwelcome
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A curious development in heritage preservation in Luang Prabang - the former royal capital of Laos - whereby the traditional is associated with being poor. Hence, as the economical situation improves, the demand for new architectural materials (especially concrete building) increases, which is at odds with the stipulations for maintaining the site on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Site. It also points to a larger problem of misaligned perspectives:

"For many residents, the outsiders' passion for the old is misplaced, a cultural misunderstanding that refuses to respect their desire to spend a newfound wealth that has been a long time coming."

And especially problematic when the dichotomy is drawn between locals and foreigners - with the latter seen as "impeding" the material progress of the local community in the name of heritage preservation (and probably with good intentions).

from BBC News
World heritage sites 'threatened'
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from The Guardian
Cologne cathedral threatened by tower blocks
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Man builds; man destroys (intentional or otherwise). Perhaps the destructive nature of human endeavours should be listed prominently as a factor of deterioration of cultural heritage materials - in addition to light, humidity, pest, careless mishandling etc.

from The Art Newspaper
Versailles: feud jeopardises interior restoration but gardens are completed
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At the risk of gross generalisation, it could be surmised that the spirit of the best of heritage preservation efforts are primarily driven by a deep-seated sense of public service, which can often be at odds (or in direct conflict) with a profit-driven enterprise approach. Perhaps this latest news from the French front could serve as a harbinger of things to come in 2 recent developments posted earlier.

from NPR
U.S. Base Damages Ancient Babylonian Temple
listen to audio report

War and heritage preservation simply do not mix. No further comments.

from The Guardian
End the exile
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This is the latest salvo in the long-running and extremely polarised debate on the return (or not) of the Parthenon (or Elgin) Marbles. However, lost amongst this current raging argument is a previous cleaning controversy - which happened more than 60 years ago - in the more technical world of conservation/restoration. That controversy was also publicly debated with the various documentary records and artefactual evidence scrutinised at the British Museum in 1999.

from The Art Newspaper
Come buy our palaces
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Oligarchs line up to buy listed buildings ...
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Two parallel developments from Europe on the "privatisation" of the preservation of heritage. In both instances, it is clearly recognised that preservation endeavours entail vast amount of resources - financial, expertise knowledge, time and other intangible contributions from the community at large. However, the sad decision made in both situations were to reduce the solution to one of approaching the problem from a narrow financial perspective - and mistaking that as the utmost priority. This will surely have unintended consequences in time to come, and most likely negative ones.

from UNESCO: Culture
Cultural Pluralism
http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=12321&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

Conservation can be controversial. Why do we do what we do? A decision may appear more acceptable to one but less appealing to another. Understanding a culture perhaps could be one good way in first learning to comprehend and empathise the whys.

"People invent, refine and embellish their cultures through contact with and by borrowing from other cultures. Cultures are ways of living together".

from Voice of America
American Philanthropists to Return 'Forbidden City' to Former Glamour
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go to audio report (RealAudio format)

A praiseworthy effort to reach across cultures by funding a large-scale preservation project, which otherwise might not materialise. However, one cannot help but wonder whether national pride would come into the picture? Or is the historic complex a mere curious cultural relic (and a tourist trap) in present-day China which has done away with dynastic monarchism?

Perhaps, what is most curious is the selection of the particular restoration site - a retirement lodge of the Emperor Qianlong, who had been credited in opening up the Middle Kingdom to the influx of Western (imperial) influences. The lodge had previously functioned as a private theatre pavilion and contained an admixture of Chinese ornate motifs and Italian paintings executed in the 18th century. It makes one wonder whether the decision to select the site for this worthy cause could have been an unconsciously (or consciously) "political" one?

from The New York Times
Skyscrapers in Cyberspace: Maps and History Online
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It is only when individual artefacts are accessed and linked in a meaningful way that a collection can come to life and takes on a special significance - whether in a real-life physical space, such as the museum, or in virtual space! An important argument to ponder over is that the presentation of collections, especially in an online environment, is less about technological challenges but more of a communication design problem :

As museums digitize their collections and cram their Web sites with images of artworks, archaeological artifacts and other cultural treasures, they also must decide how people can sort through the material. Most museum sites offer a search engine and a few chronologically organized virtual exhibitions. But museums, always cost-conscious and often conservative, are rarely inclined to experiment with how information is presented onscreen.

This also brings up another interesting issue, as museums embark on digitisation efforts, always fearful of being left behind in this technological race. Would the need for digitisation now drives conservation work priorities - perhaps in tandem or more likely in competition with exhibitions and their conservation needs? Would aretfacts be expected to be properly conserved before digital images are taken?

Keynote address by Dr Pisit Charoenwongsa, Director, SEAMEO SPAFA
Conservation and its Aftermath - The Wise Use of Heritage Resources
go to transcript
link to SEAMEO-SPAFA web-site

As the flow of financial and economic resources into heritage conservation efforts become restricted or erratic, the need to examine the issue of long-term sustainbility in the field of heritage conservation becomes all the more pressing. One viable solution, proposed by Dr Pisit, is to build community relevance and engagement:

"Community-based management, which involves a wide range of stakeholders, is perhaps the only key to achieve success in the hardly-popular effort of "conservation," which to most people denotes unfortunately something that is static or resistant to change. It is imperative to expand the stage of conservation that now seemed to have assumed a specific timeframe of commencement-action-cessation. To do this, the practice of conservation must be sustained beyond the 'project' to become entrenched as a philosophy, a cultural habit and a way of life."

This shift in outlook and mindset is also necessary in moderating the sometime over-zealous tendency of heritage conservation work to over-emphasise issues of "ethics" and "what-should-be-done" -- resulting in the mistaken view of such efforts as being moralising and somewhat parochial. Seeking an in-depth understanding of the wider societal context and community needs will surely translate heritage conservation efforts into real benefits for all concern.

from The Scientist
Biohistory guidelines urged
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When the examination of historical evidence involves exhuming and removing human remains, it becomes all the more pertinent that a strong code of ethics must be put in place and closely observed by all - much more so than for inanimate material objects.

from Daily Record (UK)
Anger at Threat to Heritage
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A cursory glance at the news item may evoke a sense of alarm at the mention of about 800 sites that will be accorded less protection under the law in Scotland. However, placing this "loss" in the context of the other 7,000 (or more) sites that will still be protected, the original sense of alarm does seem to be misplaced. It is, perhaps, a clear example of how differing priorities on the use of natural and cultural resources can often run counter to each other.

from The Times of India
New duty for the neo-rich: Bring back old riches
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With the economic ascendancy of countries with deep historical roots, such as India and China, "cultural property rights" become synonymous with national pride. (New) money can expedite the return of cultural treasures to their original national and geographical context. However, a general but deep-seated sense of long-term cultural preservation will take a much longer time to realise - even with stupendous amount of cash.

from The Art Newspaper.com
Getty Trust and World Monuments Fund team up for Iraq conservation
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This is the latest in a string of laudable international efforts to help address and restore the rich cultural heritage legacy in Iraq - which at times has been seen as rightfully belonging to the entire human race. However, it also brings to mind the rather troublesome implication that, unless a country is dramatically propelled into the international news arena (whether due to war or other man-made or natural disasters), such commendable efforts can often languish at the sidelines for want of financial resources and expertise.

from The Rolex Awards website
Secrets of the Past
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A special feature currently running on the Rolex Awards web-site showcases 5 interesting projects which attempt to bring aspects of the past to the attention of the world. All the projects have to deal with working in remote locations but containing a wealth of fascinating finds that make these endeavours significant and unique.

from International Herald Tribune
Italy begins assessing cultural value of state property
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When cultural heritage and economic exigencies collide, it is not often that a "win-win" scenario can be achieved. Sometimes, something will have to give - and we will be the poorer for it, either way.