An interactive exhibition at the Croydon Clocktower, April to July 2009
The Sutton Subrang Dance Ensemble, Photo: Rolf Killius
The Museum of Croydon and the London Sitar Ensemble will open a major exhibition in the Croydon NOW gallery of the Museum of Croydon, and other public display areas at Croydon Clocktower, from April to July 2009. The exhibition will showcase the outputs of the ‘String and Dance Festival’ Project which is being run by London Sitar Ensemble. The core exhibition, which will be displayed in two separate galleries at Croydon Clocktower, will comprise of oral history interviews (video), musical instruments and associated objects from the Community Groups involved and other donors (potentially the Horniman Museum), photographs and videos showing musical performances and dances from the Indian Sub-Continent as performed in the UK, costumes and associated musical instruments of all eight classical Indian dances and three folk dance genres from western India. Within the musical instruments display the emphasis is on string instruments like the sitar, sarangi, violin, veena, sarod, santoor and the supporting instruments like drums and cymbals.
Two photo exhibitions will complement the exhibition and will be displayed in other public areas of the Clocktower: one showing Croydon-based dancers and musicians; and the other about a music instruments collection project in India. The exhibition is embedded in a string of events like workshops, rehearsals, oral tradition interviews and concerts. Taking and using a wealth of digital video, still photography and audio recordings constitutes a major part of the activities and display.
Indian music and dance is one of the finest traditions in the world. Tracing its roots back to times immemorial, these art forms have an interesting pattern of evolutionary changes. Many changes, transformation and evolution have taken place, enriched by the contribution of the musicians and dancers, great and small, famous and unknown. The India – Britain story is a 400 year long tale of travel, migration and cultural exchange. This journey has made a significant influence on the cultural scene of British Arts. The ‘Indian Strings and Dances’ project, undertaken by London Sitar Ensemble and Croydon Museum and supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, aims to explore the evolution and contribution made by the musicians and dancers in Britain.
The exhibition will be curated by Lata Desai and Rolf Killius in close collaboration with Rob Shakespeare, Acting Museum Service Manager.
3 December, 2008
Categories: Features & Reviews . Tags: Asia, intangible . Author: icomos-uk . Comments: No Comments
III ICOMOS Scientific Committee Theory and Philosophy of Conservation and Restoration Conference
Florence, March 5th-9th, 2009
Call for Papers – Abstract Submission Open
The Romualdo Del Bianco Foundation of Florence, ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites), and ICCROM (International Centre of the Preservation and Restoration of the Cultural Heritage) are glad to announce that the abstract submission for the III ICOMOS Scientific Committee Theory and Philosophy of Conservation and Restoration Conference The Image of Heritage: Changing perception –permanent responsibilities is now open.
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3 December, 2008
Categories: Conferences . Tags: Europe, tourism . Author: icomos-uk . Comments: No Comments
Stenness, Orkney; Copyright: Historic Scotland
Scottish Ministers announced today their decision to refuse planning permission for the proposed development of three wind turbines at Merranblo, Stromness, Orkney. The application was considered at a local public inquiry in January 2008. ICOMOS-UK appeared at the inquiry along with other organisations, such as Historic Scotland, Orkney Archaeological Trust, Orkney Skyline Concern and Scottish Natural Heritage.
The World Heritage Site (WHS) in Orkney was inscribed on the World Heritage List as “a major prehistoric cultural landscape that provides a graphic depiction of life in a remote archipelago in the far north of Scotland some 5,000 years ago. [...] The monuments of Orkney, dating back to 3000-2000 BC, are outstanding testimony to the cultural achievements of the Neolithic peoples of northern Europe” (UNESCO World Heritage Centre). At the Inquiry ICOMOS-UK expressed concern about the adverse impact of the turbines on the historic environment of the WHS and its setting, as we believed that the site of the proposed development was located within the area of visual impact of the WHS.
The World Heritage Convention in 1972 was set out to identify, protect and preserve for future generations cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding universal value to humanity. ICOMOS-UK believed that the erection of the proposed wind turbines would compromise this very sensitive Scottish landscape and therefore have a detrimental impact on the outstanding universal value for which the WHS was inscribed in 1999.
The report by the Scottish Ministers concluded that “given the international importance of the cultural heritage resources of the area [...] the objective of preserving these monuments within an appropriate setting is consistent with the fundamental objectives of national policy”.
3 November, 2008
Categories: Consultation, Reports, World Heritage . Tags: landscapes, Scotland, UK World Heritage . Author: icomos-uk . Comments: 1 Comment
