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We hope you enjoy it! Rosa and Mark
I had a really interesting (I think?) heritage experience in Cape Town, whilst I was staying in Stellenbosch for the World Economic History Congress at the University of Stellenbosch. A heritage 'space' left as an open monument in Cape Town - District 6 - where the black population was forcibly removed in the 1970s during the apartheid regime.
District 6 - the empty spaces left after the clearance of the black inhabitants
District 6 Memorial Plaque
I thought that the empty spaces were a potent signifier for the traumatic events, when the homes of over 60,000 inhabitants were bulldozed. There is a commemorative plaque to the events -
It felt a bit like an upside down archaeological site; instead of digging to recover the history, you could 'see' the history in the layers above the ground - intangible-tangible heritage.........it was actually quite moving to see these undeveloped spaces. I understand that there are some plans to rebuild, but I think they should leave it as a memorial as a reminder of the events....
There is a District 6 Museum too, and I did actually try to visit it, but it seemed to be closed...or at least no-one answered the buzzer on the door. Anyway, I enjoyed the empty spaces of District 6, but wondered if it needed a little more 'interpretation'....but maybe the local memory should be enough?
we've been very busy lately working on a new Heritage Project - the Hunslet & Holbeck Heritage Project (HHH for short)...This is a project funded by the IGNITE University of Leeds funding initiative...here's a link to the project website so you can see how it's progressing: HHH
I've also added HHH to our favourites (see links)....
The project is being run by me and Ruth Dass and Rebecca Wade (who also constructed the distinctive website!...thanks Rebecca!)...do check it out and you can see what interesting heritage things are going on in Leeds!
The blog has been very quiet lately...it's 'summer' (so they say!)...but I just got back from the World Economic History Congress at the University of Stellenbosch, near Cape Town, last week (it was winter there...cold and wet...just like Leeds!).......the conference was HUGE...see: http://www.wehc2012.org/
I had organised a conference session with a friend and colleague of mine (Manuel Charpy...University of Lille) called 'Encountering the Exotic'..(so no explicit museum-related theme...but what are museums if not 'Exotic'!)....
National Art Gallery, Cape Town
Anyway, thought I'd tell you all about a few museums I went to look at in Cape Town and Stellenbosch (and bore you all!) in my usual trawl around museums - it's also Olympic Year in London, so I might try to get 'museum-visiting' as an Olympic Sport for 2016!...I'm in training for such an event (been in training for years and years actually!)...and I popped into quite a few museums in my SA training regime....basically all on this SA site: http://www.iziko.org.za/
I won't tell you about them all...don't worry, but I did pop in to the South African National Art Gallery...(which was slightly
disappointing, at least in terms of size...('no offence' - read that in an SA accent!)...but had some fabulous displays....
Michaelis Collection, Cape Town
I think I preferred the Michaelis Collection in the Old Town Hall...a fantastic collection of Dutch and Flemish pictures....a legacy of Dutch Colonial history no doubt....
Anyway....I've got lots of other SA Museum visits to share as part of my Olympic Training....watch out for the museum blur...
29 JANUARY 2013 - Call for papers: ‘Re-Visioning the Brontës’, University of Leeds conference in conjunction with the exhibitions, ‘Wildness Between the Lines’ and ‘Visions of Angria’
Recent adaptations and interpretations of the Brontës’ lives and works through film, art, literature and theatre raise questions about the continuing fascination with these literary figures, as well as highlighting the wider potential for artistic intervention or collaboration between artworks and audiences. Similarly, it is through innovative contemporary arts programmes that organisations like the Brontë Parsonage Museum and the Brontë Society seek to move beyond simple ‘caricatures’ of the family and encourage diverse audience engagement.
This one day cross-disciplinary conference will explore the recent ‘re-visioning’ of the Brontës through critically examining artistic responses and interpretations of their work. The conference will address ways in which the legacy of the Brontës is exerting an influence in a range of creative fields, and across a variety of media.
A collaboration between the Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery and the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies, the conference is taking place to coincide with two exhibitions. The first, ‘Wildness Between the Lines’, at Leeds College of Art, brings together the work of a wide range of artists who have been influenced by the Brontës. ‘Visions of Angria’, at the Stanley and Audrey Burton Gallery, showcases Brontë material from the University of Leeds Special Collections, accompanied by illustrations from students at Leeds College of Art.
This theme lends itself to a broad field of research and practice. Submissions are welcomed from academics, artists, research students and professionals, and the format is not restricted to formal papers. Topics for discussion might include, but are not limited to:
The Brontës’ influence in contemporary culture
Creative adaptations or reinterpretations of the Brontës’ lives and works Curatorial interpretations of the Brontës
The myth and legacy of the Brontës
Responses to exhibitions of Brontë material
Representations of the Brontës in literary biographies
Confirmed speakers include Jane Sellars (Curator of Art, Mercer Art Gallery, Harrogate) and Professor Blake Morrison (Goldsmiths, University of London) in conversation with Dr Richard Brown (University of Leeds). Please email submissions, including a title, 400 word abstract and CV, to: bronte.revision@gmail.com by no later than Friday, 28 September 2012. Successful applicants will be notified by the 30 November 2012. Further questions are welcomed at this address.
The ‘Re-Visioning the Brontës’ conference will take place at Leeds in January 2013. This one day cross-disciplinary conference will explore the contemporary ‘re-visioning’ of the Brontës through critically examining recent artistic responses and interpretations of their work. A collaboration between the Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery and the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies, the conference will coincide with two related exhibitions at the Gallery and Leeds College of Art. The conference is funded through a HEIF V award, (the University of Leeds Higher Education Innovation Fund).
We are hoping to recruit a postgraduate student from the department for the post of Conference Administrator, to work closely with the organisers (Nick Cass and Liz Stainforth) to ensure the smooth running of the related administration and the conference itself. The post will be for 8 days worked flexibly between August 2012 and January 2013, paid at University Grade 3 (£15,151 pa pro rata). Hours and days to be negotiated. The closing date is Friday, 6 July 2012.
For further details, please follow the link below and download the application form via the 'news' section of the Gallery homepage: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/gallery/
What better way to spend those rainy summer weekends than with a trip to the Gallery? There are lots of activities to interest and inspire you, including a talk with Literary Archivist Sarah Prescott (14 July), showing unique manuscripts from Special Collections' fantastic literary archives by writers and poets including the Brontës, Elizabeth Gaskell, Graham Greene, Tony Harrison and Simon Armitage.
Later into the month, there's a felt-making workshop (21 July) with Hayley McColl and an origami-making workshop (28 July) to celebrate the end of the Gallery's 'Paper Trails: Treasures on Paper' (2 May - 28 July) exhibition, where we'll bethrowing down the gauntlet to visitors as we attempt to make something close to one thousand paper cranes!
Applications
are invited for TWO AHRC Collaborative PhD studentships, commencing in autumn
2012, on the theme of Reconnecting
Sloane: Texts, Images, Objects.
1.Collecting and
Correspondence: Sloane’s Papers and Scientific Networks (Supervised by Dr Arnold Hunt,
British Library and Dr Anne Goldgar, King’s College London)
2.Putting Nature in a
Box: Sloane’s Vegetable Substances (Supervised by Dr Charlie Jarvis,
Natural History Museum, and Professor Miles Ogborn, Queen Mary University of
London)
A third Doctoral studentship in the
programme, Visualizing Natural Knowledge: Sloane’s
Albums of Natural History Drawings (Supervised by Dr Kim Sloan,
British Museum, and Dr Elizabeth Eger, King’s College London) has already been
allocated to a named student.
Applicants can apply for both studentships, but
must complete separate applications for each as outlined below.
These studentships will focus on the collections of
Sir Hans Sloane (1660-1753), which are now divided between the British Museum,
the Natural History Museum and the British Library.The research projects will explore various
aspects of Sloane’s collections in order to understand how his collecting
practices were involved in the making of Enlightenment knowledge.The successful applicants will be expected to
work closely with the partner institutions, and each other, in order to draw out
the intellectual and material connections between the different parts of
Sloane’s collections.They will also
participate in the development of new finding-aids for the collections, leading
to innovative forms of public engagement.
The award pays fees and an annual maintenance grant
(currently £15,590 per year) and the partner institution will contribute up to
£1000 pa research costs. The usual AHRC eligibility rules apply to these
studentships, including having an appropriate master’s degree by October 2012
and AHRC’s residential requirements.
For both studentships the closing date is 29th June 2012. Interviews will be held
in London on 19th July 2012.Applicants will need to include a CV, two references,
an academic transcript and a 1000-word statement of purpose.
For Collecting
and Correspondence: Sloane’s Papers and
Scientific Networks Further details are available on the Department
of History, King’s College London website, informal inquiries should be made to
Dr Anne Goldgar (anne.goldgar@kcl.ac.uk) and applications should be made
to Kings College London.
For Putting
Nature in a Box: Sloane’s Vegetable Substances Further details on the project and how to apply are
available on the School of Geography, Queen Mary University of London, website.
Informal inquiries should be made to Professor Miles Ogborn (m.j.ogborn@qmul.ac.uk) and applications should be made to Queen Mary University of
London.
