Against Disappearance: A Discussion About Cultural Heritage & Contemporary

Tue, 15 Dec 2020 14:00 - 15:30 Greenwich Mean Time (UTC±0)

A series of talks exploring our complex relationship with cultural heritage. Feat. artists, musicians, architects, academics & curators.

We have a complex relationship with cultural heritage. In celebrating its riches, we must also acknowledge the challenges it presents us.

From the smallest fragment of a poem to a vast archaeological site, protecting, preserving and interpreting cultural heritage is essential for interrogating identities, developing understanding and imagining futures.

Different people lay claim to cultural heritage for different purposes. Archaeologists and conservationists have developed inventive methods to preserve historical material from disintegration and disappearance. While contemporary artists excavate and interrogate archives, histories and personal narratives, and create new work that takes a fresh perspective on today’s realities.

The British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund and Shubbak, London’s festival of contemporary Arab culture, have convened a panel of experienced specialists from the Middle East and North Africa who are actively involved in and engaged with cultural heritage.

Contributors include Rand Abdul Jabbar whose research installation takes the tragic history of the Minaret of ‘Anah in Iraq as its starting point; Hatem Imam from Samandal who will discuss how regional artists created new comic strips based on archive photographs from the Arab Image Foundation; and musician and composer Amir ElSaffar who brings together jazz, Arabic maqam and other forms

They will be joined by host Jumana Al-Yasiri and a range of speakers: architect and co-founder of Daw’an Mud Brick Architecture Foundation, Dr Salma Samar Damluji discussing post-war reconstruction and rehabilitation work in Hadramut with Prince Claus Fund. Reflecting on the restoration of The Khalidi Library, curator and director of Al-Ma’mal Foundation in Jerusalem, Jack Persekian. Musician and assistant artistic supervisor at Action for Hope, Farah Kaddour highlighting how the music school is one example of Action for Hope’s programmes across the region.

Presented by the Cultural Protection Fund and Shubbak Festival. The Cultural Protection Fund is led by British Council in partnership with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Please note

Recording

The conversations will be recorded and held in English with BSL interpreting.

Timings

This event is on at 2pm GMT and 4pm EET