Five Threats to Cultural Heritage

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Hello Everyone:

St. Louis Arch  (Jefferson National Expansion Memorial)at night
en.wikipedia.org

Today we're going global, global heritage conservation that is.  On October 8, 2013 the World Monuments Fund (http://www.wmf.org) announced their 2014 World Monument Watch, initiating a two-year advocacy program for sixty-seven sites in forty-one countries.  Since 1996, the WMF has focused on giving national and international attention to at-risk cultural heritage sites.  WMF president Bonnie Burnham noted at the press conference announcing the biennial watch list, "each biennial group of watch sites seems to have its own dynamic."  The sites on the list highlight many of the persistent issues facing preservation and the contemporary climate of heritage conservation.  Some of the sites included are bold-faced names the St. Louis Arch in St, Louis, Missouri, mask-making tradition in Hong, and the entire country of Syria.  Hopefully, inclusion on the watch list will help persuade the communities these sites are located in of their importance and spur some action.  To help spread the word, writer Allison Meier's posted on October 9, 2013 an article titled, "Five Issues Threatening the Destruction of Cultural Heritage Sites."  Ms. Meier cites five primary issues that threaten to destroy or irrevocably change global cultural heritage sites.

Scene from the ongoing conflict in Aleppo, Syria
telegraph.co.uk

The first major issue confronting global heritage conservation war.  This one is pretty obvious.  Ongoing violence in a number of places around the world have put cultural heritage sites at grave risk.  Ms. Meier specifically cites the entire country of Syria where both civil and sectarian violence have put architecturally historic sites such as Aleppo and the Crusader castle known as Krac des Chevaliers in danger, as well as previously untouched ruins that are currently being used by refugees fleeing the conflict.  This is according to a recent presentation by Ms. Burnham at the International Council of Museums' release of The Emergency Red List of Syrian Cultural Objects.  Ongoing conflict in the African country of Mali where architectural and historic sites, including sixteen of the mausoleums in Timbuktu, already on the World Heritage Site list, have been destroyed in a 2012 conflict.  Ms. Meier fails to understand the fact that during war, cultural preservation is the least important thing in context to human dangers.  However, heritage conservation is an integral part of post-conflict recovery of a place.

Venice, Italy
paradiseintheworld.com

Allison Meier identifies tourism as another threat to cultural heritage conservation.  Some places, such as Venice, Italy, are just too popular for their own good. The entire city has been placed on the 2014 Watch list, after tourism shot up 40% in the last five years, with an estimated 20,000 visitors each day during the height of the tourist season.  The number of visitors during the season have actually outnumbered the residents.  This problem is dramatically highlighted by the cruise ships that plow into the city, not only disrupting the water ways but the whole fabric of the city.  By including  Venice on the 2014 Watch List, the WMF hopes to encourage some sort of balance between this popular destination and having it remain open to visitors, while maintaining what they see.

The Synagogue of Iasi, Romania
bh.org.il

Another persistent issue with heritage conservation, both at the global and local level, is development.  Allison Meier states, "Often coming alongside tourism, development is another threat to historic sites..."  One area of concern to the WMF is the Hudson River Palisades, land purchased by the Rockefeller family and established as a preserved vista. However, rezoning laws for a new development could result in an eighteen-story office building for the headquarters of LG Electronics in Englewoods Cliffs, which could irrevocably alter the landscape.  While this proposed development may seem like a small change with continuous development of the site, it is hoped that inclusion on the WMF list will give recognition to community support for the site.  A less visible threatened site is the Synagogue of Iasi, the oldest synagogue in Romania.  The synagogue has been hidden under scaffolding after a long-abandoned construction project in 2008 and left exposed to the elements in a forgotten city where the Jewish population has declined.  The building has almost been completely overtaken by development.  Instead of change, sites such as this one are in danger of being left completely behind.

Historic Yangon, Myanmar
visit-mekong.com

Another challenge to cultural heritage conservation is the ephemeral value of heritage. Sometimes it's very difficult to define something as "cultural heritage" when it is an area that's constantly shifting.  This is the problem in the Historic City Center of Yangon, Myanmar, where the city is quickly developing after a period of military dictatorship isolation. As is the case in most of the world, development is usually equated with the sudden appearance of glass and steel canyon.  The Historic City Center of Yangon was nominated for the watch by a group of concerned residents who were interested in development be more effectively integrated into the existing city.  There are also sites that are even more ephemeral such as the Gas Lamps of Berlin, which are also on the watch in response to the German government's plan to replacement them with fluorescent light with the goal of showing that preserving the historic lamps can be economical.

George Nakashima House, Pennsylvania
flickriver.com

In the twenty-first century, aging modernism has become a new challenge to cultural heritage conservation.  As the great twentieth century modernist marvels wear down, the issue becomes how to conserve them.  The materials, once shiny and brand new, are now deteriorating.  On the 2014 watch is the St. Louis Arch (Jefferson National Expansion Memorial), designed by Finnish architect Eero Saarinen and completed in 1965.  This landmark is experiencing corrosion complicated by the its soaring inaccessibility.  The Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas has also been added to the list.  The building, set up by artist Donald Judd as a permanent installation space, is also deteriorating and is hard to repair without disrupting the art within the space.  Also on the list are private residences such as the George Nakashima House in Pennsylvania where repairs are complicated because the plywood used for construction is no longer made and specialized craftspeople are needed in order to preserve the both Donald Judd and George Nakashima's vision at the time of their experimentations with technique and design.

Cultural heritage is not just the language, customs, history, or traditions of a country.  It's all those and the built environments that they inhabits.  As our world rapidly changes, the cultural aspects countries and their individual communities should be preserved as a reminder of who that place is.  Whether it's a bold face space or mask-making, it's all part of what makes up an individual culture and contributes to global understanding of who we, as a people, are.

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