Event: International Day of Monuments and Sites
Image: Patan Durbar Square, Kathmandu Valley, 2019. Photo: Catherine Forbes
Venice revisited: the challenges of preserving World Heritage properties in post disaster and post conflict scenarios.
On Thursday 18 April for the International Day of Monuments and Sites, GML Principal Catherine Forbes and Senior Consultant Dr Constance Wyndham will present at an event hosted by ICOMOS and DOCOMOMO on the challenges of preserving World Heritage properties in post disaster and post conflict scenarios.
The International Day of Monuments and Sites (IDMS), celebrated each year on 18 April, provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the Venice Charter which emerged in 1964 and is at the core of ICOMOS’ history and identity.
Complexities in the post-earthquake recovery of the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Property
– Catherine Forbes
The World Heritage Property of the Kathmandu Valley comprises three historic urban centres and four religious ensembles together with their ancient villages. In 2015 the Gorkha Earthquakes severely damaged the property. Nine years after the event it is time to reflect back on the challenges and complexities faced in the recovery of the sites, their tangible and intangible attributes, their outstanding universal value, authenticity, integrity and protection. How does the Nepali concept of cyclical renewal sit with ICOMOS’s charters and declarations and the Nara Document on Authenticity? How will these serve the ongoing management of these living sites, where the intangible heritage is as important as the tangible?
Chengu Narayan, Kathmandu Valley, 2016. Photo: Catherine Forbes
‘A clash of expertise’ at the Buddha niches in Bamyan, Afghanistan
– Dr Constance Wyndham
Two monumental Buddha statues in the Bamyan Valley, Afghanistan, were destroyed by the Taliban in March 2001. These destructions sparked a global reaction and the site was listed on the World Heritage List. This was followed by a huge influx of international heritage expertise into this remote valley in Afghanistan. Drawing from ethnographic research undertaken with heritage professionals and residents in the valley undertaken in 2015, Dr Constance Wyndham’s talk will outline the complexities of the site and the challenges of its preservation as a World Heritage property, with a particular focus on local heritage practices and values.
Western Buddha niche in Bamyan, Afghanistan. Photo: Constance Wyndham
Event Details
Date: Thursday 18 April 2024, 5:30pm-7:30pm
Refreshments served from 5.30pm, presentations to commence at 6pm. The presentations will be followed by a short Q and A session.
VENUE: NBRS Architecture, 4 Glen Street, Milsons Point
