(IN)TANGIBLE HERITAGE(S)
Abstract
In recent years considerable literature such as “How We Think: Digital Media and Contemporary Technogenesis” by Katherine Hayle has developed around the theme of social media and urban studies that have heightened the need for understanding how built heritage and social media interact. Comparing both global and Polish narratives of the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw derived from images shared on Instagram and written posts on Twitter, this study explores if the digitally disseminated global perceptions of the built heritage convey the lived reality of Polish residents. The site is selected with the aim of analysing the perception of the palace built in the conflicted time of the Soviet regime in the capital city of Poland and explaining its role in the social structure of the city. The cultural past often manifests itself as built heritage that shapes the collective memories of society. These urban memories are constantly in production as people engage with different mediums about the built heritage while also experiencing them in their everyday lives. While historically, cultural memory was passed on through memorials, museums and archives, current collective memory is also informed by social media, which has increasingly influenced the way we navigate our urban environment and with unprecedented speed changed the narratives behind the collective perception of space. Ubiquitous access to social media thereby has added another dimension to our interaction with the built urban heritage, making it globally accessible. Thus, the new-age experience of built heritage is not just limited to the physical site itself, but how the perception of the site is digitally disseminated. This study will contribute to the growing area of research by exploring the perceived and lived representations of heritage sites and analysing the role of social media in the perception of the Palace of Culture and Science.
Katarzyna Czapiga: Katarzyna is a current PhD Student at Kent School of Architecture and Planning. She studied architecture at Architectural Association in London where she developed her interest in urban studies in relation to social behaviour and collective memory. As well as this, Katarzyna is also a RIBA/ARB Chartered Architect and the Director of Skala Studio Ltd where she develops her understanding of the architectural profession together with research analysis on healthy living. She has several published articles written for Re-Thinking the Future Magazine on urban development and philosophy in architecture. Katarzyna’s research focuses on the development and reconstruction of the city in relation to collective memory and the question of the identity of heritage sites. Her research subject is: “Guarding the Future of a Shared Urban Memory. Critically tracing the urban memory of Polish and Jewish Varsovians (1918-2018)” and intends to map and study urban forms that can serve the restorative continuity of the shared urban identity of Polish and Jewish Varsovians, as well as contribute to its guardianship from future re-development strategies and identify how new urban insertions can foster the constructive memory of the traumatic past.
Richi Mohanty: Richi Mohanty is a PhD Student at the Kent School of Architecture and Planning, at the University of Kent. She studied architecture in India, where she is a registered Architect, and then later completed her postgraduate in Industrial Design. She has been working as a User Experience Design Consultant in the information technology industry for the last eight years, solving complex business processes by focusing on user needs. Alongside her academic pursuits, she is also a trained Indian Classical Dancer having completed her diploma in Odissi from The Bhavan in 2020. Her experience in the industry, working closely with data-driven processes, and her background in architecture prompted her to look at the meaning of contemporary urban public space. Her research, titled “Impact of digital media and technology on the design of contemporary urban public space”, aims to understand the social impact of Digital Media and Artificial Intelligence on urban public spaces, especially in large dense cities and is currently funded by EPSRC Research Scholarship. Her research interests include urban planning for smart cities, social inclusivity of public space design and the role of technology in urban development.
9:30 am - 11:00 am
Wednesday 15th June, 2022