IN-PERSON London Heritages. Section B

Abstract

This paper critiques UNESCO’s state-centric heritage framework, which legitimizes regimes engaged in cultural erasure while excluding the very nations they oppress. UNESCO World Heritage (Fictional) Nomination Form, an artistic intervention, challenges this paradox by simulating the nomination of Pearl Palace (Kakh-e Morvarid)—a Pahlavi-era architectural masterpiece subjected to decades of ideological destruction under the Islamic Republic. Despite systematically engaging in ongoing cultural cleansing, the regime remains a recognized guardian of heritage within UNESCO; no sites within its borders are classified as endangered. This contradiction underscores UNESCO’s complicity in reinforcing state power over cultural memory. Through the speculative nomination of Pearl Palace, this project highlights the condition of a nation without representation in the global heritage discourse. In the exhibition, the fictional nomination form was presented alongside my father’s Islamic Republic-issued passport, in which my mother, sister, and I appear as his legal property. This juxtaposition collapses architectural ruination and gendered subjugation into a single material testimony. The confiscation and ideological repurposing of Pearl Palace served as a precursor to the systemic gender apartheid codified into law against women. By exposing the failures of UNESCO’s framework, this paper employs speculative heritage activism to advocate for preservation models beyond state control. It argues that heritage, particularly under totalitarian regimes, must be reclaimed by those to whom it truly belongs—not by the very authorities that seek to erase it. The case of Pearl Palace demonstrates that cultural heritage cannot be safeguarded when its greatest threat comes from the regime entrusted with its protection.