VIRTUAL London Heritages Conference

Abstract

The essence of modernity is encapsulated in the determination to survive the forces that threaten to disrupt independent thought and agency, enforced through bureaucratic structures that reflect imperialist notions and hegemonic identities. This is evidenced by means of a public, democratic outlook which endowed the modern movement with an approachable dimension redirected towards empowering the citizen. Alternatively, post-modernist thinking discarded both notions of modernism, of pure form and pure revolt that served to constrict definitions, creating a reductionist image of the modernist spirit. In this context, the paper seeks to investigate models of design governance that embody and project these nuances by means of their operational frameworks in the field of heritage administration and cultural practice in London. The industrialisation of heritage, engineered through strategies of Conservative governance which emerged during the latter half of the 20th century, posited political interests and their intersection with the discipline and practice of heritage as the underlying rationale that was framed and articulated through the ‘Heritage Debates’ of the 1980s. The paper seeks to conceptualise their influence within a contemporary cultural and political climate that translates into layered, multi-scalar strategies illustrating a fluidity and hybridity in the governance structures through both distributive and centralised forms of governance. In this context, the Restoration and Renewal Programme of the Palace of Westminster reflects current debates and dynamics between the state, cultural practitioners, heritage organisations and the public. The discussion underscores strategies that have influenced the stewardship of a World Heritage Site and seeks to discern emerging roles of political and inter-disciplinary actants in the process of heritage governance.