Over the past few months we have been working with the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) and the Singapore Management University (SMU) on a conference. It is entitled ‘Inspiring Solutions – Culture in Crisis: Preserving Heritage in a Post-colonial Era’. We are very excited to also be collaborating with one of our newest member organisations, the Singapore Heritage Society.
The conference will bring together stakeholders from the private sector, government and academia, to explore the themes of multiculturalism and the modern world, and work together in drawing up practical, cross-industry solutions implementable in the present and future.
Monday 23 March starts with a series of inspirational site visits, such as:
There will then be an evening lecture by Tristram Hunt, Director of London’s V&A, followed by a welcome dinner.
Tuesday 24 March is the main conference day, including some fascinating international panel sessions on ‘Communities and Culture’ and ‘The Built Environment’. There will also be a series of dialogue workshops specifically to explore solutions for Singapore. The experience and expertise of INTO and its members will add hugely to the debate.
Singapore’s unique status as an important regional trading port meant that a diverse mix of cultures and heritage thrived in Singapore, even during the pre-colonialism period. The arrival of the British then brought new waves of immigration, which in turn left lasting influences on
vernacular architecture and the hybridised cultures of local communities.
If all discussions of cultural preservation revolve around discussions of “Whose culture?”, and “What culture?”, the Singaporean context adds new dimensions. How has the framing of colonialism and post-colonialism shaped Singapore’s understanding of cultural heritage and preservation? How have rapid urbanisation and globalisation affected Singapore and the region, both in terms of the built environment and the Intangible Cultural Heritage of its resident communities? What efforts are being made to preserve this heritage today, and what new steps should be taken?
Lastly on Wednesday 25 March, we will have a special session for our INTO Asia members.
INTO members are invited to attend the whole conference, but we will have a specific agenda for INTO Asia on the final day. This is likely to be focused around:
(Taken from the agenda for next month’s INTO Africa meeting)
Registration will open shortly, but in the meantime, please contact us for further information!