Identification of “exceptional circumstances” where reconstruction of cultural heritage is accepted

Okahashi, Junko (2018) Identification of “exceptional circumstances” where reconstruction of cultural heritage is accepted. ICOMOS University Forum, 1 . pp. 1-9. ISSN 2616-6968 [Article]

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Abstract (in English)

This paper offers a necessary descriptive review of documents and literature, notably the principle, international, platform-setting texts which have shaped the doctrine and attitude towards reconstruction of cultural heritage. In order to place, as it were, cultural heritage as a future-making tool, seeing future as equally important as past and present in the life and spirit of a place, no principle could be put forward without respecting the accumulation of existing documents, which reflects the continued discussion on the justified or non-justified acts of reconstruction. When we see armed conflict destroying emblematic World Heritage Sites or natural disasters destroying cherished historic monuments and urban heritage, devastating the identity and esteem of the local community and a larger public far beyond, we tend to think it is the moment of what appear in doctrinal texts as ‘exceptional circumstances’, where reconstruction might be supported. Future-making or history-making; since it is a continuous process in which we are involved at present, why not restitute a memory from the past, when symbolically lost, as memory for the future? Significance of reconstruction is not only about rebuilding the monument in the material sense, but also to revitalize the living environment of the local community in their familiar cultural context. This is to foresee the rehabilitation of social livelihood and restitution of self-esteem among the directly concerned community. On the condition that reconstruction of an architectural space could enable such situations, should it not be acceptable as an appropriate method of a forward-looking future society management?

Item Type:	Article
Authors:	Authors Email Okahashi, Junko UNSPECIFIED
Languages:	English
Keywords:	cultural heritage; Conservation of cultural heritage; philosophy of conservation; theory of restoration; reconstruction; criteria; principles; authenticity; memory; sense of place; spirit of place; restitution; revitalization; rehabilitation; documentation; local communities; community participation; cultural identity; cultural significance
Subjects:	A. THEORETICAL AND GENERAL ASPECTS > 09. Philosophy of conservation A. THEORETICAL AND GENERAL ASPECTS > 12. Theory of restoration E.CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION > 03. Monuments E.CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION > 05. Sites N.ANTHROPOLOGY > 01. Generalities
National Committee:	ICOMOS International
Volume:	1
ISSN:	2616-6968
Depositing User:	ICOMOS DocCentre
Date Deposited:	12 Mar 2018 15:49
Last Modified:	16 Apr 2018 08:39
References:	First International Congress of Architects and Technicians of Historic Monuments, 1931, Athens Charter for the Restoration of Historic Monuments, Athens. Second International Congress of Architects and Technicians of Historic Monuments, 1964, International Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites, Venice. Nara Conference on Authenticity in Relation to the World Heritage Convention, 1994, Nara Document on Authenticity, Nara. Regional Conference on Authenticity and Historic Reconstruction in Relationship with Cultural Heritage, 2000, Riga Charter on Authenticity and Historic Reconstruction in Relationship with Cultural Heritage, Riga. UNESCO, 2016, Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention, rev. ed., Paris. Litterature Brandi, C. 1977. Theory of Restoration, translated by Rockwell, C., edited by Istituto Centrale per il Restauro, Nardini Editore, Firenze, 2005. Choay, F. 1992. L’Allégorie du patrimoine, Seuil, Paris. Choay, F. 2009. Le patrimoine en questions, Seuil, Paris. Murphy, K. 2000. Memory and Modernity Viollet-le-Duc at Vézelay, Pennsylvania State University Press, University Park, PA.
URI:	https://openarchive.icomos.org/id/eprint/1849

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