Heritage North Workshop

College of St. Hilde and Bede, Durham University

9 July 2013

View of an exhibition visited during the Heritage North workshop

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Past in the Present


Heritage North was the first in the series of New Thinking from the North workshops conducted through the N8 Research Partnership. It was organised by colleagues at the University of Durham and took place on the University's Campus

Heritage was selected as a key theme for this first phase of the project in recognition of the defining role it has played in leading regeneration – representing an attempt to fuse economic development and cultural identity – across the North of England in recent decades. Yet the relationship between remembering, understanding and marketing the past and the development of sustainability in the region is still open for question.

Key Questions Addressed at the Workshop


  • What are the tensions of, and opportunities for, developing heritage co-produced with local communities and attracting tourists?
  • What are the effects – positive and unintended – of the heritage economy in the North?

  • How does using ‘heritage’ for regeneration define and affect the identities of the communities it claims to present?

  • How might a sustainable heritage economy be developed in the North and beyond?

To consider these questions we drew on expertise within the N8 universities and among public-facing partner institutions and organisations. These included: professionals from the museums, heritage, and cultural sector and academic researchers across disciplines within the arts and humanities. The day drew to a close with a presentation by Keith Bartlett of the Lindisfarne Gospels Project.