Co-producing Critical Heritage

School of Design, University of Leeds
17th October – 22nd November 2019

The ‘Co-producing Critical Heritage’ exhibition highlighted a range of projects exploring ideas of critical heritage through a combination of personal and socially engaged practice, and in collaboration with other artists, researchers, and participants.

Drawing on the definition of heritage studies as “a social, cultural, economic and political phenomenon” which critically analyses “the situation, construction and role of heritage”, the work engaged with concepts of class, ethnicity, language, and nationality through visual art, particularly in relation to questions around home and belonging.

Some of the projects considered the ways in which people understand and communicate the spaces around them, from the production of souvenirs which highlight local folklore, to experiences of living in social housing. Others included visualisations of research into Applied Linguistics and Cultural Studies, showcasing the potential for transdisciplinary collaboration in research.

A key factor in the production of these works was a focus on the ways that ideas of place are created and disseminated, giving the opportunity for unheard voices to be included. This focus aimed to create space within each project to co-produce images and ideas with others, enabling these stories to be told from a wider perspective.

 

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