McIntyre-Tamwoy, Susan, Orive, Olga, Averinou Kolonias, Sofia, and Selfslagh, Benedicte (2011) 18 April 2011 – International day for monuments and sites: the cultural heritage of water. ICOMOS (Website), 2011. pp. 1-24.

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Abstract

In response to a proposal by ICOMOS, 18 April was designated as the International Day for Monuments and Sites by UNESCO in 1982. Each year a theme is selected to help focus the celebration and promotion of cultural heritage across the world. The aim is to explore cultural heritage beyond the select group of sites on the World Heritage List to encourage local communities and individuals to consider the importance of cultural heritage to their lives, identities and communities. The theme agreed for 2011 is the "Cultural Heritage of Water". Water is one of the key resources required to sustain life. It has led to the development and generation of significant material culture in the form of items, technology and places. How to obtain it, how to store it, how to harness its power and conserve it has motivated human endeavour in a myriad of ways. It has also been the catalyst for the development of significant cultural practices which have generated intangible cultural heritage values. It has inspired poetry, literature, artistic endeavour such as painting, dance and sculpture. It has informed and inspired the development of philosophies and religious practice. The cultural heritage of water, therefore relates not only to the technology and architecture that humankind has developed to manage, utilise and celebrate its life giving properties but also to those intangible values that have shaped our beliefs and practices. This essay cannot cover completely the complexity and individuality of humankind's relationship with water. It does however attempt to illustrate this complexity in order to encourage a broad exploration of the heritage of water that goes beyond a mere appreciation of the technology that has been developed to utilise, consume, manage and travel over it and must include consideration of the intangible values associated with water. These intangible values of spirituality, aesthetics, grief and conquest, inspire and give meaning to the range of cultural practices, structures and objects that relate to humanity's relationship with water and which in turn comprise our cultural heritage.

Item ID:	16066
Item Type:	Article (Other)
Keywords:	heritage of water, cultural heritage, ICOMOS, world heritage
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Date Deposited:	20 Apr 2012 05:25
FoR Codes:	21 HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY > 2101 Archaeology > 210199 Archaeology not elsewhere classified @ 100%
SEO Codes:	95 CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING > 9503 Heritage > 950399 Heritage not elsewhere classified @ 100%
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