[PAST EVENT] Time, Space and Monumentality Conference

Public Programme

This event has past.

The Conference was hosted by Culture& and University of Greenwich Galleries, Institute for Inclusive Communities and Environments. It was part of our Time, Space and Empire programme at the V&A Wedgwood Collection, Stoke-on-Trent, the University of Greenwich and Royal Museums Greenwich.

TIME, SPACE AND MONUMENTALITY CONFERENCE
This is more than a conference of talking heads but an immersive experience hosted by Culture& and University of Greenwich Galleries and Institute for Inclusive Communities and Environments. It is part of our Time, Space and Empire programme at the V&A Wedgwood Collection in Stoke-on-Trent, the University of Greenwich, Royal Museums Greenwich, St Alfege Church Greenwich and to enhance the audience experience there will be a specially curated walking tour of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site on the Smartify art and culture app.
Monumentality, in the form of public statues, has become an increasingly contested topic since the advent of popular movements against colonial statuary in South Africa, the United States and the UK.
Photo Credit: Sonska Studio.
The conference tackled a number of key themes:
  • What is the future of statues?
  • Who should we memorialise and why?
  • What is legal validity of the UK Government’s ‘Retain and Explain’ policy?
  • Are there alternative forms of monumentality to those cast in stone and bronze?

Photo Credit: Sonska Studio.

This conference provided a stimulating platform for researchers and artists to share new research, experience and developments around what we consider appropriate to commemorate with monuments; when have they lost their relevance and, especially in the UK context, whether the policy of ‘Retain and Explain’ is an effective response to demands for the removal of statues that commemorate colonial violence and exploitation.
Photo Credit: Sonska Studio.