Architectural Photography as Witness: Urban Regeneration and the Sense of Place
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Liverpool
Department Name: Architecture
Abstract
My research proposes to explore and demonstrate how archive architectural photographic material can bring added value - both economic, cultural and social - to current architectural and urban planning practice in the North West, and to our understanding of heritage assets within the built environment in general, at a pivotal time of rapid growth, development and urban regeneration.
Interpreted through the lens of the Government's Industrial Strategy (November 2017) and in the light of perceived tensions between progress and conservation, architectural photography will be used as a compelling visual tool to demonstrate how a better understanding of local built heritage assets, embedded within their specific historic and local context and character, is crucial to the successful and sensitive urban regeneration of the North West region of the future.
Working on a series of projects in collaboration with industrial partners including the RIBA, I will explore innovative methods in which archive architectural photographic imagery can be catalogued, disseminated and experienced through digital means to create a deeper, multi-layered understanding of our built environment during a time of change and economic uncertainty. In addition, this approach may offer opportunities to link to catalogued material held in other archives worldwide, establishing and encouraging a broader visual and cultural dialogue and impact.
Some key points to explore will include:
1 Architectural photography's ability to both visually record the urban environment, and actively shape our perception of it.
2 The need for sensitivity to local identity, collective memory and overarching 'sense of place' if successful, sustainable, high quality urban regeneration is to be achieved.
3 Photography as a visual tool capable of increasing and deepening an understanding and connection between people and the built environment.
Specifically, Liverpool's threatened UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS) status will be focused upon as a case study, to illustrate the economic value and revenue architectural heritage brings to the region (tourism, business investment etc.), and the need for greater understanding of, and sensitivity to, the particular character and USPs of this 'heritage city' during a period of intense and rapid development and growth.
It is envisaged the outcomes of the projects will bring value to urban planners, conservation professionals, business investors, tourists and local residents, as well as to the industrial partners (RIBA) themselves. By digitally linking visual documentation, memory and historic traces to the contemporary urban experience at a pivotal moment in Liverpool's existence, my research will provide value to architectural professionals, place-makers and local communities alike. Archive photographic imagery will therefore be used as a tool to engage with a range of stakeholders, to bring about a greater understanding of the need for sensitive urban development compatible with increased economic growth and progress in the North West.
Interpreted through the lens of the Government's Industrial Strategy (November 2017) and in the light of perceived tensions between progress and conservation, architectural photography will be used as a compelling visual tool to demonstrate how a better understanding of local built heritage assets, embedded within their specific historic and local context and character, is crucial to the successful and sensitive urban regeneration of the North West region of the future.
Working on a series of projects in collaboration with industrial partners including the RIBA, I will explore innovative methods in which archive architectural photographic imagery can be catalogued, disseminated and experienced through digital means to create a deeper, multi-layered understanding of our built environment during a time of change and economic uncertainty. In addition, this approach may offer opportunities to link to catalogued material held in other archives worldwide, establishing and encouraging a broader visual and cultural dialogue and impact.
Some key points to explore will include:
1 Architectural photography's ability to both visually record the urban environment, and actively shape our perception of it.
2 The need for sensitivity to local identity, collective memory and overarching 'sense of place' if successful, sustainable, high quality urban regeneration is to be achieved.
3 Photography as a visual tool capable of increasing and deepening an understanding and connection between people and the built environment.
Specifically, Liverpool's threatened UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS) status will be focused upon as a case study, to illustrate the economic value and revenue architectural heritage brings to the region (tourism, business investment etc.), and the need for greater understanding of, and sensitivity to, the particular character and USPs of this 'heritage city' during a period of intense and rapid development and growth.
It is envisaged the outcomes of the projects will bring value to urban planners, conservation professionals, business investors, tourists and local residents, as well as to the industrial partners (RIBA) themselves. By digitally linking visual documentation, memory and historic traces to the contemporary urban experience at a pivotal moment in Liverpool's existence, my research will provide value to architectural professionals, place-makers and local communities alike. Archive photographic imagery will therefore be used as a tool to engage with a range of stakeholders, to bring about a greater understanding of the need for sensitive urban development compatible with increased economic growth and progress in the North West.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Marco Iuliano (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Jemma Street (Student) |
| Description | FutureCity: Croydon Creative Campus Report |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
| Description | RIBA North architectural heritage multimedia project |
| Organisation | RIBA - Royal Institute of British Architects |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Contributions include: - Co-designing the project's concept and ongoing development alongside primary industrial, technical and academic partners. - Researching and delivering historical and archive content (both visual and text-based), from both the RIBA's own collections and from external sources. - Undertaking contemporary architectural photography for use in the final digital product. - Writing text-based content and scripts for inclusion in the product. |
| Collaborator Contribution | RIBA North, as 'industrial partner' in the AHRC-funded Transformation North West (TNW) PhD programme, continues to share the overall values of the programme and its cohort of students, and has therefore been supportive of the aims and objectives of my research. Staff at RIBA North, along with their contracted technical specialists, have worked with me to both shape and develop the project, from conception to delivery, and a good working relationship built on mutual knowledge transfer, shared resources and support has been established. |
| Impact | The primary outcome of this collaboration takes the form of two linked digital products which will communicate the architectural heritage of the city of Liverpool and its World Heritage Site status, to a range of audiences within both public and professional realms. Incorporating both visual, audio and text-based content, the digital products under development act both as interactive tools of engagement and as useful planning aids for use within the physical environment of RIBA North's headquarters and in the wider physical context of Liverpool's historic city centre. The timing of this collaboration comes at a key time in the city's development and regeneration, with architectural heritage playing a key role in Liverpool's economic and cultural fortunes. The project's outputs will ultimately be supplied to Liverpool's primary municipal administration, for wider dissemination. The Transformation North West PhD programme's primary aim is to link doctoral students with businesses, industrial partners and institutions in the North West of England, creating opportunities for the development of new products and services to help foster economic growth in the region. This particular collaboration has therefore provided a good example of a partnership creating 'real World' impact and outputs, by adopting a triple helix model of innovation at the intersection between academia, industry and local government. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | ReDesign By the Sea |
| Organisation | Deco Publique |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Collaborated with fellow Transformation North West (TNW) PhD cohort member Laura Wareing in the initial planning stages of her PhD project 'ReDesign By The Sea'. The co-design project, undertaken with industrial partners Deco Publique (a Morecambe-based practice specialising in creative regeneration and placemaking in civic spaces), sought to engage young people in Morecambe with their town and its annual 'Vintage By the Sea' festival, through a series of workshop activities. The project centred on the ambition to better connect with the needs and creative interests of the age group (16 and 17) in relation to the Vintage by the Sea festival, and the cultural offer more broadly in Morecambe. |
| Collaborator Contribution | This project was led by my TNW cohort colleague Laura Wareing, with input from myself and two other fellow cohort members in the early design and development stages. The resulting co-design workshop activities were then delivered to local Morecambe secondary school students by Laura in collaboration with the project's industrial partner, Deco Publique (a creative practice based in Morecambe), with the aim of creating meaningful and lasting impact on the local area, with particular resonance for the project's young participants. |
| Impact | The project resulted in a series of creative, participatory workshops, providing a group of Morecambe-based young people aged 16 to 17 with the opportunity to work alongside Deco Publique and PhD students from Transformation North West as 'Festival Co-Designers', actively sharing their views and redesigning elements of Morecambe's major, annual Vintage by the Sea Festival. Through the workshop activities, participants had the opportunity to learn about creative careers, as well as develop creative, business and collaboration skills, voice their opinion, design new ideas and play an active role in innovative place-making practice in their town. 'ReDesign by the Sea' was selected to be part of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Design Research for Change 2019 Showcase at The London Design Fair. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | If These Walls Could Talk, St George's Hall, Liverpool: CAVA AR experience launch event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Assisted with the launch event for the the University of Liverpool's Centre for Architecture & the Visual Arts (CAVA)'s prototype for a mixed reality, place-based AR heritage experience at St George's Hall, Liverpool. This ground-breaking participatory and immersive mixed reality experience, led by CAVA, was created in collaboration with Culture Liverpool, Draw and Code, Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, CineTecture and Immersive Storylab. The project utilised cutting edge augmented reality and volumetric capture of interactive performances allow visitors to experience the famous 19th century court case of Florence Maybrick in the iconic UNESCO Heritage Site, St George's Hall. My involvement centred around sharing the concept of the project and its outcomes with an invited gathering of local policymakers, an international delegation of heritage professionals and members of the public. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | http://www.cava-research.org/research-projects/st-georges-launch |