Being there. Inscription as memory practice in tourism and heritage

Presented by Dr Sarah May.

Abstract

Memory is central to heritage tourism: connecting with wider memory; creating and curating your own memories. Tourism photography and purchasing or finding souvenirs are both methods of bringing the memory of the heritage place back to your everyday life. But what about leaving a memory of yourself in the heritage place? This paper will look at longstanding inscription practices, such as graffiti, to more recent practices such as 'love locks' and a rising practice involving stickers and ephemeral materials to consider how and why we inscribe ourselves into places that matter.

Sarah is an expert in cultural heritage with over 30 years of experience with teaching, heritage agencies, community research and independent enterprise which underpins her academic scholarship. Originally trained as an archaeologist, she has experience in researching and articulating how communities value their own heritage and in developing a future-facing response to heritage management.

She is a co-director with the Heritage Consultancy ButCH (Bureau for the Contemporary and Historic).