International Conference: 3rd-5th April 2008
PERFORMING HERITAGE: RESEARCH AND PRACTICE
We are pleased to announce that the Performance, Learning and Heritage
project will be hosting an international conference in April 2008. The
conference will take place at the University of Manchester, and will
provide a forum for discussing how research and practice in the field of
museum performance/live interpretation can inform one another.
The Performance, Learning and Heritage project is an AHRC funded
investigation into the uses and impact of performance as a medium for
learning in museums and at heritage sites. The scope of the project is
international, and since 2005, the team have been researching case study
sites and carrying out a detailed mapping of practice. (For further
details visit www.manchester.ac.uk/plh/.) 2008 marks the final year of
the project, and presents a timely opportunity for debate and knowledge
exchange in this fast developing area of performance and interpretive
practice.
Areas to be covered by the conference include (but are not limited to):
* Making connections: the intersection of
performance/performativity, site specific practice and notions of
heritage;
* Gauging impact: audience response and longer-term impact, the
place of interactivity, and community outreach;
* Reports from the field: accounts and findings from research and
evaluation projects in the UK and abroad. Some sessions at the
conference will be devoted to the emerging findings of the PL&H research
and the implications for future practice and policy making; but we are
keen to hear about, and compare notes with, other research projects
across the globe;
* Developing practice: examples of practice - live and recorded -
to illustrate the range of performance practice and provide
opportunities to interrogate that practice; workshops from practitioners
and academics are invited as a means of exploring how research and
practice interconnect;
* 'research at the heart of practice' - the focus will be on
research as it informs practice, practice as it informs research and
(not least) practice as a means of research in the museum/heritage
sector.
We warmly invite proposals for papers (20 min. max.), performances,
workshops and panel or round table discussions from practitioners,
academics, policy makers and others working in the cultural heritage
sector. Contributions will be especially welcome from those around the
world engaged in research, evaluation and development in this field.
(Further details of the types of presentation envisaged can be found on
the conference webpage at www.manchester.ac.uk/plh/conference.)
Proposals or expressions of interest (300 words maximum) should be sent
to [log in to unmask] by September 14th 2007. Ensure you
provide your name; your organisation or company if applicable (including
position held); your postal and email addresses; the type of
presentation you are offering; and your A/V or other technical or space
requirements.
Updates on the conference - including registration details - will be
posted to the project website over the summer months at
www.manchester.ac.uk/plh/conference.
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