© University of Pretoria

3.1// not deprive future generations of ac- The ruination of the Westfort precinct HERITAGE cessing and learning from the remains is a result of fragmentation. It represents fragments of society’s failures PERSPECTIVES of our material past (Stoltz 2015). In March 2015, a new protest movement (the negative) and the opportunity for As to heritage, perhaps the first con- was initiated at the University of Cape new interpretation and meaning (the cern originates from different perspec- Town with the aim of removing a stat- positive). The latter is a way of re- tives on heritage. Society still tends ue of the former colonial leader, Cecil sponding to this process of renewal

to contest and segregate our cultural John Rhodes (Barnard-Naudé 2015). with a restorative attitude to encour- heritage according to our cultural DNA. Apart from the statue being removed, age a sense of completeness (Vesely 2004:334). Through a process of reha- This might lead to the categorization of the greater objective was to reconsider our heritage into different fragments, all colonial and Afrikaner Nationalist bilitation, the Westfort precinct could exempting us from our responsibilities artefacts that are associated with a not only regain its cultural value but to protect the greater whole. painful past (Barnard-Naudé 2015). also its shared universal authenticity.

Fragmented heritage Figure 3:1 Contested heritage monu- Perhaps the contestation of these her- ments in recent protest action (THE As a result of recent events in South itage artefacts is not only a reaction to TIMES 2015) Africa, the colonial-era public me- Figure 3.2: Collage of fragmented herit- that painful past, but rather a concern morials and place names have been for the future of transformation. As a age artefacts within the inner city of severely targeted and some even de- Pretoria (Author 2016) 3.1 continuously evolving society, we need stroyed for their physical & symbolic to be reminded of our responsibility in representation of the former apartheid protecting these fragmented remind- regime (1948-1994). ers of a historical past in order to ensure their future interpretation. As a representative of the Heritage

Association of South Africa (HASA), There is a general tendency to view Stoltz (2015) argues that the outcome the process of fragmentation as a re- of radical contestation should enforce sult of isolation or vice versa. Yet Ves- the revisiting of policies in respect of ely (2004:318) argues that fragmenta- our collective heritage. As confirmed tion has contributed to the formation by the National Heritage Resources of meaning, resulting in a sense of Act (NHRA) (Act No. 25 of 1999): completeness. One could argue that

‘collage’ is a method of understand- National estate must serve ing information that configures new to reconcile the past, heal meaning to generate a sense of a col- divisions and advance the lective whole. interests of social justice and cultural restitution. Fragmentation is a modern phenom- (Republic of South Africa, 1999) enon closely related to the method of

representation. An object or a memory The Act clearly states that although can only be interpreted in conjunction the law protects public monuments with the person experiencing it and not and memorials, it still recognises the in isolation. Fragmentation therefore

need for change (Stoltz 2015). It ad- has a situational structure that signi- vocates for the effective management fies a specific context or memory, but of change to ensure that the actions allows for imaginative interpretation 3.1 51 03/HERITAGE IN THEORY 52 of the current contested concerns do and reading (Vesely 2004:325).

Shared cultural heritage Collective memory of place The tangible and intangible fragments Kuipers (2015:11) suggests that the Not only is Westfort vulnerable to In the field of ‘memory studies’, Mau- However, the heritage sites concerned from the past and those created in the main challenge concerning Westfort socio-economic pressures, but also rice Halbwachs suggests that it is are in desperate need of a holistic ap-

present are what one could refer to is the preservation of its legacy whilst to the degradation of its ecological in- within the larger community and so- proach in adapting their current social as shared cultural heritage (UNESCO balancing the needs of its current us- tegrity. As mentioned earlier, the fort cial networks that individual memory and functional requirements, in order 2015:2). It is important to understand ers. The solution, however, lies in an is situated on one of Pretoria’s ridges develops and not in isolation (Ass- to accommodate future needs and in- that cultural heritage is essentially a integrated conservation strategy that forming part of a greater ecological mann 1995:126). Halbwachs argues stil new meaning to place. continuous process of discovery, eval- includes the active participation of all network. Clarke and Kuipers (2015:1) that memory by nature represents uation and documentation, which are the relevant stakeholders. suggest that all of these layers of in- both the individual and the collective, Meaning is not a condition or all subjected to the inevitable change formants are integral to the establish- the specific and the multiple, which quality of the building, of the in our cultural DNA. UNESCO (2015:2) places high value on ment of our collective memory of place are all rooted in physical manifesta- thing itself; meaning arises active participation in the production and therefore also a new sense of be- tions of gestures, images and objects; from situations. The mean- of all types of cultural heritage, which Neither history nor heritage longing. therefore the absolute is installed by ing of a building, then, must includes an array of artefacts such as remembrance. is restrained by country bor- always be a meaning for some built fabric, music, language and art. One could argue that memory is fun- ders. Thus there is reason for specific one at some specific Considering the management of cul- damentally connected to identity. Who History, however, belongs to everyone heritage conservation to cross time in some specific place. tural heritage, UNESCO (2015:3) states we are as individuals influences how and to no-one specific; therefore it is borders. (Jones 2000:41) these inter-related (environmental, so- we perceive events and therefore how bound to temporal continuities and (Clarke & Kuipers 2015:17) cial and economic) management pro- we construct our memories. However, the relationship between time, place Figure 3.3: Diagram of the collective grams must: it is the collective memory of place that and people (Nora 1989:9). Although South Africa and the former Dutch memory of place as the point of origin is eventually documented and trans- the City Council of Tshwane places republic have a well-known shared for the documentation of our collective ..meet the needs of the pre- lated as history (Nora 1989:9). high value on the management of both history (Author 2016) history, Westfort being one of the heritage and cultural artefacts, they rich residues from the former Zuid- sent without compromising the ability of future genera- It is a well-known fact that, due to po- call on its citizens, the collective, to Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR) (Kuipers litical and social limitations, some of conserve what is left for future genera- 2015:5). Considered a trans-national tions to meet their own needs. our cultural and traditional heritage tions (City of Tshwane 2013:464). concept, ‘shared heritage’ represents (Brundtland Commission 1987) was never recorded or documented, a holistic approach to preserving herit- and is therefore excluded from written age that is a product of multiple con- With reference to the current situation history records. The problem is that to- tributions over time (Clarke & Kuipers at Westfort, meeting the needs of the day, this exclusivity has escalated into 2015:14). present would mean that, apart from the economic pressures, the social vi- other cultural issues of segregation

and isolation, bringing the inclusivity of In 2015, the University of Pretoria (UP) ability of the cultural heritage is critical our shared cultural history in question. and the Delft University of Technology in the sustainable management pro- Inclusive history not only questions (TUD) participated in a joint venture to cess. Besides the benefits of social social or political accuracy but also in- document, evaluate and report on the integration and cohesion, the rehabili- dividual and collective credibility. shared heritage of the Westfort Lepro- tation of cultural heritage also creates sy Hospital precinct. Prof. Marieke Kui- employment and educational opportu- nities. Its success however would be pers (2015:6) was part of the advisory team to report back on the implemen- highly dependent on the process of the tation of policy by the City of Tshwane, equal participation of both the formal as well as possible strategies to con- and informal heritage communities serve valuable shared heritage. (UNESCO 2015:4).

3.3 53 03/HERITAGE IN THEORY 54

3.2// THE IDENTITY OF PLACE Understanding Sense of place

Managing change is an integral part Leach (2002:126) questions the ongo- The work of Catalan architect Enric of our lives and it often bewilders us. ing obsession with form which repli- Miralles (1955-2000) represents his Renowned urban planner Kevin Lynch cates so-called ‘cultural identity’ with- own theoretical interest in ‘the archi-

(1972:1) argues that the perception of out even engaging with the process tecture of time’, which explores the our personal image of place is recip- of subjective identification. Promoting potential brought about by change with emphasis on ‘the journey’. This rocal with our individual well-being. It the process of identification, Leach is possible that a desirable image of (2002:130) refers to the work of Judith journey is simultaneously ‘referential’

place is one that fundamentally cel- Butler, who advocates the notion of (to past/future events) and ‘experien- ebrates the present condition with a ‘performativity’ that reinvents identity. tial’ (instantaneous), unifying different strong connection to both the past and Butler believes that identity is not de- moments in time scales as one experi-

the future. fined by our social, political or biologi- ence (Mackenzie, McMurray & Quiros, 3.4 cal existence, but rather by our actions 2011). Creating a sense of belonging and behaviours, and therefore our per- As mentioned earlier, one way of es- formance. It is however the interpretation of this tablishing a desired image of place is journey through architecture that de- to understand how people identify with Thus it is possible that a new sense termines this collective experience or their environment. It is critical to first of belonging and attachment to place so called ‘sense of place’. According

determine the different users (to fol- could be instated through perfor- to Cross (2001:1), the term ‘sense of low) in order to understand the point of mance. Through rituals and re-appro- place’ has become the buzzword to identification. justify the lack of understanding of the priation, spaces are reinvented and rewritten with new meaning and new true spirit or essence of place, which Architect and theorist Neal Leach memories, and then become spaces of is mostly based on our own precon- (2002:3) argues that it is difficult to belonging (Leach 2002:130). Instead ceptions. Cross (2001:3) highlights establish the points of identification, of the preconception of ‘belonging’ the complexity of the term by illus-

and that it might be more appropriate as possession or related to a particu- trating that each individual has differ- to first understand the cultural identity lar cultural group, Leach (2002:130) ent relationships and attachments to of place in order to understand its rela- various places, as illustrated in Figure argues that it is in fact a product of tion to architecture. performativity and that it enables us to 41; therefore the relationship between understand the meaning of place as a place and people is transactional (give Identifying with place is not a fixed collective effort over time. and take). condition and the process of iden-

tification should be interpreted as Architecture has the ability to facilitate One could say that ‘sense of place’ 3.5 ephemeral, which could be explored this process of performativity in or- is therefore more interactional than through a model of ‘belonging’ as an der to instil a new sense of continuity physical. It is an experience that is Figure 3.4: Diagram adapted from Leach active process rather than a given and belonging. It is not about form but created by the setting and interpreted (2002) to illustrate the concept of ‘Place state (Leach 2002:12). rather about architectural engagement by the individual, and hopefully has Identity’ (Author 2016) Figure 3.5: Different determinants that that allows for place to be imbued with an impact on collective society, both influence the individual’s relationship on new meaning and therefore also a col- short-term and long-term. to place (Cross 2001:3) lective cultural identity.

55 03/HERITAGE IN THEORY 56

3.3// HERITAGE MANAGEMENT

The problem statement of this disser- valuable for its imperfection and its Negussi (2012:23) challenges heritage tation addresses the issue of heritage temporal and incomplete state of ex- management programmes to allow for value. It is therefore critical to consider istence (Lamprakos 2014:426). The a more collective voice that includes a

the appropriate valuation approach in advantages of this interpretation are variety of cultural positions and differ- order to determine the value and sig- that it is not subjected to a specific ent values. Negussi (2012:26) critiques nificance of the Westfort precinct. religious or political stance and is also the current heritage management pro- not exclusive to the educated and in- cess as one that:

The architectural problem addressed formed reader, but is rather valued for by this dissertation is based on a cri- its universal language. ...uncritically supports con- tique on the lack of experiential quali- servation in situ, but is less

ties in conservation projects. Specific Riegl’s approach to the historical value helpful in understanding the heritage legislation will therefore be of a monument celebrates its origin long-term results and benefits and development over time without referenced as a guideline for the de- of these conservation actions sign approach in establishing a more the intervention of man. This valua- in socio-cultural terms. tion approach is also not in favour of holistic and engaging experience that Negussi (2012:26) respects historic value but also antici- complete restoration but rather the pates future value. prevention of disintegration (Lampra- Figure 3.6: Diagrammatic illustration kos 2014:75). The focus is then on pre- 3.6 of the Fort in it’s current state and the Heritage valuation serving the artefact as is. Another in- possible transformation in a new state of terpretation in accordance with Riegl’s existence (Author 2016) The intentions and representation of heritage artefacts have changed and valuation is the intentional commemo- with that, their inherent value. On the rative value, which places high value one hand modern interpreters assign on the collective memory of the arte- new meaning and significance to ei- fact and therefore suggests complete

ther the artefact’s artistic or symbolic restoration (Lamprakos 2014:435). value, whilst others might only respect it for its age or historic value. Irrespective of each individual valua-

In his book Modern cult of monu- tion criterion, our responsibility as a ments and the problem of value, Alois society is still to preserve the collec- Riegl argues that the artistic value of a tive memory of the past to allow for monument is ephemeral. He therefore continuous interpretation. The bigger

introduces a new valuation scheme challenge however is presented by the that makes a clear distinction between standard methods used in heritage present and past value parameters preservation. The ideal is to encourage

(Lamprakos 2014:421). a constant reinterpretation and adap- tation of all cultural landscapes that Age value, as Riegl states, embraces facilitate equal participation and foster the representation of time that is evi- a greater patriotism towards our col-

dent in the artefact without consider- lective heritage. ing its original purpose or significance. The artefact therefore becomes more 57 03/HERITAGE IN THEORY 58

Heritage legislation 2/ Considering the range of different her- 1999 National Heritage Resource Act. itage charters, it is critical to evaluate (1999:4)

the experiential possibilities of these prescribed documents. In light of the With regards to South African national Under the general principles for herit- research problems addressed earlier, legislation and regulations, the South age resource management, the follow- two documents are of great impor- African Heritage Resources Agency ing points are of great importance in tance and should be considered in the (SAHRA) was established under this reinstating the design process. act and is responsible for the protec- Westfort precinct as part of our nation of our cultural heritage resources. tional heritage.

1/ Principle 3: Principle 6: It is therefore of great importance to The 2007 ICOMOS Charter for the In- Attention to Setting and Context Concern for Inclusiveness this dissertation. 1. (a) Heritage resources have lasting Objective: Objective: terpretation and Presentation of Cul- value in their own right and provide tural Heritage sites (2008:4) Safeguard the tangible and intangible Encourage inclusiveness in the inter- Considering the stark conditions at the evidence of the origins of South Af- values of cultural heritage sites in their pretation of cultural heritage sites, by Westfort precinct, it is alarming that rican society and as they are valu- This document values the importance natural and cultural settings and social facilitating the involvement of stake- no action has been taken to preserve able, finite, non-renewable and ir- of ‘interpretation and presentation’ in contexts. holders and associated communities this cultural landscape. The act clearly replaceable they must be carefully

the process of heritage conservation in the development and implementa- states that an integrated, interactive managed to ensure their survival; and management. The following prin- Principle 4: tion of interpretive programmes. plan should be implemented but, more Preservation of Authenticity ciples and objectives are quoted di- importantly, it should be done to pro- (b) every generation has a moral rectly from the charter and will be used Objective: Principle 7: tect and preserve collective heritage responsibility to act as trustee of in the design process as guidelines in Respect the authenticity of cultural her- Importance of Research, Training, for future generations. the national heritage for succeeding the experiential approach to rehabili- itage sites, by communicating the signif- and Evaluation generations and the State has an tate the Westfort precinct. icance of their historic fabric and cultural Objective: To introduce an integrated obligation to manage heritage re-

values and protecting them from the ad- Develop technical and professional and interactive system for the sources in the interests of all South Principle 1: verse impact of intrusive interpretive in- guidelines for heritage interpretation and management of the national Africans; Access and Understanding frastructure, visitor pressure, inaccurate presentation, including technologies, heritage resources;... and em- or inappropriate interpretation. research, and training. Such guidelines Objective: power civil society to nurture 2. To ensure that heritage resources must be appropriate and sustainable in are effectively managed— To facilitate the understanding and ap- and conserve their heritage preciation of cultural heritage sites and Principle 5: their social contexts. (a) the skills and capacities of per- resources so that they may be foster public awareness and engage- Planning for Sustainability sons and communities involved in bequeathed to future genera- ment in the need for their protection Objective: heritage resources management tions;... and conservation. Contribute to the sustainable conserva- must be developed; and (NHRA 1999:4) tion of cultural heritage sites, through (b) provision must be made for the

Principle 2: promoting public understanding of, and ongoing education and training of Information Sources participation in, ongoing conservation existing and new heritage resources Objective: efforts, ensuring long-term mainte- management workers. Communicate the meaning of cultural nance of the interpretive infrastructure

heritage sites to a range of audiences and regular review of its interpretive through careful, documented recogni- contents. tion of significance, through accepted

scientific and scholarly methods as well as from living cultural traditions.

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3.4// EXPERIENTIAL Potential

As a critique on heritage legislation, Given the history of Westfort it is in- These ‘things’ are not necessar- Heidegger managed to establish a link Apart from the physical setting of ex- the author believes that architectur- teresting to consider the possible hi- ily meant to represent objects but between phenomenology and archi- ternal objects, space should also be al intervention in heritage artefacts erarchy of its origin given the histori- rather refer to certain ideals that re- tecture, which illustrates the experien- interpreted as an experience based on

should be directed to create a more cal value, the programmatic use of the flect the real experiences that we are tial qualities of a sensory experience our own subjective perception and in- holistic and engaging experience that site, and the richness of its location confronted with, as opposed to those as an ongoing, dynamic and cultur- teraction with our spatial surroundings experiences constructed from our pre- ally dependent spatial tool (Habib et al. within a particular time frame (Mer- anticipates their future value. In order on a ridge. Thinking on the essence of to design for the latter it is valuable to spatiality, one might first seek to define conceived perception of how a space 2012:45). French philosopher Maurice leau-Ponty 1062:4). This interaction or

briefly reflect on the essence of spati- the personal experience of space and should be experienced. Merleau-Ponty (1908-1906) argues interpretation process could further be ality and the origin of the phenomeno- context (without it being a mere pro- that phenomenology should be under- explored and understood through the logical movement. jection or a replication of the self) as Yet, this philosophical movement stood as: dialogues of narration, as will be dis-

interpreted by sensory engagement. was further developed by many other ... a discipline that puts es- cussed next. The essence of phenomenology theorists who followed a more ‘anti- sences back into experience. traditional’ style of thinking, i.e. Martin Figure 3.7: Intuitive drawing of the spa- Understanding the value of context As promising as this might sound, de- tial journey to the Fort (Author 2016) and the experiences related to inter- fining space and designing spatially Heidegger (1889-1976), who was con- It captures the intangible and seam-

action with both the architecture and in order to enrich human experience sidered as one of the pioneers of the lessly integrates sensory perception its surroundings, it is insightful to con- is not new. In fact, in the early 1920s phenomenological movement. It was whilst prioritising the dynamics of the sider the thinking of the phenomenol- Heidegger broadened his investigation a quest for finding a new ontology that human experience of the space we in-

ogists on the experience of space as of philosophical traditions, inspired by questions human existence and re- habit (Merleau-Ponty 1962:1). celebrated in the ‘essences’. the philosopher Edmund Husserl, who flects on the nature of elements with a more ‘mythopoeic’ approach. is known as the inspiration or possibly In his essay “The Origin of the work of the origin of the phenomenological Art”, Martin Heidegger elaborates that movement (Habib et al. the word ‘origin’ refers to the physical 2012:45). existence and meaning of something,

which is possibly found in the source Hermeneutic phenomenology of its essence. He further questions The realisation of ‘phenomenology’ as the origin of art in terms of reference a specific style of thinking could large - to the artwork or the artist; which one ly be credited to the groundwork of

comes first or are they both a result Edmund Husserl (1859-1938). Husserl of the origin or vice versa? (Heidegger was a German philosopher interested 1935:143) in the human perception of an embod-

ied experience and our consciousness of space (Merleau-Ponty 1962:2). As quoted by Merleau-Ponty (1962:4), Husserl referred to phenomenology as:

... a call to return to things themselves .

3.7 61 03/HERITAGE IN THEORY 62

3.4// HERITAGE NARRATION

In order to enable the continuity of col- African traditions have used the effort of exchange in order to accu- It is easier to change individu- This interaction is not only subject to lective heritage in support of the ex- method of storytelling for centuries to rately represent the collective memory als into storytellers than to oral stories but includes the perfor- testify about undocumented histori- of our South African heritage. mance of storytelling through multiple periential, the methodologies used for change society into one with a narration should also be considered cal events. In South Africa this tradi- culture of storytelling mediums of communication such as Contemporary storytelling has evolved music, dance, and digital and physi- for their value in heritage interpretation tion is valued for its contribution to Ryan (2008:72) into entertainment, where the story- cal display. Another possibility for and representation. our shared history and elevates the The act of genuine storytelling requires tellers often overshadow the story it- promoting the culture of storytelling voices of marginalised groups (Wieder the equal participation of the tellers Oral history self. Sadly, so much effort goes into might be to reconsider the act of story 2004:24). and the listeners, both with equal sta- Oral history is all about narration. It is the creation of the persona, the indi- sharing rather than storytelling. This tus and sharing their life experiences about giving lost cultural and historical Perhaps society still questions and un- vidual, the ego and the performance will encourage the participation of a (Ryan 2008:65). This collaborative ef- heritage a public voice and recogniz- and not enough into the storytelling wider community even further, and will derestimates the power of recollection fort encourages equal participation ing its value in order to have a deeper itself. What makes this problematic therefore enable a more accurate un- and reflection through this method of and replaces the inflated ego of the in- understanding of history. is that we tend to value the teller and derstanding of the collective memory storytelling, as it is based on subjec- dividual with integrated social transac- the telling more than the actual story of place, time and people. tive memory. In the early 1970s, oral tions that include the collective.

Oral histories reveal the nar- history was highly criticised for its lack itself. Ryan (2008:72) argues that this rator’s effort to make sense of of accuracy and credibility. There were phenomenon reinforces the idea that Figure 3.8: Exploration of theory to understand the potential of heritage narra- the past and to give a form to too many questions about nostalgia, society has lost interest in the act of tion (Author 2016) their new lives physical deterioration and the per- genuine storytelling.

Allesandro Portelli (1998:69) sonal bias of both the interviewer and interviewee (Thomson 2007:50). As part of South Africa’s transforma-

tion process, the ongoing contesta- This argument was soon turned tion and documentation of our cultural around by oral historians who be- lieved that the so called ‘unreliability of history plays a critical role in building the nation. Testimony as oral history memory’ was in fact its most valuable

is part of this process of recognizing asset. They argued that the subjec- past historical events which were det- tive memory leads to a more accurate rimental to those excluded from our relationship between the past and the

written history. present, between memory and identity, as well as between individual and collective stories (Thomson 2007:54). Wieder (2004:23) argues that testimony should be considered as a method Storytelling of analysing oral history as a changing Storytelling is an art dependent on and living process. This method is not equal participation. Apart from the only based on a process of reporting entertainment it brings, it has the po- on oral history through research, but tential to translate shared and indi- is largely founded on mutual trust and vidual values, traditions and history the relationships between people. into a new sense of identity (Banerjee 3.8 2008:148). For the purpose of this the- sis project, it is important to focus on 63 03/HERITAGE IN THEORY 64 the art of storytelling as a collaborative

Conclusion

Perhaps we need to reconsider the Perhaps architecture should also be importance of the way we understand, accountable for its ability to tell sto- interpret, display and celebrate infor- ries. We as architects carefully curate mation – visual or written. The under- spatial experiences based on our un- standing that there is more value in the derstanding and perceptions of indi-

way we interact with each other and vidual and collective experiences. We with our heritage is of great interest to use volume, materials and technology to narrate these experiences. But as this dissertation. mentioned earlier, it becomes prob- Storytelling is valued as a method lematic when the value of the story- of connecting, not only with differ- teller overshadows that of the actual ent generations or cultures but also story or, more importantly, the individ-

with global communities. Countless ual interpretation. international organizations are now dedicated to fostering cultural trans- In order to propose a new future value

formation through the process of sto- for the Westfort precinct, some of the rytelling. It is a method of reconnecting key drivers of the research exploration with place, with time and with people. should be emphasized:

Global storytelling has also proved to • To understand the importance of be a method of preserving and revital- securing a future value; izing the heritage of cultural commu- • To protect our collective heritage;

nities. Given the ideology of reciproc- • To appreciate the uniqueness of ity through storytelling, various global place; and storytelling projects have been suc- • To build towards a holistic and cessful in nurturing a new sense of en- continuous heritage experience.

gagement, especially in marginalised communities (Tossa 2012:196). Tossa (2012:194) fears that young children

today are deprived of local cultural heritage and therefore search for methods to inspire local pride through story sharing.

65 03/HERITAGE IN THEORY 66