Biennale of Industrial Traces: Conference on the topic of Industrial Heritage

Prague, April 18 - A professional conference titled "Industrial Heritage as a Cultural Potential for Sustainable Development" will be one of the key program components of the 4th International Biennale "Industrial Traces". The conference will take place from September 19 to 20, 2007, at the premises of the Old Wastewater Treatment Plant of the Eco-Technical Museum in Prague. The conference, which will be attended by about 150 leading experts and interested parties from the Czech Republic and abroad, will be opened by a lecture on the topic "Meanings and metaphors: immortalising the great age of industry" by Sir Neil Cossons, a pioneer in the field working at the influential British organization English Heritage. The head of the department of industrial archaeology, Keith Falconer, will also represent the same institution. "It's great that these two experts of global renown will be coming to Prague to give lectures at a time when there is immense interest in industrial buildings among the lay public, architects, and developers," says Benjamin Fragner, director of the Research Center for Industrial Heritage at CTU, which co-organizes the Industrial Traces (www.industrialnistopy.cz).

The conference program is divided into four thematic blocks featuring lectures, submitted contributions, and presentations. The organizers reflect current issues, such as the meaning of preserving industrial heritage, sustainable development of settlements and landscapes, new roles and uses of industrial buildings, and the role of state and private institutions in this process, through the composition of speakers and topics. The official languages of the conference are Czech and English. Simultaneous translation will be provided.

Excursions in Prague, Kladno, and Liberec are arranged for conference participants and partly for the general public. The organizers also offer a two-day optional trip to Ostrava combined with a separate conference and visits to industrial heritage examples. Registration forms are available at www.industrialnistopy.s-m-art.com. The deadline for submission of applications is July 31, and the participation fee for both days of the conference is 1,785 CZK.

 "The ambitions of the biennale include mapping the situation of industrial heritage not only in one location. We want to show the situation throughout the Czech Republic and present it in the context of similar efforts worldwide. Therefore, this year we anticipate significant participation from foreign guests and an emphasis on showcasing international examples. This experience is also an important motive for transforming the public's relationship with the theme of industrial heritage, which is alive and urgent also in the cities involved in the project in 2007," explains Benjamin Fragner the reason why the Biennale has expanded this year from Prague and Kladno to include Liberec and Ostrava.

Participants of the conference will gain, among other things, a new and in many respects unique perspective on the state of Czech industrial architecture. Industrial heritage is presented at the Biennale not only as a potential for commercial use (development) but also as a space for self-reflection and a place for the realization of new artistic forms.

Thematic blocks of the conference:

• Transforming value criteria: culture, economy, and politics. Areas and objects of vanished industry as crystallization points for urbanization, sustainable development of settlements and landscapes (agreement and conflict of interests among different professions).
• The meaning and weight of institutions (governmental, non-governmental, universities, interest groups), their roles and limits in the identification, evaluation, new use /adaptive reuse/ and advocacy for the preservation of industrial heritage.
• Integration within the European Union - connecting cultural industrial routes. (Compatibility of recording and evaluating industrial heritage objects as aims of alternative tourism; information systems and databases for emerging projects.)
• Industrial heritage as a space for self-reflection, a place for creation and new artistic experiences.

Until May 15, 2007, those interested in active participation in the conference can still apply. Abstracts of contributions up to 200 words should be sent to fragner@vc.cvut.cz, and it is also necessary to fill out a registration form on the website. Details are available at www.industrialnistopy.cz.

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The Biennale Industrial Traces presents a cycle of conferences, exhibitions, and cultural events focused on the possibilities and pitfalls of converting industrial objects and pathways of new uses for brownfields. Since its first year in 2001, the biennale has served as a vibrant platform for exchanging views among people from various professions and raising awareness of the topic of industrial architecture and its use among the general public. Experts from both the Czech Republic and abroad meet here, including university educators, architects, urban planners, heritage conservationists, representatives of state administration and professional companies. Representatives of artistic professions such as set designers or visual artists and musicians also participate in the discussions.

The aim of the biennale is to draw attention to places that remain unnoticed yet represent important cultural and architectural artifacts of Czech industrial heritage. The results of the work by organizations and institutions engaged in this topic are made visible in a popular form. At the same time, attention is drawn to places that can be attractive tourist destinations.

The Biennale Industrial Traces is organized as part of the celebrations of the 300th anniversary of the foundation of CTU by the Research Center for Industrial Heritage of CTU and the College for Technical Monuments of CKAIT & ČSSI in cooperation with the Czech National Committee of ICOMOS, the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, the Czechinvest agency for business and investment support, the National Heritage Institute, and the National Technical Museum. Individual events are organized in cooperation with the City of Prague and the statutory cities of Kladno, Liberec, and Ostrava. The event is supported by the Visegrad Fund. The patronage of the 4th Biennale has been assumed by the Chairman of the Senate of the Czech Republic and the President of the Czech Chamber of Commerce.