Heritage at risk: a global perspective
Marking the 60th anniversary of ICOMOS through the lens of our first international photographic competition: a celebration and reflection
ICOMOS-UK’s Summer Event this year focuses on ‘Heritage at Risk: A Global Perspective’.
It highlights the entries to the first ICOMOS-UK Photography Competition, which aimed to raise awareness of one of the most critical aspects of the work of ICOMOS over the last 60 years: to support the identification and protection of vulnerable heritage sites around the world, in the face of environmental threats, conflict, neglect, or socio-political challenges.
The event will include a lecture, a display of the shortlisted entries for the Photography Competition, and a informal drinks reception.
The Photography Competition received over 100 entries, showcasing extraordinary talent and dedication to preserving cultural memory through visual storytelling. Entries highlighted the fragility, beauty, and significance of cultural heritage, from renowned monuments to lesser-known structures and fragments. Through the competition, the work of our judges, and countless others around the world, we can understand and appreciate photography as art, record, evidence and memorial; as a way of sharing, and of holding to account.
The evening is an opportunity to reflect on these images and the stories they represent.
About the Speaker: Dr William Megarry
One such story told through these images is the impact of climate change and its many repercussions for people and place.
Our guest speaker, Dr William Megarry, will consider some of the many intersections between climate change and cultural heritage. He firmly believes in the power of heritage as an enabler for meaningful and sustainable climate action. An archaeologist by background, he is currently a focal point for climate change at the International Council of Monuments and Sites and head of its Climate Action Working Group. He teaches at Queen’s University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and is a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London and the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.
ICOMOS-UK Photography Competition
This was the first photography award organised by the ICOMOS-UK, overseen by its Development Committee and its chair, Deniz Beck. Entries were reviewed by the Committee and by Paul Gonella and Professor Dr Zeynep Gül Ünal. Our judges bought their considerable expertise to this process
Paul is a published and exhibited photographer, filmmaker, and educator based in Southsea, Portsmouth. With over 14 years of professional experience, he has worked globally, capturing compelling images and sharing his passion for photography and film. Gonella has collaborated with commercial brands, charities, and communities and taught thousands of aspiring photographers from different age groups and backgrounds.
Zeynep is a leading expert in cultural heritage conservation and disaster risk management. She is a professor at Yıldız Technical University and President of the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Risk Preparedness (ICORP). Her global work focuses on safeguarding heritage in disaster- and conflict-affected areas. She leads the ICORP ‘On the Road Project’, documenting community recovery efforts and producing powerful films and exhibitions. Ünal is also a member of the GEA Urban Search and Rescue Group, contributing her unique blend of emergency response and heritage conservation expertise to humanitarian missions.