Deniz Beck has been elected as a trustee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS-UK), the largest international organisation of its kind with over 10,500 members in over 150 countries. She will work on increasing awareness of ICOMOS-UK and issues of cultural heritage within academia, in particular first year architecture students, and people at the beginning of their career, and coordinating with the Emerging Professionals Working Group to shape and inform their journey to maintain the scientific relevance of ICOMOS for future generations. She says ‘I am a strong believer in the importance of protecting cultural heritage and diversity through tourism – ‘every tourist must be a custodian of world heritage’ – but also the encouragement of community enterprise as part of regeneration initiatives to avoid gentrification and disappearance of local communities in favour of the ‘touristic historic city’ (UN Sustainable Development Goals).
'The wealth of Victorian fortifications in UK coastal cities has huge potential for such sustainable development and I would pursue this work further afield in places with similar financial and socioeconomic concerns and those where the Royal Navy has held a historic presence – St Helena, Gibraltar, India etc. I believe engaging visitors to contribute to a shared experience that supports heritage conservation is essential for both community and individual well-being.’
This photo is taken from a recent ICOMOS International Day for Monuments and Sites with a theme of ‘greater inclusion and recognition of diversity’ celebration which also marked the official launch of Sustainable Conservation Trust where local artist donated their time to produce art in Hotwalls Studios.
