Scottish independence – heritage and the nation state

Scotland votes today. As everyone realizes, whether it is yes or no, independence or union, the nation state and body politic in Britain have changed. And the changes have been coming for quite a while. Is this all about nationalism? There has been little reference in the reporting I’ve followed to the old components of…

ruins – thoughts on the aesthetic

An exhibition currently at the Tate in London is exploring British images of ruin since the 18th century. Ruin Lust, an exhibition at Tate Britain from 4 March 2014, offers a guide to the mournful, thrilling, comic and perverse uses of ruins in art from the seventeenth century to the present day. The exhibition is…

Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

Yesterday The Revs Program was at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance – one of the greatest car shows in the world [Link] Some of our students attended the show as judges to award The Revs Prize for the most historically significant car in the show – a 1963 Porsche 901 prototype belonging to Don and Diane…

heritage – men from the ministry

In my talk a couple of weeks ago at the HVA (Historic vehicle Association of America) summit on automotive heritage I warned of some of the political tensions in the field of heritage [Link] Just whose heritage is to be cherished? Are governments going to regulate and how? We considered how the treatment of historic…