Part of the Immortalised Season
In 2018 Historic England invited proposals for new ways of remembering events, people and identities in the public realm. What will the monument of the future look like, and who or what should it remember?
The winners of our design competition as well as the names of their proposals have been announced.
Their full proposals were unveiled at the free Immortalised Exhibition, at the Workshop, Lambeth, London, from 30 August to 16 September 2018.
Background
Recent years have witnessed a profound shift in the way we think about monuments and memorials in public life. New statues have been created to honour previously overlooked historical figures, while campaigns to remove others have made headlines around the world. In the UK, who and how we remember is being debated with renewed urgency – a reflection of our changing political landscape and contested national identity.
Throughout 2018 Historic England – the public body responsible for protecting and interpreting England’s historic environment – ran a series of activities aimed at opening up this conversation to wider audiences.
We wanted to explore the different ways individuals, groups, and events have been commemorated in the public realm, and how this might be changing. In September, a temporary exhibition in London explored this theme, drawing out hidden and surprising stories of remembrance – past, present, and future.
About the Competition
This competition formed an integral part of the Immortalised season which aimed to encourage new thinking around the production, use and appearance of monuments and memorials in public life.
2018 was a particularly significant year for anniversaries in England, with events up and down the country commemorating the end of the First World War and the victory of the Votes for Women campaign.
New statues, plaques and memorials were planned to mark these important historical moments, helping bring to the surface previously overlooked stories and individuals.
In response - and recognising that artists, architects and designers have always played a key role in shaping our commemorative landscape - we wanted to explore alternative approaches to public memory in England.
Discover the list of winners of our design competition.
About us: Historic England
Historic England is the public body that helps people care for, enjoy and celebrate England’s spectacular historic environment.
We protect, champion and save the places that define who we are and where we’ve come from as a nation. We care passionately about the stories they tell, the ideas they represent and the people who live, work and play among them.
Working with communities and specialists we share our passion, knowledge and skills to inspire interest, care and conservation, so everyone can keep enjoying and looking after the history that surrounds us all.