Reimagining Colonial History in the Built Environment

Reimagining Colonial History in the Built Environment

📅 Date: Thursday, 3 April 2025
⏰ Time: 10:30 AM – 5:15 PM
🎟 Free event | Lunch provided

About the Event

Over the past decade, there has been a growing movement to re-examine and challenge colonial history not just in museums but in the very fabric of our cities, streets, and buildings. Urban spaces have become key sites for confronting empire’s legacies and experimenting with post-colonial futures. Artists, architects, urban planners, writers, and digital creators are at the forefront of these efforts, reshaping how we understand and engage with the built environment.

This one-day workshop will bring together leading voices and innovative projects working to decolonise the urban landscape. Through a series of panel discussions, creative presentations, and a film screening, we will explore how memory, identity, and storytelling can shape our collective future. The event will also provide opportunities for collective reflection and discussion, inspiring new ideas and actions in the field.

Programme

🔹 10:30 – 11:00 | Welcome

🔹 11:00 – 12:30 | PANEL 1: Citywide Projects
Exploring citywide initiatives that challenge colonial memory and reshape urban narratives.

• Dekoloniale Memory Culture in the City – Anna Yeboah
• Exhibiting Decolonial City History: Unknown Sources and Contested Objects – Fabian Fechner & Barbara Schneider
• London Afropolitan: Rethinking the City’s Global Identity – Matthew Barac & Harriet McKay

🍽️ 12:30 – 1:30 | Lunch (provided for all attendees)

🔹 1:30 – 3:30 | PANEL 2: Worldmaking in Practice
How artists and architects are reclaiming colonial spaces and imagining new futures.

• Reclaiming Colonial Architecture – Tania Sengupta & Stuart King
• Artist in Residence: Percy Nii Nortey
• Artist in Residence: Theresa Weber

☕ 3:30 – 4:00 | Coffee Break

🔹 4:00 – 5:00 | PANEL 3: Re-visualising the City
A special film screening and presentation exploring identity, memory, and transformation in urban spaces.

• Film Screening: Who We Were; Who We Became (10 min)
• Presentation by Danae Wellington & Darshan Gajjar

🔹 5:00 – 5:15 | Concluding Thoughts

Why Attend?

• Engage with experts and creatives working at the intersection of history, architecture, and urban design.
• Discover groundbreaking projects that challenge colonial narratives in public spaces.
• Be part of critical discussions on decolonisation, memory, and identity.
• Network with like-minded individuals passionate about shaping inclusive urban futures.

📌 This event is free and open to all, but spaces are limited.
📩 Register now!