Invisible Reconstruction Conference

In another year when we have all been living with disasters of one sort or another, perhaps it is a good time to reassess how to deal with their societal impact. What does it really mean to reconstruct after a natural, biological or man-made disaster? Is the repair and reinstatement of buildings and infrastructure sufficient without the mending of social fabric? 

The conference will examine communicating, understanding and living with risk, and how to reduce the disproportionate impact of disaster on the vulnerable. It will look at how art can help rebuild and reconnect communities and how cultural heritage can be a motor for economic recovery. In the global disaster of the pandemic, contributors will talk about how to run museums and libraries when no one can visit. 

Schools, universities and museums are key to community cohesion and societal resilience, yet their importance is often forgotten in disaster response. The conference will look at how the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed fragilities at the different stages of the educational process, and highlighted the vulnerability  of the educators themselves as well as  the importance of maintaining physical contact to preserve psychological well being.

Registration for the conference is open at www.invisiblereconstruction.com/register.php 

The conference has been organised with the help of a UCL Global Engagement Grant and is a collaboration between University College London, DMuch - The Institute of Disaster Mitigation for Urban Cultural Heritage at Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, and the Universities of L’Aquila and Sassari in Italy.