Magical Realities: Staged authenticity and the Haida People of Canada

Dr Jane Lovell (Canterbury Christ Church University) - This seminar presentation will explore the issues surrounding staged authenticity in relation to the Haida People of the Pacific North West Coast of Canada. More broadly, Dr Lovell’s research focuses on authentic and inauthentic places and her areas of interest include heritage cities, sites and performativity, urban gentrification, hyperreal light shows, visual methodologies and film locations. She is especially interested in devising innovative ways of interpreting and reinventing heritage, and her projects include the Cathédrales de Lumière project, staging large-scale light shows at the cathedrals of Amiens, Rouen Canterbury and Rochester. Her book Authentic and Inauthentic Tourist Places: Heritage, Theming, Gentrification and Nostalgia, co-authored with Dr Chris Bull, is due to be published later this year.

Jane Lovell is a Senior Lecturer in Tourism and Events at Canterbury Christ Church University. Her teaching specialisms include heritage site and creative destination management. Jane gained expertise in arts development working at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. A position as Tourism Development Officer at Canterbury City Council involved balancing the needs of a district which includes a World Heritage Site, a cathedral city, two very different seaside resorts and rural areas.