The making and unmaking of heritage

Heritage is defined by history which is by nature multi layered. The passage of time and the perspectives it affords, enables and even necessitates constant reexamination and reinterpretation of history. What effect do changes in historical perspective then have upon the definition of heritage which relies on an understanding of its history? The present paper attempts to engage with the notion of heritage, criteria of its definition, and the mutable nature of such designations with specific reference to architectural constructions and historical cities that enjoy or have enjoyed in the past the status of a ‘World Heritage Site’. Examples such as the Louvre museum in Paris or the King’s Cross station in London make an interesting study as they not only allow insight into the past but reflect the changes and adaptation over a period of time. Multiple alterations, some very recently, have modified them extensively since the time they were accorded the ‘World Heritage Site’ status. The above examples are contrasted by sites ridden with conflict such as the Bamiyan Valley. This site has been placed under the ‘World Heritage In Danger’ list by UNESCO taking into account the destruction of the Buddha statues in the region. The act of vandalism itself has had dual implications. While causing an irreparable loss to mankind of its heritage, it also serves as an effective symbol of religious fanaticism that is a pressing concern of our times. The paper then moves on to explore the case of Dresden which lost its ‘World Heritage’ status with the construction of the Waldschlösschen Bridge. This is a particularly interesting case because with the absolute destruction of the city during the Second World War, it was necessary to reconstruct the historical city while simultaneously acknowledging and addressing the modern day requirements. During the reconstruction, with the readaptation of the spaces, it was almost impossible to replicate the original architectural program or to undertake such a large reconstruction project employing only the traditional techniques and materials. This essentially made it a new city constructed in the image of the old. The recent necessity of a growing city was met by the construction of a bridge that has caused it to lose its ‘World Heritage’ status. Finally, this paper endeavours to foster discussion of questions central to the definition of heritage such as what happens when we have to adapt a living space to avoid its deterioration and descent into dereliction by overuse. Does it necessarily lose its historical value? What exactly is Historical value?.

Diketonylpyridinium cations as a support of new ionic liquid crystals and ion-conductive materials: analysis of counter-ion effects

Ionic liquid crystals (ILCs) allow the combination of the high ionic conductivity of ionic liquids (ILs) with the supramolecular organization of liquid crystals (LCs). ILCs salts were obtained by the assembly of long-chained diketonylpyridinium cations of the type [HOO^(R(n)pyH)] + and BF_(4)^(-) , ReO_(4)^(-), NO_(3)^(-), CF_(3)SO_(3)^(-), CuCl_(4)^(2-) counter-ions. We have studied the thermal behavior of five series of compounds by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and hot stage polarized light optical microscopy (POM). All materials show thermotropic mesomorphism as well as crystalline polymorphism. X-ray diffraction of the [HOO^(R(12)pyH)][ReO_(4)] crystal reveals a layered structure with alternating polar and apolar sublayers. The mesophases also exhibit a lamellar arrangement detected by variable temperature powder X-ray diffraction. The CuCl_(4)^(2-) salts exhibit the best LC properties followed by the ReO_(4)^(-) ones due to low melting temperature and wide range of existence. The conductivity was probed for the mesophases in one species each from the ReO_(4)^(-) , and CuCl_(4)^(2-) families, and for the solid phase in one of the non-mesomorphic Cl^(-) salts. The highest ionic conductivity was found for the smectic mesophase of the ReO_(4)^(-) containing salt, whereas the solid phases of all salts were dominated by electronic contributions. The ionic conductivity may be favored by the mesophase lamellar structure.