THE PAST AROUND THE CORNER. URBAN ROUTE WITH TONO VIZCAÍNO

Urban space is a text that can be read from multiple points of view. One of the possible readings is that of the past and the ways in which it is perceived in the present. In our streets and squares, the past is not only evoked through heritage, but also through more contemporary languages. Thus, the name of an avenue, a bar sign, the emblems of street furniture, a shop window and even a graffiti give us clues about the imaginaries that today’s society constructs around the past.

In this activity we will walk through the streets around Bombas Gens in search of the uses of the past in urban space. It will be a day of teamwork where we will reflect on the role of the past and urban space in the construction of collective identities.

Tono Vizcaíno Estevan holds a degree in History and a PhD in Archaeology from Universitat de València. His field of specialisation is Public Archaeology, through which he studies the ways in which present-day society interacts with the past and heritage. He has applied this line of research in institutions such as the European Research Council, the Museum of Prehistory of Valencia and the Spanish Academy in Rome. He works in the field of heritage management and collective memories. He is a member of the Valencian Association of Anthropology.

Photo credits: Almudena Soullard