SEEKING LOST MEMORIES: APPLICATION OF A NEW VISUAL METHODOLOGY FOR HERITAGE PROTECTION

Abstract

A society’s cultural heritage is its inheritance of physical artifacts and intangible attributes, and their maintenance, protection, and continuation for future generations. The meaning of cultural heritage is, however, constantly changing in light of globalization and rapid urbanization. To better understand interactions between people and cultural heritage in daily life, and return cultural heritage to its sense of “place,” we present a visual methodology for heritage protection. Considering the Guangzhou overseas-Chinese community (OCC) as a case study, we apply pictorial assessment, eye-tracking, and interview methods to identify meanings of a returned overseas-Chinese inhabited area. Proposing a hybrid visual method, we aim to focus on the public’s interpretation of cultural heritage with regard to safeguarding it. Results indicate that the cultural heritage of the overseas-Chinese site has weakened over time due to its increasing importance as a metropolitan area. In accordance with our results, this paper offers insights for protection measures with a focus on architectural details, activities, and publicities. From the perspective of “neural turn,” we also propose a new method for cultural heritage protection that can effectively answer non-representational geographical questions and discuss cultural heritage protection in a fluid, embodied, and abstract context.