Abstract | The York Street vaults form the southern periphery of the Roman Baths, located within the wider World Heritage Site of the city of Bath itself. A long-term study of these vaults have highlighted tensions within contemporary notions of heritage and authenticity; further, the use of art-based practices focusing on light installation and film have attempted to re-present these spaces. The study also explores “symmetrical archaeology” (the notion that the past and present co-exist in a complex but equal relationship) and considers “essentialism” - the manner in which inanimate objects/spaces can be invested with meaning and invisible qualities. |
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