‘OUR PAST, OUR FUTURE’ WORLD HERITAGE PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION OPENS TODAY AT UN HEADQUARTERS

Note to Correspondents

‘OUR PAST, OUR FUTURE’ WORLD HERITAGE PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION

OPENS TODAY AT UN HEADQUARTERS

As part of the thirtieth anniversary celebration of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Convention, an exhibition of large-scale, colour photographs of UNESCO World Heritage sites is opening today in the Visitors’ Lobby at United Nations Headquarters.  Entitled “World Heritage:  Our Past, Our Future”, the exhibit contains images ranging from a stormy sky over Venice and its Lagoon to the bustling marketplace outside the Medina of Marrakech in Morocco to a towering mountain of ice in Los Glaciares, Argentina.

One of UNESCO's goals is to raise international awareness of the necessity of safeguarding the richness and diversity of our heritage by using images and, in particular, photography, which provides a visual record of our history.  Every country possesses sites of local or national interest, which are a source of national pride.  The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage encourages countries to identify and protect these sites, regardless of whether they are inscribed on the World Heritage List.  The sites that are nominated for inclusion on the list are chosen for their unique qualities and for being the best examples of our cultural and natural heritage.

The photographers chosen for this exhibition have succeeded in capturing the awe that World Heritage sites inspire -- the amazement that the beauty, diversity and ingenuity of our world's outstanding natural and cultural heritage instils.  Their photographs also remind us of the fragility of our planet and the urgency of protecting these sites in order to ensure that they will continue to enchant future generations.

UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura inaugurated the exhibition at the Palazzo Zerzi in Venice, Italy on 16 November 2002, as part of the International Congress “World Heritage 2002” for the thirtieth anniversary of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.  After Venice, the exhibition was on display in December 2002 at United Nations Headquarters in New York during its General Assembly and as part of the closing ceremony for the United Nations Year for Cultural Heritage.

The exhibition has been organized with the collaboration of the United Nations Department of Public Information and with the support of the Government of Japan, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Marianna Vardinoyannis and World Monuments Fund - France.

“The Leaning Tower:  Ten Years of Restoration”, an exhibit documenting the decade-long “correction” of the world-famous Bell Tower in Pisa, Italy, a World Heritage site, is also on display in the Visitors’ Lobby of United Nations Headquarters.  The restoration process for the Leaning Tower of Pisa used a variety of daring techniques to essentially “remove” hundreds of years worth of gravitational pull on the Tower, without damaging the structure or removing its famous lean altogether.  The result is an engineering and artistic feat that will enable visitors from around the world to enjoy the structure for hundreds of years to come.

Complementing these exhibits and reflecting the art and culture, nature and landscape of the Caribbean are paintings by the Jamaican artist Lloyd Weston.

For more information on UNESCO’s World Heritage programme, please visit the following Web site: http://whc.unesco.org.  For further information on exhibitions at United Nations Headquarters, please visit the following Web site: http://un.org/events/UNART or, for a current schedule, call: (212) 963-TOUR (8687).

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