Lincoln is one of the world’s great small cities, renowned for its striking fusion of old and new.
Living in Lincoln for 1 and half years I have never explored and discovered the true identity that hides behind the bricks and water. The design and culture of this city expresses the historical features and the contemporary/modern buildings that we see today, eg. The University Of Lincoln.
(^^^Picture of The University of Lincoln^^^)
Is the city losing its identity Maybe it doesn’t quite know where it belongs, is it the past,present or heading towards the future? or can it work with both? Which being the old and the new.
Discovering Lincoln, has enabled me to discover the clear divide between the past and present. We had to discover the architecture and the smaller details of Lincoln and this made me discover the new and the old contrast with one another. When you go to the town centre, your purpose is to go there for shopping, or food etc so you never take any notice of the buildings that you are passing or are in, such as the cafe that is opposite the Waterside shopping centre, doing this exercise ,it help me become aware of the historical and contemporary content that the town centre holds as a city.
Finding the strong link between Lincoln city and both, The Usher Gallery and The Collection, the divide between the old and the new has a big effect on the society The collection, taking the educational (factual) modern approach to the members of the public, where as the Usher gallery takes the more mature approach to the members of the public allowing people to interpretate the art, rather than being told the facts of the piece.
The feeling between the old and the new creates a sense of division between members of the public. This is why the Museum caters for the younger generation (The collection) and the more mature generation (The Usher Gallery.) Discovering Lincoln I believe that this is because of the clear separation between the old and the new and it highlights this in the museum.
Lincoln is a changing city trapped in the historical content of the city. It’s constantly developing, with The University Of Lincoln, Wagamamas ( restaurant) being on the Brayford pool, what is the next new thing to be built in this old, historical city?
Will the City lose its identity or will it emphasize the crucial historical features of this beautiful city?
YOU DECIDE…
Absolutely agree with you Steph, very interesting and beautiful city that the Museum has reflected in both the Collection and the Usher gallery creating a genuine and honest reflection of Lincoln. The contrast between the two buildings being The usher gallery and The Collection is similar to the Lincoln , which attracts different members of the public creating a diverse city.
I absolutley agree with you Steph, it would be interesting to see what the older generation think about the moderninsing city. There interpretation and opinions will no doubt differ from what we think about Lincoln. This situation is very much similar to the situation when viewing an exhibition, you interpretate the piece and have your own personal view. Responses from members of the public would be highly useful for our group performance, analysing and criticising the painting that we are focussing on.
I don’t think Lincoln will lose its identity, even though, as you have stated Jess, it is constantly changing. History can never be erased and this is firmly planted in any city’s identity. Walking up steep hill, one can imagine what it use to be like with the evidence of the past that still remains, such as the old buildings and the cobbled roads and pavements. It is amazing when you stop and think that this is juxtaposed along the high street with modern shops and nightclubs!
I think you can definately appreciate both aspects of the modern and historic, even though you state how this old and new creates a division between members of the public. Perhaps this division is caused by different generations- are the older generations of Lincoln totally against the modernism of such a historical city, because of their upbringing or because of the problems that modernism brings?
Whatever happens, Lincoln will always retain its historical features, and it is such a beautiful city that when you really stop and look, you will always notice something you’d never seen before.