THE NARA DOCUMENT ON AUTHENTICITY
(1994)
Preamble
1. We, the experts assembled
in Nara (Japan), wish to acknowledge the generous spirit and intellectual
courage of the Japanese authorities in providing a timely forum
in which we could challenge conventional thinking in the conservation
field, and debate ways and means of broadening our horizons to bring
greater respect for cultural and heritage diversity to conservation
practice.
2. We also wish to acknowledge
the value of the framework for discussion provided by the World
Heritage Committee's desire to apply the test of authenticity in
ways which accord full respect to the social and cultural values
of all societies, in examining the outstanding universal value of
cultural properties proposed for the World Heritage List.
3. The Nara Document
on Authenticity is conceived in the spirit of the Charter of Venice,
1964, and builds on it and extends it in response to the expanding
scope of cultural heritage concerns and interests in our contemporary
world.
4. In a world that is
increasingly subject to the forces of globalization and homogenization,
and in a world in which the search for cultural identity is sometimes
pursued through aggressive nationalism and the suppression of the
cultures of minorities, the essential contribution made by the consideration
of authenticity in conservation practice is to clarify and illuminate
the collective memory of humanity.
Cultural
Diversity and Heritage Diversity
5. The diversity of cultures and heritage in our world is an irreplaceable
source of spiritual and intellectual richness for all humankind.
The protection and enhancement of cultural and heritage diversity
in our world should be actively promoted as an essential aspect
of human development.
6. Cultural heritage
diversity exists in time and space, and demands respect for other
cultures and all aspects of their belief systems. In cases where
cultural values appear to be in conflict, respect for cultural diversity
demands acknowledgment of the legitimacy of the cultural values
of all parties.
7. All cultures and societies
are rooted in the particular forms and means of tangible and intangible
expression which constitute their heritage, and these should be
respected.
8. It is important to
underline a fundamental principle of UNESCO, to the effect that
the cultural heritage of each is the cultural heritage of all. Responsibility
for cultural heritage and the management of it belongs, in the first
place, to the cultural community that has generated it, and subsequently
to that which cares for it. However, in addition to these responsibilities,
adherence to the international charters and conventions developed
for conservation of cultural heritage also obliges consideration
of the principles and responsibilities flowing from them. Balancing
their own requirements with those of other cultural communities
is, for each community, highly desirable, provided achieving this
balance does not undermine their fundamental cultural values.
Values
and authenticity
9. Conservation of cultural
heritage in all its forms and historical periods is rooted in the
values attributed to the heritage. Our ability to understand these
values depends, in part, on the degree to which information sources
about these values may be understood as credible or truthful. Knowledge
and understanding of these sources of information, in relation to
original and subsequent characteristics of the cultural heritage,
and their meaning, is a requisite basis for assessing all aspects
of authenticity.
10. Authenticity, considered
in this way and affirmed in the Charter of Venice, appears as the
essential qualifying factor concerning values. The understanding
of authenticity plays a fundamental role in all scientific studies
of the cultural heritage, in conservation and restoration planning,
as well as within the inscription procedures used for the World
Heritage Convention and other cultural heritage inventories.
11. All judgements about
values attributed to cultural properties as well as the credibility
of related information sources may differ from culture to culture,
and even within the same culture. It is thus not possible to base
judgements of values and authenticity within fixed criteria. On
the contrary, the respect due to all cultures requires that heritage
properties must considered and judged within the cultural contexts
to which they belong.
12. Therefore, it is
of the highest importance and urgency that, within each culture,
recognition be accorded to the specific nature of its heritage values
and the credibility and truthfulness of related information sources.
13. Depending on the
nature of the cultural heritage, its cultural context, and its evolution
through time, authenticity judgements may be linked to the worth
of a great variety of sources of information. Aspects of the sources
may include form and design, materials and substance, use and function,
traditions and techniques, location and setting, and spirit and
feeling, and other internal and external factors. The use of these
sources permits elaboration of the specific artistic, historic,
social, and scientific dimensions of the cultural heritage being
examined.
Appendix 1
Suggestions for follow-up
(proposed by H. Stovel)
1. Respect for cultural
and heritage diversity requires conscious efforts to avoid imposing
mechanistic formulae or standardized procedures in attempting to
define or determine authenticity of particular monuments and sites.
2. Efforts to determine authenticity in a manner respectful of cultures
and heritage diversity requires approaches which encourage cultures
to develop analytical processes and tools specific to their nature
and needs. Such approaches may have several aspects in common:
- efforts to ensure assessment of authenticity involve multidisciplinary
collaboration and the appropriate utilisation of all available expertise
and knowledge;
- efforts to ensure attributed values are truly representative of
a culture and the diversity of its interests, in particular monuments
and sites;
- efforts to document clearly the particular nature of authenticity
for monuments and sites as a practical guide to future treatment
and monitoring;
- efforts to update authenticity assessments in light of changing
values and circumstances.
3. Particularly important are efforts to ensure that attributed
values are respected, and that their determination included efforts
to build, ad far as possible, a multidisciplinary and community
consensus concerning these values.
4. Approaches should also build on and facilitate international
co-operation among all those with an interest in conservation of
cultural heritage, in order to improve global respect and understanding
for the diverse expressions and values of each culture.
5. Continuation and extension of this dialogue to the various regions
and cultures of the world is a prerequisite to increasing the practical
value of consideration of authenticity in the conservation of the
common heritage of humankind..
6. Increasing awareness within the public of this fundamental dimension
of heritage is an absolute necessity in order to arrive at concrete
measures for safeguarding the vestiges of the past. This means developing
greater understanding of the values represented by the cultural
properties themselves, as well as respecting the role such monuments
and sites play in contemporary society.
Appendix II
Definitions
Conservation: all efforts designed to understand
cultural heritage, know its history and meaning, ensure its material
safeguard and, as required, its presentation, restoration and enhancement.
(Cultural heritage is understood to include monuments, groups of
buildings and sites of cultural value as defined in article one
of the World Heritage Convention).
Information
sources: all material, written, oral and figurative sources
which make it possible to know the nature, specifications, meaning
and history of the cultural heritage.
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The Nara Document on Authenticity was drafted
by the 45 participants at the Nara Conference on Authenticity in
Relation to the World Heritage Convention, held at Nara, Japan,
from 1-6 November 1994, at the invitation of the Agency for Cultural
Affairs (Government of Japan) and the Nara Prefecture. The Agency
organized the Nara Conference in cooperation with UNESCO, ICCROM
and ICOMOS.
This final version of the Nara Document has been edited by the general
rapporteurs of the Nara Conference, Mr. Raymond Lemaire and Mr.
Herb Stovel.
