Abstract
This paper focuses on the eight Parthenon sculpture fragments held in the British Museum that were not acquired from the British government in 1816 as part of the Elgin collection, and their potential to unlock alternative diplomacy in the broader Parthenon sculptures repatriation debate. Britain and Greece have failed to make any diplomatic progress to date, and the ‘Parthenon partnership’ mooted by the British Museum three years ago remains intangible to the public today; the territory is ripe for uninvited external input. The repatriation of cultural artefacts is a burning topic in the museum sector, and the Parthenon sculptures a globally iconic reference point of associated national conflict. The research is centred in the fields of politics, history / alternate history and cultural studies. It adopts museum and archive visits, critique and alternative scenario planning as the primary research methods. This has involved the study and re-interpretation of historical artefacts and related documents as well as broader policy and associated diplomacy. Otherwise under recognised, disparate, and seemingly insignificant narratives are consolidated and fore-fronted, creating new meaning and perspective. This informs a challenge to the otherwise monopolised and circular dialogue. The research partitions and gathers a tiny volume of Parthenon sculptures embedded in the British Museum as a new and valid means of accessing the greater whole. It sits in highly sensitive, speculative territory where the default response of the established protagonists is, no response.
Presenters
Colin HoldenProfessor, Architecture and Design, University for the Creative Arts, Kent, United Kingdom
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2026 Special Focus—The Future of Museum Narratives
KEYWORDS
PARTHENON, REPATRIATION, DIPLOMACY, NARRATIVES
