The unique logo for Mackay Strategic presents an image from this painting: ‘Lake Mackay or Waiakoo’ by Indigenous artist Zakius Tjakamarra Jack from the Haaststs Bluff community in the Western Desert. Lake Mackay is also known as ‘Wilkinkarra’. The painting depicts the time when a bushfire came from the east and turned the land into ‘Mackay’!

Zakius began painting in mid-2008. He is the youngest son of renowned Ikuntji artists, the late Gideon Tjururrula Jack and Eunice Napanangka Jack. As an emerging young male Ikuntji artist, Zakius began painting his Father’s country of Wilkinkarra in mid-2008. In this work he simply and elegantly depicts the lake as his late Father (Gideon Jack) did during his years painting at Hassts Bluff and Kintore. Zakius has already featured in a number of exhibitions and is represented in galleries in Australia and France.

Designers Erica Powell and Sally Woellner from Agency have extracted an evocative and meaningful part of the image to depict an iconic representation of the painting, while preserving  the original, hand-made artistic character in a recognisable brand mark with a bold personality. The logo retains the dot painting technique in the edges of the design, offering authentic character and personality.

I am very grateful to Zakius Tjakamarra Jack and to Dr Chrischona Schmidt, Manager, Ikuntji Artists for permission to use this wonderful work.

You can see more of the work of this artist and the Haasts Bluff community at: http://ikuntji.com.au

The Image embodies traditional knowledge of the Ikuntji/Haasts Bluff community. It was created with the consent of the custodians of the community. Dealing with any part of it for any purpose that has not been authorised by the custodians would be a serious breach of the customary laws of the Ikuntji/Haasts Bluff community, and may also breach the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth).

For enquiries about this and other permitted reproduction and use of the Image, please contact Ikuntji Artists Aboriginal Corporation: fineart@ikuntji.com.au

In February 2017 the Getty Conservation Institute convened a special symposium, at the Getty Center, in Los Angeles,  about values in heritage management, bringing together a diverse range of practitioners from around the world. The symposium looked at emerging trends and different cultural contexts and practices, in light of the previous work of the GCI in this area in the 1990s.

The symposium was developed in collaboration with Erica Avrami of Colombia University and Randall Mason from the University of Pennsylvania, who were both involved in the GCI’s previous value-based heritage management work. The aim was to review how values-based management has been applied and has influenced heritage practice, as well as to identify new challenges and trends.

Symposium participants examined issues such as understanding and managing tangible and intangible attributes, values in non-Western cultures, economics and conflict. Prof Richard Mackay presented an overview of the evolution of the Burra Charter of Australia ICOMOS and presented a case studies about, Luna Park, The BIG DIG site in Sydney’s historic Rocks precinct and the ‘Willowdale’ land development project, in southwestern Sydney,  where subdivision design has been informed by consultation with Traditional Owners and  an understanding of Indigenous heritage values.

Getty Publications will publish a volume resulting from the symposium and the work of the experts who were present in 2019. Read more in Conservation Perspectives – The GCI Newsletter Spring 2017.

The second regional conference of the Organisation of World Heritage Cities – Asia Pacific was hosted by the City of Gyeongju, Korea, between 5 and 7 October, under the theme of ‘Heritage and Community’.

The Gyeongju Historic Areas property was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2000. Delegates to the regional conference were able to experience outstanding 7^th to 10^th Century Korean Buddhist art, including sculptures, reliefs, pagodas, and the remains of temples and palaces from the of Silla dynasty.

Richard Mackay presented a scene-setting keynote address to a workshop of experts, highlighting why community engagement is a requirement for World Heritage Cities under international statutes and guidelines and observing that local people are more than mere stakeholders – they have rights to use and enjoy their place and to share in the benefits that arise from the tourism that is based on their culture.

Despite some disruption from an unexpected and uninvited guest – Typhoon Chaba – around 20  mayors and officials participated in the meeting discussions, considered informative case studies and enjoyed cultural performances. Richard Mackay moderated expert panel discussions and facilitated the final reflective outcomes session.

This regional meeting devised draft principles for community engagement in a World Heritage City context and is an important precursor to the World Congress of World Heritage Cities which will also occur in Gyeongju in late 2017.

Richard Mackay recently presented a public lecture in Yangon for the Association of Myanmar Architects. The well-attended talk outlined arrangements for managing and conserving cultural heritage at Angkor, Cambodia, under the Heritage Management Framework prepared by GML Heritage between 2010 and 2014, under the auspices of the Australian and Cambodian Governments and UNESCO.

The presentation focused particularly on the Angor Tourism Management Plan, highlighting how it is possible to improve visitor experiences, while reducing site impacts and providing benefits for local people. Richard also demonstrated the interactive Risk Map that records and provides easy access to key data about the Angkor World Heritage site, to facilitate well-informed decision making.

The presentation was very timely and relevant, in view of the current circumstances of the ancient city of Bagan, which suffered a severe earthquake earlier this year Bagan is also likely to be the subject of a future nomination to the World Heritage List, which may result in significant increase in tourist numbers.

While in Myanmar, Richard visited Bagan and discussed heritage management and tourism with UNESCO colleagues, and  inspected some of the major colonial buildings in Yangon, courtesy of the Yangon Heritage Trust, which a has recently launched its Heritage Strategy for the conservation and development of Old Yangon.