A ‘String Figure’ Perspective on Heritage Sites: Examining a Village, a Fishing Harbour and a Former Railway Area in Denmark

This paper will take its departure from research conducted by the author at Aarhus School of Architecture concerning the Danish heritage category ‘cultural environments’. This heritage category concerns heritage sites and incorporates both buildings, structures and landscapes. In other words; ‘cultural environments’ are built wholes. The research has focused on how to manage these sites in a sustainable manner and this has led to new insights into the connection between the intangible and tangible aspects. The paper will be based on this research, but further the discussion and reflection through the so-called ‘string figures’ described by professor Donna Haraway (Haraway, 2016). The paper will analyze three Danish heritage sites; a small village in the countryside, an historic fishing harbor in a small town and a
former railway area in the city centre and pair these places with the ‘string figure’ perspective as a method to deepen our understanding of the places. The connections between the different physical elements, natural elements, people and more-than-humans can provide a new understanding of what is important to care for within the historical site. Furthermore, the theory behind the ‘string figures’ outlines an approach to a more detailed narrative of the site which elaborates on the historical relevance and the deep meanings that the site contains. This way of understanding the many layered historical sites creates a direction for how to manage and care for the sites in the future. The historical buildings do not stand alone, and their cultural, historical relevance is often interconnected with the natural surroundings, along with plants and animals, and the people that have cared for the buildings through history and today. Donna Haraway’s ‘string figures’ show the importance of the connections, and not the isolated objects or buildings, which can create a new understanding of our heritage sites.