Beneath the rubble, the Crystal Palace! The surprising persistence of a temporary mega event

Abstract

This paper considers the archaeological traces of some of the largest temporary gatherings imaginable: modern cultural mega events such as World's Fairs, Expositions and Olympic Games. Focusing specifically on what is widely accepted as the 'first' such event, The Great Exhibition of 1851, its aftermath and the rebuilding of its host structure, the Crystal Palace, the author investigates how mega events' archaeological traces can provide alternative accounts of the history of temporary spectacles. The author also highlights how an event sometimes becomes conflated with its structure, showing how the Crystal Palace's materials persisted long after the original gathering was over. Even after event sites take on radically different uses or their structures are moved, altered or totally destroyed, their scant traces can still inspire a desire for resurrection.

Counter-archives as heritage justice: photography, invisible labor and peopled ruins

“…In concluding, we argue that archaeological sites, and indeed archives and museums, could become places where multiple pasts, presents and futures intertwine, but where there is also space for recognizing the pain and trauma accompanying processes that result in archival exclusions. This focus is akin to the valorization of ‘rubble’ as a source in its own right in archaeological research (Gardner, 2018). 8 It is a focus that calls attention to the significance of capturing ‘trajectories’ contained in the life-histories of objects and sites (Joyce and Gillespie, 2015).…”

Managing a shower of silver: Accounting, control and audit at the Great Exhibition, 1851

“…This was the first 'universal' exhibition. Several of its features were emulated at a host of subsequent cultural 'mega events' comprising international exhibitions, expositions universelles and world's fairs (Auerbach, 1999;Edwards, 2008;Findling and Kimberly, 1990;Gardner, 2018;Greenhalgh, 1988;Roche, 2000;Rydell, 1984). The Great Exhibition took place in Hyde Park, London.…”

Editorial

“…The archaeological traces of the Great Exhibition of 1851 tell the story of a single mega-event that was not repeated, but lived on through imitations and the fragmentation and reuse of its building materials. Crucially it has lived on in memory toowith calls even in the present for its revival (Gardner 2018).…”

“…One-off events might be engineered as well to enhance people's sense of order and hierarchy. As the Great Exhibition of 1851 and its setting the Crystal Palace were designed to promote Britain's industrial prowess and swell national pride (Gardner 2018), the repurposed structure five years later at Sydenham hosted a refreshed exhibition designed to reinforce Victorian sensibilities of grandeur and superiority also underlining that gatherings can be temporary in several senses: not just impermanent in terms of the usage, but also short-lived as temporary ventures.…”