Remarks to: XRchiving, King’s College London, Saturday, 20 April 2024, by
The Rt Hon The Lord Mayor of London Alderman Professor Michael Mainelli
Ladies and Gentlemen.
Good morning. It is my pleasure to join you for the XRchiving Conference. Thank you to our newest freeman Dr Geoff Browell and all at King’s College London for hosting us today.
For those who don’t know me, I’m Michael Mainelli, the 695th Lord Mayor of the City of London…or, as I like to think of it, the world’s oldest democratic workers’ and residents’ cooperative.
“On Saturday evenings I have had the custom, after taking my opium, of wandering quite far, without worrying about the route or the distance in search of an occult Northwest Passage, allowing one to cross London unhampered”.
Not my words friends (don’t worry!), but those of Thomas De Quincey (1785 – 1859) in his powerful autobiographical study, Confessions of an Opium Eater (1821).
“I wander thro’ each charter’d street,
Near where the charter’d Thames does flow.
And mark in every face I meet
Marks of weakness, marks of woe…”
A passage from William Blake’s (1757 – 1827) poem, London. [PAUSE]
While Paris exists as the home and birthplace of the term “psychogeography” – “the study of the specific effects of the geographical environment on the emotions and behaviour of individuals” (Guy Debord) – London has long been inhabited by what are predominantly psychogeographic ideas.
Psychogeography is the intersection of psychology and geography.
It focuses on our psychological experiences of the city, and reveals or illuminates forgotten, discarded, or marginalised aspects of the urban environment.
It is the school of thought of the urban wanderer…the city dweller or visitor wishing to derive some meaning from and understanding of their environment and experience familiar surroundings in novel ways. [PAUSE]
That brings me neatly on to the topic of my address today: “History refined by technology: Connecting to Prosper in the World’s Coffee House.” [PAUSE]
Today, I want to talk about how we can use new technology to allow people to relate to the City of London in new and exciting ways and make our past, present and future more accessible to the Square Mile’s visitors, residents and workers:
…in line with the City of London Corporation’s “Destination City” programme, which seeks to make the Square Mile a leading leisure destination.
Before I do so, let me backtrack a little… [PAUSE]
Firstly, a little about me.
I’m a scientist, economist and accountant by trade, and one of the highlights of my career has been developing a complete 1:1,00,000 digital map of the world for use in petroleum mapping in 1983, while directing the Geodat cartography project. [AD LIB – MUNDOCART] [PAUSE]
So very I’m excited to be with you today to explore the application of XR technology in digital heritage, place-shaping and storytelling. [PAUSE]
Secondly, a little about my mayoral theme, “Connect To Prosper”.
The City is, rightly, known for the strength of its financial and professional services. But there are many more different areas of expertise – or “Knowledge Miles” – within our Square Mile that we need to nurture and promote.
From the 15th century New Learning…to 16th century Gresham College…to 17th century Royal Society… to today, our City is a timeless home of global innovation.
We are home to 40 learned societies, 70 universities, 130 research institutes, and 24,000 businesses, including huge global firms and cutting-edge start-ups.
As well as bankers, insurers and lawyers, the City’s workforce includes significant numbers of scientists, engineers and technicians.
My mayoral theme, “Connect To Prosper”, celebrates all the various “Knowledge Miles” – of our Square Mile, the “world’s coffee house”…
Examining how…through the power of connections…we can use that expertise to tackle global challenges from mental health to climate change. [PAUSE]
What does this have to do with XR?
Well, extended, virtual, augmented and mixed reality technology, or XR, is one of the City’s many “Knowledge Miles”, and – coincidentally – it’s a vital tool to help us learn about the many other miles, too. [PAUSE]
The UK’s augmented and virtual reality sector is recognised as a pioneer, with the fastest growing market in Europe.
According to Government estimates, growth is predicted to reach £62.5 billion by 2030.
As well as allowing consumers to experience live events from the comfort of their own homes and giving medical students hands-on practice on virtual patients, XR can improve the archiving experience, and enhance our public realm:
…illuminating the stories of the people and organisations who’ve helped position the City as a world leader in commerce, science and more over the centuries…
…and allowing people to connect with the City and feel a greater sense of place which could, in turn, create stronger communities. [PAUSE]
One fascinating example of XR is the “London Medieval Murder Map” from the University of Cambridge’s Violence Research Centre.
Through the map, we learn of a monk who beat his fellow brother to death at the order’s headquarters on Cheapside, after accusing him of embezzling the chapel’s rents and properties…
…and the gardener who was stabbed trying to prevent a priest from stealing apples from the garden of his employer, a former Alderman, in Cripplegate Without..
The map paints a picture of a City ruled by ideas of honour and propriety, but with a good deal of passion and lawlessness to boot.
To return to the principles of psychogeography…once one has learned of these events, it is impossible to walk through the Square Mile’s streets without them returning to your mind. [PAUSE]
Show of hands – how many people here have visited the London Mithraeum?
It really is worth a trip. And, once you’ve visited, I dare you to walk down Walbrook without imagining you are walking in the footsteps the men and women of Roman Londinium who would have worshiped there. [LONG PAUSE]
Because purposeful walking has an agenda, we do not adequately absorb certain aspects of the urban world.
So psychogeographers idolise the flâneur, a figure conceived in 19th-century France by Charles Baudelaire who drifts about the streets with no clear purpose other than to wander.
He’s a stroller. A saunterer. A connoisseur of the street.
Flânerie has since gone out of fashion. In his 2013 article in the Paris Review, “In Praise of the Flâneur”, Bijan Stephen poses the following question:
“As we grow inexorably busier – due in large part to the influence of technology – might flânerie be due for a revival?”
I suggest that flânerie and technology need not be seen as opposing forces. XR can bring them in concert with one another.
In that spirit — as part of “Connect To Prosper” we’ve launched VeraCity, a free-to-access “Pathfinder” information and navigation portal for the City of London…
[AD LIB – HOW VERACITY WORKS]…
…supporting visitors, residents and workers looking to indulge in a little flânerie. [PAUSE]
Elsewhere, the City of London Corporation’s public-facing maps, Compass and Interactive Web Maps, provide easy access to a huge amount of interesting spatial data…
Highlighting everything from places of interest and planning applications to parking zones and public toilets.
They hold a range of historic themed layers such as heritage sites, conservation areas and listed buildings – allowing people to connect with the City’s rich history.
We’ll further digitise the planning system thanks to grants from two prestigious Government funding schemes (the Digital Planning Improvement Fund and the PropTech Innovation Fund).
And the Corporation is also in discussions about creating a Guildhall in 3D project as part of Twin-it! – a pan-European initiative to scan key buildings from around Europe. [AD LIB – ANY MORE ON THIS] [PAUSE]
Meanwhile, in November, the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists made my dream of having an augmented reality float at the Lord Mayor’s Show come true:
…taking a 700-year-long tradition into a new dimension. [PAUSE]
As always with developing technologies, we need to consider the ethical implications of XR…
…as well as the importance of establishing and maintaining internationally recognised principles, which will be discussed in further depth in today’s workshop on the London Charter. [PAUSE]
I should mention that, as part of “Connect To Prosper”, we’ve launched ethics courses for those working in AI.
The 695th Lord Mayor’s Ethical AI Initiative builds on standards on terminology, ethics and AI-related risk management set by the International Organisation for Standardisation and already has more than 4,000 participants from 300 organisations across 45 countries.
Next month, we will bring 25 countries together in Brussels to sign the “Walbrook AI Accord”: a collective agreement to develop principles for the adoption, deployment and market assurance of AI technologies, emphasising the application of ISO420001. [PAUSE]
In addition to the Ethical AI Initiative, the “Connect To Prosper” programme’s other exciting initiatives include:
The Space Protection Initiative, using space debris retrieval insurance bonds.
The Smart Economy Networks Initiative, using international X-Road standards.
The Constructing Science Initiative, for life science laboratories.
The Green Finance Initiative, reinforcing carbon markets.
And GALENOS, to accelerate global mental health research. [SHORT PAUSE]
Skills are so important if we’re to unlock the true potential of XR – for the public realm and also as an economic opportunity – and will, I’m sure, emerge as a key topic throughout today’s discussions.
I’m happy to say that we are highlighting the importance of STEAM subjects through our “Connect To Prosper” experiment series, which is designed to showcase the City’s inventiveness to young people and international partners alike.
If you would like to hear more about any of these strands of work, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. [PAUSE]
In her 1922 novel Jacob’s Room, Virginia Woolf (1882 – 1941) writes: “The streets of London have their map; but our passions are uncharted. What are you going to meet if you turn this corner?”
We have our maps of London, indeed, including Adam Dant’s beautifully illustrated maps of everything from the Square Mile’s coffee houses to criminal London…
And we have our fantastic City of London guides to help show us the way.
XR can us connect with our inner flâneur and see what is uncharted…
Allowing people to engage with London’s past, present and future…evoking new associations and connections…building stronger communities…and, ultimately, creating a more accessible, absorbing and appealing City for all.
So, I ask, what are you going to meet if you turn this corner?
Thank you for your time.