*online* Reweirding: Love-Locks – The History and Heritage of a Contemporary Custom

Ceri Houlbrook explores the popularity of love-locks - padlocks romantically attached to bridges - as a ritual token of love and commitment by considering its history, symbolism, and heritage.

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Walk over a major bridge in a Western city and chances are you will come across at least one or two love-locks. These are padlocks inscribed with names or initials and attached to a public structure, typically by a couple in declaration of romantic commitment, who then proceed to throw the key into the river below. Some assemblages of these love tokens are modest; others number the thousands. This has become a truly global phenomenon, with over 400 love-lock assemblages catalogued across 62 countries in all continents bar Antarctica: popular custom in the true sense of the term.

A padlock is a mundane object, designed to fulfil a specific – and secular – purpose. A contemporary custom has given padlocks new significance. This custom is 'love-locking', where padlocks are engraved with names and attached to bridges in declaration of romantic commitment. This custom became popular in the 2000s, and its dissemination was rapid, geographically unbound, and highly divisive, with love-locks emerging in locations as diverse as Paris and Taiwan; New York and Seoul; Melbourne and Moscow.

URL:
Tickets: https://go.evvnt.com/732457-0?pid=5072

Category: Attractions | Talks and Lectures

Price:
General Admission: GBP 5.00

Speaker: Ceri Houlbrook