The 2012 Olympics begin a process of urban regeneration in east London with emphasis on the landscape; natural processes are activated and a new identity is given to the Lower Lea Valley. Alongside the Olympic legacy, a number of smaller interventions attempt to link the new dynamic landscape with the surrounding boroughs and to showcase the rich history of the place.

Monumental sites receive a liminal state, “betwixt and between”, and are being transformed into a field of synthesis for memory conflicts and narratives, historical interpretations, cultural practices and claims. Taking, cultural memory, as an analytical tool, I examine, through a meaningful process, that monumental sites (re)construct identities, narratives and ideologies. I note the emergence of the monumental landscape as a contact zone of the past and present.