newsletter 34 - iccrom.pdf

7/27/2019 Newsletter 34 - ICCROM.pdf

1/28INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR THE STUDY OF THE PRESERVATION AND RESTORATION OF CULTURAL PROPERTY

N E W S L E T T E R

I C C R OM

CONTENTS

Cultural Heritage and Communication ........................................1

News and Events ................................................... ...............................3

Building Knowledge: Fifty Years of Training at ICCROM .........6

An Integrated Approach to Conservation and

Management of Heritage ............................................. .....................8

A New Headquarters Building for ICCROM ................................9

Training on Archaeological Conservation

in Southeast Europe: an Approach to the Preliminary

Condition Assessment ..................................................................... 10

ICCROM History Poster ................................................... ................. 12

ATHAR Programme: Special Projects ..................................................14

One Day Workshop for Children and Conservation .............15

UNESCO-ICCROM Partnership on EndangeredCollections ...........................................................................................16

Safeguarding Sounds and Images .............................................. 18

ICCROM Library: Selected New Acquisitions ..........................20

34December 2008 English edition


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The articles in this newsletter reflect

the range of programme activities

carried out by ICCROM during

2008. These activities take place

worldwide in a variety of forms.

They involve courses, meetings,

seminars and publications on awide range of topics, as well as

technical advisory missions and

other forms of support to Member

States.

The ICCROM programmes that

were recommended by Council and

approved by the General Assembly

for the 2008-2009 Biennium are as

follows:

Conservation of Collections

Conservation of Built Heritage CollAsia 2010

Africa 2009

ATHAR

Latin America

Forum

ICCROM NEWSLETTER, 34

DECEMBER 2008

ISBN 92-9077-214-X

ISSN 1010-2639

ICCROM 2008

Cover photograph:

Sir Bernard Feilden lecturing in the

historic city of Champaner during

the 1987 Bangalore Seminar, Public

Works Department, India.

Office of the Director-General

Mounir Bouchenaki, Director-General

Bruno Pisani, Manager of Finance and

Administration

Maria Teresa Jaquinta, Liaison Ocer(Cooperation with Italy)

Pilar House, Personal Assistant to the DG

Sites Unit

Joseph King, Unit Director

Zaki Aslan, Project Manager, ATHAR

Ken Kanai, Project Manager

Gamini Wijesuriya, Project Manager

Baba Keita, Project Specialist, AFRICA

2009

Valerie Magar, Conservation Specialist

Elena Incerti Medici,

Senior Administrative Assistant

Marie-France Adolphe, Administrative

Assistant, AFRICA 2009

Rahel Wolde Mikael, AdministrativeAssistant, ATHAR

Sonia Widmer, Administrative Assistant

Collections Unit

Catherine Antomarchi, Unit Director

Katriina Simil, Project Manager

Aparna Tandon, Project Specialist

Jos Luiz Pedersoli, Conservation

Scientist

Isabelle dAilhaud de Brisis,

Administrative Assistant

Isabelle Verger, Administrative Assistant

Office of Communication and Information

Robert Killick, Manager

Mnica Garca Robles, Web Administrator

M. Anna Stewart, Coordinator, Training,

Information & Fellowships

Elisa Ortiz, Administrative Assistant

Sabina Giuriati, Information Systems Clerk

Documentation, Library and Archives

Paul Arenson, Manager

Mara Mata Caravaca, Archivist

Margaret Ohanessian, Library Assistant

Gianna Paganelli, Library Assistant

Nicolina Falciglia, Technical Assistant

Christine Georgeff, Technical Assistance

Service/Library Assistant

Administration and Logistics

Bruno Pisani, Manager of Finance and

Administration

Roberto Nahum, Information Systems

Administrator

Alessandro Menicucci, Head of Accountancy

Anna Berardino, Financial Clerk

Maurizio Moriconi, Accountancy Clerk

Cristina Parrini, Accountancy Clerk

Enrico Carra, Head of Logistics

Pietro Baldi, Logistics Assistant

Giuseppe Cioffi, Driver & Messenger

StaffProgrammes


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ICCROM Newsletter 34, Dec 2008

Cultural Heritage and Communication

Mounir Bouchenaki (ICCROM)

Te spectacular development o newinormation and communication technologiesat the end o the twentieth and the beginningo the twenty-first centuries has given riseto questions about the place that culturalheritage will occupy in a world in whichmodern societies are increasingly making useo those technologies. Conventional mediahave had to adapt to the digital revolutionand miniaturization, while the new orms ocommunication via the Internet and satelliteV, and ever-expanding access to highdefinition images, are modiying the wholemedia landscape.

Cultural heritage conservation proessionals

are aced with establishing the degree towhich this metamorphosis in the inormationand communications media will impact ontheir work, seeing whether it will improvethe dissemination o inormation aboutcultural heritage, and, above all, whether itcan heighten sensitivity to protecting andenhancing it.

As Lotfi Maherzi emphasized, A numbero authors and researchers agree that a newinormation age is in the process o rapidlyreplacing the industrial erain this new

phase, science and knowledge are becomingthe critical vectors o the so-called value-added economy. Global networks are nolonger mere pathways or inormation, butgenerate new knowledge which has a partto play in the processing o products. Tisunderscores the importance o non-materialresources such as sofware, computerapplications, programmes and services: thesebecome the new raw materials and the realwealth o the knowledge-based society.1

One o the first challenges acing has been how to adapt its communication

tools and make its website easily accessible,and enable it to serve both the community oresearchers and conservators working on theprotection o cultural heritage and the public atlarge who are showing an increasing interest inthe training o proessionals and specialists inthis area o activity.

Hundreds o hits are recorded every day,demonstrating the importance o keeping avibrant channel open between and allthose who are interested in its work, in everyregion o the world.

1World Communication Report. Te media and thechallenge o the new technologies, published in 1997by the United Nations Educational, Scientific andCultural Organization, p. 11.

Te networking o the library servicesand the opportunity to gain online access tobibliographic records has given an extra boostto this service. Acknowledged to be one o theworlds best-endowed libraries on every subjectdealing with cultural heritage conservation andrestoration, its unction was enhanced duringthe 1970s and 1980s by producing abstractsrom selected publications. Tis activity wasreinstated twenty years later thanks to undingrom the Getty Conservation Institute viaArt and Archaeology echnical Abstracts(AAA). Tese abstracts, written in Englishrom conservation literature published in manylanguages, have been warmly welcomed by

students and researchers alike.Te digital dissemination o inormation

on and the missions with which ithas been tasked is one o todays challenges.It was with this in mind that, in 2006, weadded a new search engine, implemented byGoogle, which has made it much easier to finditems on the web site. Te ree textsearch includes the web site and associatedpd documents, and there is also an option tosearch the library catalogue.

Working and inorming are an obligation

or every institution wishing to developand is no exception to this. Likeother governmental and non-governmentalorganizations, it must provide inormationon the rationale o its work and its linkagewith the concerns o contemporary societiesin which there is increasing interest inenvironmental conservation in general, and theconservation o cultural heritage in particular.

What, then, should be doing todevelop communication and to put acrossits messages on its objectives and specificactivities? In addition to the technical support

provided by digital technology, the massmedia are obviously acquiring a leading rolein an organisation like . More than tenyears ago, launched a project whichhad enormous resonance with the generalpublic, especially in Italy, directly appealing tothe mass media with the sloganMedia SaveArt. Schoolchildren were made aware o theproblems o saeguarding cultural heritage,and several journalists were awarded theMedia Save Art prize or the quality and theimpact o their articles on cultural heritage in

different parts o the world.Following this experience, which waslauded at the time by , we eel that weshould now find ways and means o pursuing


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the same communication process, becauseit can play a crucial role, first in making thelargest possible number o people awareo the challenges constantly conrontingcultural heritage, and then in urging decision-makers to provide adequate unding or theoperations needed to saeguard that heritage.

Since 1995, , together with the Education Sector and the WorldHeritage Centre, has produced an educationkit or schools entitled World Heritage in YoungHands. ranslated into over twenty languages,this kit has since become a valuable tool orhanding on knowledge about World Heritagesites. I have seen this or mysel at Regional

Workshops in Latin America, Arica, Asia andthe Arab States where I have met teachers witha keen interest in developing the kit.

now has to make a similarkind o communication effort to make theconservation and restoration proessions better

known, and consequently better supported byits governing bodies.

It is true that it is comparatively easy toattract the attention o the public and othe authorities to address threats posed tonature and man as a result o climate changeor increased pollution levels. But culturalheritage is no less exposed to risks and toirreversible degradation as a result o disasterscaused by mankind. It is precisely to provideassistance or the study o cultural heritageconservation that was originallyestablished.

How to disseminate knowledge andappreciation o these programmes and

guarantee their international development is amajor challenge, and it is here that inormationand communication technologies can providea new tool and become an invaluable ally oconservation and restoration experts.

Sir Bernard Melchior Feilden, 19192008

A personal memoir

Elected Director o the International Centreor Conservation in 1977, Bernard gave it anew and solid oundation. He invented thenew acronym: , taking the initials othe Centre and adding Rom(e). He also gavethe organization its first flag. He establisheda career structure or the organization andhad join the UN Pension Fund andhealthcare system. He activated the Councilby establishing sub-committees or budget

and training. At the same time, he made itclear that it was the Directors responsibilityto direct the organization.

Bernard had an exceptional ability tojudge the qualities o people and situations.He was able to ocus on one issue at a time,and arrive at a balanced critical judgement.He defined historic architecture as a spatial-environmental whole, which needed tobe understood through systematic visualinspection, keeping evidence and opinionsdistinct. Bernard respected the capacity o

engineers to calculate complex structuralsystems. At the same time he was a realist.Looking at the cracks in an historic bridge,he asked his engineer colleague: Whereare your calculations? Te answer was:Tere are no calculations. o this Bernardcommented: So, we can work as equals.

Bernard believed in proessional andmultidisciplinary training. He consideredthat architects should learn the language

o scientists and introduced a smallarchitectural laboratory or the ARC courseparticipants. At the same time, he broughtscientists to the field to take part in visualinspections. He also insisted that scientificand technical work should always be basedon sound conservation theory.

Sir Bernard Melchior Feilden was above alla great human being and a wonderul man,who cared or everybody and was able totalk to everybody. His slogan was: Regularinspections and maintenance, please!

Jukka JokilehtoRome, November 2008


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25th General Assembly o ICCROM

s 25th General Assembly took placein Rome in November 2007. Eighty-nineMember States attended the three-day event,together with observers rom thirty-ninepartner institutions. It was held under thePatronage o the President o Italy, GiorgioNapolitano, who sent his best wishes to on the occasion o the fifiethanniversary o the Agreement between Italyand regarding the establishment o in Rome.

He stated that: I am delighted to extendmy greetings to the organizers o todaysceremony and to the delegates o the Member

States o , who are gathered inassembly concurrently with celebrationso the 50th anniversary o the Agreementbetween Italy and which enabled to establish its headquarters in Italy.

I would like to express my appreciation or programmes and activities in thefield o the conservation and enhancemento cultural heritage through its greatcommitment to training experts.

Italy, which occupies first place in theworld or the number o sites inscribed in the

World Heritage List, is honoured to host anorganization that plays an essential role in thesaeguard and recovery o cultural and artistictraditions in various regions throughout theworld.

New Council Members

Te General Assembly elected the ollowingtwelve new members to serve on sCouncil or the period 200711:

Yahaya AHMAD (Malaysia)Corazon S. ALVINA (Philippines)Jeanne INCH (Canada)

Raanan KISLEV (Israel)Elena KORKA (Greece)ommi LINDH (Finland)Blanca NIO NORON (Guatemala)Isabelle PALLO-FROSSARD (France)Luiz SOUZA (Brazil)Marcelle AKLA (Egypt)Satoshi YAMAO (Japan)Zhou LU (China)

2007 ICCROM Award

Proessor Katsuhiko Masuda was named as

the recipient o the 2007 Award.Proessor Masuda has a long associationwith , initially as a participanton the Mural Paintings Course

(), and latterly as a key figure in theestablishment and success o courseson Japanese paper conservation

50th Anniversary celebrations

A celebration o the 50th Anniversaryo the signature, on 27 April 1957, o the

Headquarters Agreement between the ItalianGovernment and institutionalisingthe presence o in the Italianterritory took place at the Conerence Hallo Palazzo Marini,on Tursday 8 November2007. Te vice Prime Minister and Ministero Cultural Activities and Heritage,Francesco Rutelli, the Assistant Director-General or Culture o , MmeFranoise Rivire, as well as representativesrom s Member States attended.

ICCROM Forum 2007: Privatisation and

Cultural HeritageTe 2007 Forum on Privatisationand Cultural Heritage took place in Catania,Italy between 13 and 15 September 2007.Te event was organized by inpartnership with the Regione Siciliana,the Fondazione Banco di Siciliaand theItalian National Commission or .It was attended by fify Italian and oreignexperts. Te five sessions o the Forumdiscussed topics such as: best practice andmanagement o public-private partnerships;

issues related to ownership, governance, andstandards; incentives or the private sector;and educational and training standards.

News and Events

ICCROM Courses: September

2007 December 2008

Architectural Records, Inventories andInformation Systems for Conservation ARIS07, ICCROM, Rome, 12 September 12 October 2007. Organized byICCROM in collaboration with the GettyConservation Institute.

Preservation and Restoration of CulturalHeritage in the Asia-Pacific Region 2007:Preservation and Restoration of WoodenStructures, Nara, Japan, 18 September-19 October 2007. Organized by ICCROMin collaboration with Bunkacho(Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan),ACCU Nara Office (Cultural HeritageProtection Cooperation Office, Asia/Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO), theNational Research Institute for CulturalProperties, Japan.

Regional Course on ArchaeologicalConservation in Southeast Europe2007: Diagnosis and Conservation,Butrint National Park, Albania, 1-26October 2007. Organized by ICCROM incollaboration with the Butrint NationalPark, Butrint Foundation, and UNESCOVenice Office-BRESCE.

Course on Architectural ConservationProjects in Iraq, Istanbul, Turkey, 18October-4 November 2007. Organizedby ICCROM (ATHAR Programme) inpartnership with the UNESCO-IraqOffice in Amman.

Africa 2009 8th Thematic Seminar:Communication and Conservationof Immovable Heritage in Africa,Nouakchott, Mauritania, 22-26 October2007. Organized by ICCROM Africa 2009

Programme in collaboration with theNational Office of Museums, Ministryof Culture and Communication ofMauritania.


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New Member States

is pleased to announce the adhesiono the ollowing new Member States:

Lesotho (1 July 2007);Montenegro (16 September 2007);Bangladesh (18 October 2007);Swaziland (25 October 2007);rinidad and obago (18 November 2007);Monaco (13 December 2007); andYemen (18 June 2008).

Member States o now number 126.

Staff News

Mr Ken Kanai has been seconded by thegovernment o Japan to succeed Mr Sadahiko

anaka as a project manager or the SitesUnit. He comes rom the National ResearchInstitute or Cultural Properties in Narawhere he has experience in both architecturaland archaeological conservation.

Te year saw the departure o threemembers o staff: Rosalia Varoli-Piazza,Senior Conservation Adviser, CollectionsUnit; Ernesto Borelli, LaboratoryCoordinator, Sites Unit; and Webber Ndoro,Project Manager, Arica 2009, who lef totake up the post o Director, Arican World

Heritage Fund.Fellows 2007-8

Henry A. DePhillips Jr., Proessor oChemistry at rinity College, Hartord, United States, undertook researchon the Analysis o pigment and mediumin a sixteenth century Italian cartoon:authentication and attribution study.

Fernando Diniz Moreira, AdjunctProessor, Federal University o Pernambuco,worked on assessing values and significancein the conservation o modern architecture.

Amra Hadzimuhamedovi, an architectrom Bosnia and Herzegovina, continued herresearch on reconstruction o architecturalheritage and post-war recovery.

Angeliki Ioakimopoulou, an architectspecialising in the conservation oarchitectural monuments, researchedProtective Structures or the Conservation oArchaeological Sites in Greece.

Ana Labrador, Associate Proessor in theDepartment o Art Studies at the Universityo the Philippines Diliman, collected data on

traditional methods o preservation o objectsrom selected Southeast Asian countries andexplored how these methods could be betterintegrated in conservation training.

Hossam Mahdy (Egypt) worked onthe compilation o an Arabic glossary orterms o conservation o cultural heritage(with equivalents in English). Dr Mahdy isa reelance architect who has contributedto urban conservation planning or Cairo,Alexandria, Kuwait, Karak (Jordan), Erbil(Iraq), Salalah and Ras al Hadd (Oman).

Jagath Weerasinghe, Proessor, Post-graduate Institute o Archaeology, Universityo Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, worked on a re-examination o the concept o authenticity inrelation to living heritage o South Asia.

Visiting Researchers

Veronica Piacentini, Institute or AdvancedStudies, Lucca, Italy, worked on: Saeguardingcultural heritage rom natural and man madedisasters. Suggestions or personnel involvedin the management o crisis scenarios: Areerence model or living religious property.

Ioannis Poulios, Greece, worked with theLiving Heritage Sites programme to developan orientation manual on: Living HeritageApproach. Mr Poulios is completing a PhDat the Institute o Archaeology, UniversityCollege, London.

Interns 2007-8

Alejandra Del Ro Monges, Mexico (BuiltHeritage Programme and developmento a proposal or a long-term programmeor cultural heritage conservation in LatinAmerica and the Caribbean).

Aleksandra Dziki Nikoli, Serbia(Collections Unit: 2008 Sharing ConservationDecisions course and UNESCO-ICCROMStorage Reorganization Project).

Olga Garca Jimnez, Spain (CollAsia 2010programme: relationship between movable

heritage and development o sustainablecultural tourism strategies in that region).

Simon Lambert, Canada (CollectionsUnit: storage organization and production odidactic materials).

Ahmad Mansour, Egypt (programme: aspects o heritage education orproessionals and public outreach).

Iolanda Ratti, Italy (Collections Unit:SOIMA project and annotated bibliographyon sound and image preservation).

Ona Vileikis amayo, Colombia/Lithuania

(Sites Unit: World Heritage issues such as thestate o conservation, periodic reporting andmanagement plans).

Teamwork for Integrated EmergencyManagement in South East Europe(TIEM) Phase I: Workshop, Ohrid,Former Yugoslav Republic of

Macedonia, 19 November-1 December2007. Final review meeting, 13-18October 2008, Donja Stubica, Croatia.Co-organized by ICCROM, ICOM,the Getty Conservation Institute,UNESCO, the National Archives ofthe Netherlands, ICOM-SEE (ICOMsubgroup for South East Europe) andICOM National Committee of the FYR ofMacedonia.

CollAsia 2010: Traditional Knowledgeand Scientific Principles ofConservation, Vientiane, Lao PDR,19 November-19 December 2007.Organized by ICCROM in collaborationwith SEAMEO-SPAFA (SEAMEO

Regional Centre for Archaeology andFine Arts), UNESCO, Department ofMuseums and Archaeology of theMinistry of Information and Culture ofLao PDR, the Lao National Museum.

Africa 2009 Special Thematic Seminar:Cultural Heritage Management and theChallenges of HIV/AIDS, Livingstone,Zambia, 19-23 November 2007.Organized by ICCROM (Africa 2009Programme) in collaboration withthe National Heritage ConservationCommission of Zambia and theRiksantikvaren (Directorate of CulturalHeritage in Norway).

International Course on Conservationof Urushi (Japanese lacquer), Tokyo,Japan, 10-15 September 2007.Organized by ICCROM in collaborationwith the NRICPT (National ResearchInstitute for Cultural Properties, Japan).

International Course on WoodConservation Technology ICWCT2008,Oslo, Norway, 26 May-4 July 2008.Organized under the auspices ofUNESCO by ICCROM, the Riksantikvaren(Directorate for Cultural Heritage,Norway), NTNU (Norwegian Universityof Science and Technology) and NIKU(Norwegian Institute for Cultural HeritageResearch).

International Course on Conservationof Japanese Paper JPC08, Tokyo, Japan,8-27 September 2008. Organized byICCROM in collaboration with theNRICPT (National Research Institute forCultural Properties, Japan).

Preservation and Restoration ofCultural Heritage in the Asia-PacificRegion 2008: Research, analysisand preservation of archaeologicalsites, Nara, Japan, 9 September-9October 2008. Organized by ICCROMin collaboration with Bunkacho(Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan),ACCU Nara Office (Cultural Heritage

Protection Cooperation Office, Asia/Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO), theNational Research Institute for CulturalProperties, Japan.


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Obituaries 2007-8

Bagher Ayatolahzadeh Shirazi,19362007,died unexpectedly in ehran, aged 71. Bornin Naja, he was trained in architecture inehran. In the 1960s, he attended one othe first Architectural Conservation coursesorganized jointly by and the Facultyo Architecture o Rome. For several yearsin the 1970s, Shirazi was responsible or theconservation management o the historiccity o Isahan, and received the Aga KhanAward or Architecture or this work. In theearly 1980s, he moved to ehran as directoro national conservation services and wasinvolved in the reorganization o its services,

becoming the Vice President o the newly-ounded Cultural Heritage Organization oIran. Afer retirement, he continued to workas a teacher at the University o ehran wherehe was much loved.

Heinz Leitner, 19532007, a ormer participant () and long-time collaborator, died ater a longillness at the age o 54. Initially trained inAustria, Heinz received a Masters degreein the Conservation o Wall Paintingrom the Courtauld Institute o Art,

University o London. Since 1999, he wasProessor at the Dresden University oFine Arts and Head o the Mural PaintingsConservation Laboratory. An outstandingcourse participant, Heinz had an enormousimpact, despite his youth, on generationso course participants through hisstrong involvement over twenty years incourses in Rome, hailand, and Romania.Further collaborations included his lecturesor the courses on Architectural SuracesConservation () held in the 1990s incollaboration with the sterreichische

Bundesdenkmalamt in Mauerbach, Austria,and his participation in the Seminar on graphic documentation systemsin mural painting conservation held at in 1999.

John Ashurst, 19372008, a long-time collaborator in the field oconservation o masonry and mortars, diedat his home in the United Kingdom, aged71. Proessor Ashurst was an architect whoworked or over 20 years in public service,first with the Ancient Monuments Division

o the Ministry o Public Building andWorks and later as a principal architect orEnglish Heritage, in charge o research,technical advice, and training. Afer leaving

English Heritage, he was appointed Proessoro Heritage Conservation at BournemouthUniversity where he developed a newspecialist course on building conservation.From 1991 he worked in private practice.Proessor Ashurst was an importantinfluence on many o the conservationproessionals who passed through over the years. He was a lecturer at sArchitectural Conservation Course rom1978 to 1993, where he was considered oneo the finest teachers and collaborators. Healso lectured regularly at the InternationalCourse on the echnology o StoneConservation (the Venice Stone Course)

rom 1983 to 1997. He made a significantcontribution to s work over the pastthirty years, and he will be greatly missed by staff and our extensive network oproessionals around the world.

Hernn Crespo Toral, 19372008, ormerAssistant Director-General or Culture at, died at his home in Quito, Ecuador,aged 70. Mr Crespo oral was an importantactor in the field o conservation o culturalheritage in Ecuador, Latin America, andinternationally. An architect and museologist

by training, Mr Crespo oral worked or 26years at the Museums o the Central Bank oEcuador where he served first as FoundingDirector o the Archaeological Museum andArt Galleries, and later as Director Generalo Museums. In 1988, he joined as Director o the Regional Bureau orCulture in Latin America and the Caribbeanin Havana, Cuba. In 1995, he moved to headquarters in Paris where he wasfirst Director o the Culture Sector (19958)and then Assistant Director-General orCulture (19982000).

Bihanne Wassink, 19572008, paperconservator at the National Archives oNetherlands and an course lecturer,died unexpectedly, aged 50, at her home inTe Hague, Netherlands. She was educated inpaper and book conservation, and had beenworking since 1981 as a paper conservatorat the National Archives o the Netherlands.She was also a conservation advisor or theInternational Conservation Centre o theNational Archives and advisor or disastermanagement in the National Archives.

Bihanne also contributed significantly to acurrent project o , and ,eamwork or Integrated EmergencyManagement () in South East Europe.

Collasia 2010: Developing AppropriateSkills in Conservation, 10-30 September2008, New Delhi. Participants attendedICOM-CC, India.

Africa 2009: Intangible Aspects ofSacred Heritage Sites, Accra, Ghana,8-12 September 2008. Organized byICCROM (Africa 2009 Programme) incollaboration with CHDA (Centre forHeritage Development in Africa) and

The Ghana Museums and MonumentsBoard GMMB.

Africa 2009: Conservation andManagement of Immovable CulturalHeritage in sub-Saharan Africa, Porto-Novo, Benin, 1 September-21 November2008. Organized by ICCROM (Africa 2009Programme) in collaboration with EPA(Ecole du patrimoine africain) and theDirectorate of Cultural Heritage of Benin.

Collasia 2010: Conservation andContext: Collections and their HeritageSites, 13-24 October 2008, Siem Reap,Cambodia.

Africa 2009: Impact Assessment andHeritage, 20 October-14 November2008, Karima, Sudan. Organized byICCROM (Africa 2009 Programme) incollaboration with CHDA (Centre forHeritage Development in Africa) andthe National Corporation for Antiquitiesand Museums of Sudan.

ATHAR Programme: Conservation and

Management of Heritage sites in theArab Region, Sharjah, United ArabEmirates, 27 October-4 December 2008.Organized by ICCROM in collaborationwith the Government of Sharjah: SharjahDepartment of Information and Culture,Sharjah Museums Department, AmericanUniversity of Sharjah, University of Sharjah,with support from the Directorate Generalof Development Cooperation, ItalianMinistry of Foreign Affairs.

Sharing Conservation Decisions Course,Rome, Italy, 3-28 November 2008.Organized by ICCROM in collaborationwith Centro Conservazione e RestauroLa Venaria Reale, Italy; INP (Institut

National du Patrimoine), France; ISCR(Istituto Superiore per la Conservazioneed il Restauro), Italy; OPD (Opificio dellePietre Dure), Italy.

CollAsia 2010: Buildings: Environmentsfor Collections, Jakarta, Indonesia,10-28 November. Organized byICCROM in collaboration with SEAMEO-SPAFA (SEAMEO Regional Centre forArchaeology and Fine Arts); NationalMuseum Indonesia; National Museumof Ethnology, Netherlands; The GettyFoundation.

Management Planning for CulturalHeritage, Shanghai, China, 24

November-6 December 2008.Organized in collaboration withUNESCO World Heritage Instituteof Training and Research Asia andPacific, China.


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Te fifieth anniversary o providesan opportunity to look back at our activitiesand reflect upon our strategies. I was born with our statutory unctions:inormation, advice, research and training,it is certainly this latter which quicklyemerged as the most prominent one. Alittle more than thirty years ago, under theaegis o , was charged toundertake an analysis o the world needsin the training o conservation specialists.Tis study, which covered movable andimmovable heritage (excepting libraries andarchives) was then discussed in an expertmeeting in Rome in April 1976. One result

was a closer definition o the role o in the field o training, namely to assureand develop pilot or specialized trainingprojectsto keep in touch with the ever-changing experience o teaching and toevolve ormulas o methods and didacticmaterials or their wider use and diffusion.

raining at is a means to anend: it is one o the ways in which theorganization assists Member States incaring or and conserving their culturalheritage. his has meant that the

consolidation o speciic courses is notan aim in itsel, and the development othe dierent training activities has beenstrongly guided by the realities o theheritage ield in the Member States overthe past ity years. his lexibility has beena strength, allowing or a great variety intraining initiatives. hese have includedrecurrent courses, the most well-known owhich were the courses on ArchitecturalConservation (), Conservation oMural Paintings () and the ScientiicPrinciples o Conservation (), organized

annually in Roman springtime.An ofen overlooked dimension o these

seminal courses is that they took placesimultaneously. Tis meant that, countingall the participants, lecturers and othermembers o course teams, there were easilyone hundred proessionals rom all over theworld milling around the premises.Tis offered opportunities or both ormaland inormal dialogue between those romdifferent areas o specialization - encountersthat were not necessarily common in the

daily working contexts.New activities do not appear out onowhere. Te courses that have beenorganized throughout the history o

are more intimately linked than wouldappear by just looking at the list o activitytitles. Names given to activities may reflecta shif in ocus or point o view, but insidethese activities many elements o previouscourses are harvested and included within anew configuration.

Forging interdisciplinary links hasremained a constant emphasis in straining activities, becoming moresystematically introduced within theprogrammes as the different proessionalprofiles within the heritage field becomemore and more specialized.

It is understandable that most

participants come to the courses lookingorward to meeting the internationalproessional world and to discussing thelatest trends in conservation. In act,the strong input rom the participantsthemselves in providing and shaping thecontents o the activity, and the process olearning rom each other, are ofen amongthe most cherished results o the entireexperience. Nobody knows everything, andeverybody knows something; conrontingcurrent conservation issues during the

courses requires and is enriched by thecontribution o everybody. Over the yearsthe didactic approach has moved rom lineartransmission o inormation to the jointprocess o building knowledge.

While the importance o the coursesorganized in Rome has always beenrecognized, in the 1980s the GoverningBodies o voiced increasingencouragement to take the training activitiesout o Rome, and reach out to the regionsand their realities. Since its creation, had been involved in setting up and

implementing courses in different parts othe world, but at this time more visible andstructured regional programmes startedto take shape. While the courses in Romeand the regional programmes both havetheir place within the gamut o sactivities, we should not orget the manyother international training activitiesthat have taken place in different parts othe world. Heritage institutions in Japan,Austria, Norway, Brazil, Romania, to namejust a ew recent ones, have all hosted

international training activities.Contrary to a commonly-held opinion, does not have a set o courses ina drawer, ready to be implemented. he

Building knowledge: Fifty Years of Training at ICCROM

Katriina Simil and Catherine Antomarchi (ICCROM)


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development o any o the training activitiesis a complex, challenging and excitingprocess, catalyzed and uelled by perceivedneeds and identiied opportunities. heimportance o individual proessionals andinstitutions worldwide as core partnersin giving shape and content to trainingactivities cannot be stressed enough. Greatinput o unds, people, time and spacesare involved in organizing courses. histradition o collaboration not only makes training activities possible in theirst place, but also ensures that the trainingactivities have a direct link to the realitieso the proessional community, and o

institutions large and small operating inthe heritage ield in the Member States. Itis worth noting that this idea o networkinghas been present rom the oundingmoments o well beore the termwas coined.

Tis deep-rooted principle o workingtogether makes it sometimes difficult to saywhere begins and where it ends.What is certain is that it is larger than thehouse at the corner o Via di San Michele.

raining o trainers has been a constant

concern rom early days o .While the change propelled by individualparticipants in their institutions andcountries has oten been considerable, has always been aware that theactual number o course participants in thedierent courses could never satisy all thetraining needs. hereore the multiplyingrole o the participants ollowing thecourses is o vital importance.

It would be simplistic to assume thatthe participants would or, indeed, should deliver the course they just attended upon

their return to their colleagues. he aimis to provide the participants with toolsthat will assist in the development o theirown proessional proile as trainers andeducators.

is also very proud that manycolleagues have grown into respectedteachers o worldwide repute also thanksto their involvement in s activities.he importance o this worldwide pool ocommitted teachers is great. he ield oconservation is small when compared to

many other sectors. At the same time itis so complex that no Member State canclaim sel-suiciency in resource people ortraining activities in every area o expertise.

here are several strategies throughwhich contributes to thedevelopment o conservation educationin the Member States. In addition toan advisory unction in many nationaland international meetings and workinggroups on the theme, the coursesthemselves engage with the widereducational aims and needs in the MemberStates. he selection process o any courseis always on the look-out or colleagueswho are already involved in trainingactivities; participants are reminded duringthe courses that they are not there only ortheir own ediication but as members o

dierent types o groups o proessionals;and special courses and course moduleson communication and didactic skills havebeen developed over the years. he newideas and skills gained during the trainingind many outlets in the home countries othe participants.

is an organization committedto building knowledge and reinorcingprocesses o learning through all o itsactivities. Te strength o the heritage field inthe Member States depends most o all upon

the committed and dedicated proessionalcommunity working within it. It is themandate and privilege o to work orand with this community. is a jointeffort and a reflected image o its MemberStates: the training activities are occasionswhere this reflection is clearest o all.

Keeping ICCROM afloat in SE Asia


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An Integrated Approach to Conservation and Management of Heritage

Gamini Wijesuriya (ICCROM)

Integrated conservation is currently a populartopic in the conservation domain. At its simplestthis entails working together in a combinedeffort. For the practice o conservation andmanagement o heritage, which conventionallyollows a sectoral approach, it is working beyondproessional boundaries with all groups thathave an impact on heritage in order to achievethe best results. Te process can vary rom asimple effort to integrate scientific methods andtools or better understanding o the behaviouro materials and the processes o decay, toworking with legislative bodies, agencies, andcommunities on the management o a historiccity. It also involves working in an integrated

ashion within an organization.Te term integrated conservation received

its official status with the Declaration oAmsterdam (although the practice existedlong beore) by the Congress o EuropeanArchitectural Heritage in 1975. It began as aneffort to expand the definition o architecturalheritage to include not only individualbuildings o exceptional quality and theirsurroundings, but also all areas o towns orvillages o historic or cultural interest and toseek support or their conservation within

urban and regional planning activities. Itsapplicability now extends to the conservationand management o cultural heritage ingeneral. An integrated approach is widely usedin the natural heritage conservation sector.

Why is an integrated approach needed?Conservation decision-making has become acomplex process, due to an increase in thoseactors and issues which affect the monumentsand sites. Tese are ofen case dependent andvary considerably, but disregarding any othem can have negative affects on heritage.Heritage is inextricably linked to community

and land resources. But both o these areessential components o the developmentprocess and are controlled by agencies whoseremit is not necessarily heritage conservation.Any decision made by conservationcommunities independent o these otherbodies can ail or have negative effects: thiscompels those communtities to look beyondthe conventional limits o collaboration.

A way must be ound to reflect conservationconcerns within the broader domain odevelopment, or their protection and to

demonstrate that heritage is not merely apassive recipient o resources but a majorcontributor to sustainable development.Tis can only be achieved through broader

consultation and coordination. An integratedapproach can acilitate consultation andcoordination with community groups andagencies. Understanding the views o all whohave an impact on heritage at an early stagewill enhance the inclusiveness o the decision-making process.

Tis approach will ofen also accrue benefitsto the heritage sector itsel. Tere are manyexamples where the legislation o other agencieshas helped to protect large heritage sites and hasresulted in an allocation o human and financialresources or conservation. Tere are manyexamples, too, where early consultation andcoordination with other agencies has resulted

in better protection. Improving communicationbetween the sectors and sharing knowledge areother important advantages.

Mitchell and Hollick (1993) provide aworking definition o an integrated approachwhich embraces three elements: a process,a product, and a philosophy. As a process, itacilitates coordination between agencies,local governments, community groups. Teconservation community should be awareo the potential implications o activities byother groups or what they intend to protect,

and proactively engage in consultation andcoordination rom the start. I such a mandatedoes not exist within the current regimes,they should seek changes to administrative orregulatory procedures to achieve this.

As a product, an integrated approachacilitates the development o complementaryregulatory instruments. Although the emphasiso an integrated approach is on the process,this inevitably acilitates the developmentso complementary or totally new regulatoryinstruments as products which would benefitthe protection o heritage in the long term.

Working together and developing newregulatory instruments are not the easiesttasks or a conservation community which isofen more amiliar with ragmented, isolated,speciality-driven working environments.Conservation proessionals have spent manyyears working in their own domains to protectheritage, with little concern or what happensin the vicinity o a site, let alone or othersaffected by their decisions. In this respect,the importance o the philosophical aspect oan integrated approach must be stressed: an

integrated approach should result in a shifo organizational cultures and participantsattitudes towards acceptance and pursuit ocooperative approaches.

Anuradhapura: an early example

of integrated conservation

Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka is one of thegreat cities of the ancient world andwas the capital of the country fromabout the 6th century BC to the 11thcentury AD. It is a World Heritage site.

The remains are spread over some 15square miles, but unlike many cities ofthe past, Anuradhapura is very muchalive today as one of the most sacredsites to the Buddhists where millionsof people gather on festival days.

The archaeological ruins are managedby the Department of Archaeologythrough the Antiquities Act, butmost of the land resources andinfrastructure belongs to Buddhist

communities, government agenciesand the municipal council and arecontrolled through various pieces oflegislation.

In 1949, the government taskedthe Town and Country PlanningDepartment to work with theDepartment of Archaeology,the municipal government, allgovernment agencies in charge ofland resources and infrastructure, andthe Buddhist community to developthe Sacred Area Planning Scheme anda new institution to manage it. Thisis one of the earliest attempts of theapplication of an integrated approachto the conservation and managementof a large heritage site. The allocationof resources was far greater than if thescheme had been managed solely bythe Department of Archaeology.

Reference

Mitchell B, and Hollick, M. (1993).Integrated Catchment Management

in Western Australia: The Transitionfrom Concept to Implementation,Environmental Management, 17:6, pp735-43

Anuradhapura Preservation Scheme


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On 27 April 1957, signed an agreementwith the Italian Government to set up theheadquarters o a new organization (nowknown as ) in Rome. Italys offer tohost the organization included the provision osuitable premises, located in the same buildingas or in the immediate proximity o the officeo the Istituto Centrale per il Restauro, in orderto ensure an efficient collaborative relationshipwith this important institution.

First premises: Via Cavour

In 1959, settled in an apartmentbuilding on Via Cavour,close to theheadquarters o the Istituto Centrale per il

Restauro, as prescribed in the HeadquartersAgreement, which at that time were in PiazzaSan Francesco di Paola.

Moving to San Michele

In 1970, the then Minister o Foreign Affairs,Aldo Moro, allocated space to inthe ormer Complesso Monumentale delSan Michele, noting the growing wealtho support and interest that the above-mentioned International Centre is gatheringas its activities expand calls or adequate

premises with extreme urgency.Te construction o the San Michelecomplex began at the end o the seventeenthcentury, but was only completed some 150years later afer many vicissitudes. Teragmentary development o the differentparts o San Michelecontrasts with the ormaland homogeneous ront along the Lungoteverea Ripa Grande. Te earliest part, built between1686 and 1689, included a building with twolow wings around the Cortile dei Ragazzi,whose name derives rom the originalunction o the building, intended or the

internment and the rehabilitation o youngorphans. Subsequent additions included: awoollen actory (1693), a reormatory oryoung men (1701), and a house or old menand women (1708).

Successively were built new buildingson the Piazza di Porta Portese(1706-1712),including the customs barracks and behindthem, in 1734, a prison or women was builtbased on a project o Ferdinando Fuga.

In 1796, the complex was completed byNicola Forti with the construction o the

Accademia delle Zitelle. Between 1831 and1834, Luigi Poletti built two lower wings inthe area between the mens prison and theriver iber or marble and metals workshops,

which would have also been used or thedecoration o the Chiesa Grande.

Te complex was acquired by the State inthe early 1970s as premises or theDirezioneGenerale delle Antichit e Belle Arti,Ministerodella Pubblica Istruzione. It currently housesvarious offices o the Ministry, including theDirezione Generale per i Beni Archeologici,the Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo e laDocumentazione(), the Istituto Superioreper la Conservazione ed il Restauro(,ormerly ). s headquarters havebeen located at the northern end o thecomplex in the Cortile del Portorom 1973 tothe present day.

Convent o San Francesco di Ripa

Soon will be on the move again,relocating a mere 200 m down the roadto part o the Convent o San Francesco aRipa, still in the heart o historic Rome.Tis complex was originally a Benedictineconvent and includes a church dedicated toSaint Biagio and a hostel and hospital orthe pilgrims who disembarked in the nearbyport o Ripa Grande. Saint Francis o Assisistayed here during his visit to Rome, and

in 1229 Pope Gregory IX reassigned thebuildings to the first Franciscan communityin Rome.

Te needs o the hostel-hospital and thereligious community led to expansion o thecomplex, including a rectangular cloisternext to the church (fifeenth century); aninfirmary and dormitory (sixteenth century),and a major reconstruction o the churchitsel (seventeenth century). In 1811 thecomplex was occupied by French troops andthe religious community was moved out. Itwas occupied again in 1849 by the Garibaldini

and then, in 1873, expropriated by the Stateand handed over to the military. Te complexsubsequently ell into disuse, but in 1977 wasassigned to theMinistero per i Beni Culturalied Ambientaliand then to the Soprintendenzaper i Beni Culturali ed Ambientali del Lazio.Conservation work started in 1979 and in2000 one wing o the infirmary was finishedand became the headquarters o the CentroOperativo del Comando Carabinieri utelaPatrimonio Culturale.

Te part o the complex that will house

headquarters aces onto the PiazzaPorta Portese. Te rehabilitation project is inits preliminary phase and is expected to beunctional within two years.

A New Headquarters Building for ICCROM

Maria Teresa Jaquinta (ICCROM) and Paola Degni (MiBAC)

Paola Degni, architect, Ministry ofCultural Heritage and Activities(MiBAC), is in charge of theconservation project of the ex-convent of San Francesco a Ripa

Side view of the ex-convent of San Francescoa Ripa


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Training on Archaeological Conservation in Southeast Europe: an

Approach to the Preliminary Condition Assessment

Valerie Magar (ICCROM) and Corrado Pedel

provide repeatable and shareable principlesand methodologies, as well as practical,low-cost tools in the field o problem solvingapplied to conservation. Tese are used withinthe context o a preliminary investigation,ocusing on a visual direct examinationo archaeological sites, structural ruins orobjects, and an initial analysis o their stateo conservation and their vulnerability. Tisapproach is conceived as a prior step to thescientific and instrumental diagnostic phaseand the conservation plan.

System approach

Te initial requisite or the diagnosis and

survey is the consideration o archaeologicalcontext as a whole. Landscapes,archaeological sites and the finds withinthem, people, climate, temporary storageareas, events and conservation treatments areconceived as entities o a large, complex anddynamic system. A clear understanding othis system is a undamental step to proposeinormed decisions or its uture conservationand management.

During the courses, case studies withinarchaeological sites are used to teach

and discuss the condition assessment.Participants are guided through a serieso exercises. Te first step consists odecomposing the archaeological system theyhave been assigned; the logical idea behindthis exercise is that by reducing complexsystems (structures or objects) into smallercomponents, it is easier to understand thesmaller parts first, and then slowly evolve intoa larger picture. For this exercise, participantsare requested to describe and observethe various components o their systemusing only their senses and naked eyes. An

important element in this analysis is to alsorequest participants not to use any implicitknowledge, in order to avoid any possibleassumptions that may lead to alse reasoning.Te idea is to ocus on a description asobjective as possible o what is clearly visible,both o the materials and their effects o decay(or alteration), with no conjectures on thepossible causes at this stage.

Not using any implicit knowledge in theearly stage allows considering alteration anddecay effects (weathering effects) not only

as negative elements, but also as indicatorso the current state o conservation and othe vulnerability o the element, as markerso past events, or alternatively as potentially

Since 2004, yearly courses have beenorganized on archaeological conservationaimed at young conservation proessionalsrom Southeast Europe (Albania, Bosniaand Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia,Former Yugoslav Republic o Macedonia,Greece, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia).Te participants profiles have includedarchaeologists, architects, and conservators.

During these courses, the existence osimilar problems within the region in the fieldo archaeological conservation has becomeapparent, confirming also the need orlong-term training activities to improve thecapacity o young conservation proessionals

and their networking possibilities. Tese,thereore, have been the two main goals o thetraining activities organized by . Teobjectives have also included: to propose methodological approaches

or the conservation and management oarchaeological heritage;

to encourage critical thinking and theability to pursue deeper lines o inquiryor conservation and management oarchaeological heritage; and,

to encourage communication and

networking between conservationproessionals in the region.Tis short article ocuses on the approach

to a preliminary condition assessment andsurvey or archaeological structures or objectsused in the courses. Te aim has been to

Functional-based abstraction

Material-based abstractionisual documentation of wall at Sirmium,erbia. Top: location of cavities in blue;ottom: areas with detachments in yellow


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beneficial elements or the conservationplanning.

Object-Oriented AnalysisTis type o approach is derived romstandard methodologies used in Inormationechnology and cognitive sciences, and isknown is those fields as Object-OrientedAnalysis (). Te procedure, as mentionedabove, consists o decomposing on paper thesystem in question, and then remodelling it ina logical and hierarchical way, which acilitatesits understanding and preliminary analysis.

Te then consists o identiyingthe attributes and behaviour o each o

the components or entities o the system,and identiying relationships between theentities. With this approach, both the originalmaterials, and their effects o alteration anddecay are located and rated.

By using a variety o different modellingpossibilities, the system can be graphicallyrepresented and discussed by participants.Te interest o the method is that, by using acombination o graphic elements coupled toa common basic standard language, a similarunderstanding can be achieved or proessionals

with different backgrounds, and discussion ispossible even i those proessionals may havepotentially different goals, but wish to work inan interdisciplinary manner.

In order to achieve that standard language,participants are requested to conront andcompare various existing internationalglossaries and classification schemes usedor condition assessments and surveys.Tis exercise has a two-old aim. On onehand, it seeks a critical reasoning rom theparticipants on the logic and classificationsystem used behind each o those glossaries.

For the purpose o each course, participantsare required to develop a classificationsystem o weathering effects or their casestudies. On the other hand, the idea is to getamiliarized with the condition assessmentterms, especially because the course is held inEnglish. A multilingual glossary or SoutheastEurope is progressively being developed.

Te final step in the process o the analysis,based on the previously gathered inormation,consists o developing hypotheses or thealteration and decay processes in the case

studies. Once all objective visible evidencesare rationalized, participants are asked toapply a root-cause analysis in order to definethe most significant decay processes in their

case studies. Tis process is supported usinganother modelling technique (an Ishikawaor cause-effect diagram), which enables usto identiy the most relevant alteration anddecay actors and link them to a main cause.

Te method allows or a progressivebuilding o the hypothesis or the causes,based on sound, visible data. Te making othe diagram allows an open discussion andbrainstorming between the team members.

By the end o the process, participants areable to present and discuss the preliminarydiagnostic or all case studies, in a clear andconcise manner. Te documents produced atthis time represent useul tools to continue with

deeper condition assessments, offering clearinormation which may be shared with manyother proessionals, including conservationscientists, managers, or stake holders.

Preliminary results with the method

Te use o this method as one possiblepreliminary approach to condition assessment,and to the understanding o alteration anddecay phenomena, has been challenging,but the results obtained so ar have beeninteresting and encouraging. By the end o

the course, participants are able to conrontcomplex conservation situations withinarchaeological sites. Te logical decompositionprocess allows smaller parts o each systemto be analyzed and discussed, afer whichthe wider picture can be built. Te emphasison the use o the most objective possibleinterpretation and description also enables aneasier communication between participants,by clearly describing what the problem is,and without introducing assumptions orpreconceptions, which could lead to wrongconclusions and inadequate conservation or

management proposals. Tis is particularlyimportant to encourage peer discussion andpeer training, in a region still lacking ormaltraining in archaeological conservation.

Identification of materials present in the case studies

Characterisation of materials

Visual recognition of alteration and decay effects

Mapping alteration and decay effects

Graphic representation of alteration and decay effects

Identification of links between effects

Search for causes for those effects

Priorities/concerns. Vulnerability/risk assessment

Synthesis of activities undertaken byparticipants

Example of an Ishikawa diagram

Corrado Pedel is a conservator-restorer specializing in conditionassessments and emergencytreatments for archaeological sites.He is the co-author (with StefanoPulga) of Practiche conservative sullo

scavo archeologico and a regularteacher on ICCROM courses.


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MuralPaintingCourse(MPC),197

0,

Sermoneta,

Italy


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programme (Conservationo Cultural Heritage in the Arab Region)has recently expanded its geographic scopebeyond Syria, Lebanon and Jordan to benefitall the Arab Member States. Another recentmilestone was the signing in early 2008 oa memorandum o understanding with theGovernment o Sharjah, . In addition tothe regular activities o the programme, severalspecial projects have been undertaken. Suchprojects provide opportunities to develop theproessional skills o those working in the regionand allow participants in previous activities to implement conservation approachesat actual heritage sites. Some o these projects

are also implemented because they have beenrequested by sister organizations such as and the European Union. Tese haveocused on pressing training needs in conflictareas, and have emphasized the developmento conservation approaches particular to theArab region. During the last year activities onsites o international significance have benefitedcultural heritage places such as Bosra, Samarra,Erbil and Jerusalem.

Project, Bosra, Syria

Under the Project (Sustainable HumanActivities in Mediterranean Urban Systems) is helping to draw up a sustainablestrategy integrating the cultural, tourist andsocio-economic development o historicaland cultural heritage at Bosra. Under a pilotproject, technical advice is being providedor the restoration o a courtyard complex oextended amily houses to be used or localbenefit and attraction o eco-tourism. Formercourse participants are playing key roles inthis work, illustrating the post-course impactsand successes o the programmes capacity

building efforts.

Conservation o mural paintings, Byblos

During the first core regional course, participantscarried out condition assessment studies on thetwelfh century mural paintings o the Churcho Behdaidat, Byblos. A first campaign was thencarried out to conserve the paintings. Te team,led by Isabelle Ska and Giorgio Capriotti, alsoincluded two ormer course participants (BadrGedeon and Ghada Salem).

Conservation training, Iraq

At the request o the -Iraq Officein Amman, a three-week training coursewas organized in Istanbul or twelve Iraqiconservation proessionals. Te main

objectives o the course were: to introducethe latest conservation methods and toenable participants to acquire knowledge odocumentation, ollow-up and monitoringo works related to conservation planningas applied to conservation projects in Iraq;and to provide guidance related to ongoingconservation projects in Samarra and Erbil.Participants gained skills to ollow up, supervise,and monitor current conservation projectsin Iraq, particularly at the Al-Askari Shrine,Samarra and Erbil Citadel. It is expected that

participants will also assist in the training otechnicians and workers at these sites in uture.

Institute or the Preservation o ArchitecturalHeritage, Jerusalem

Te Institute or the Preservation oArchitectural Heritage is intended to be atechnical platorm or the proessional trainingo practitioners o architectural conservationin Jerusalem. It is being established by the OldCity o Jerusalem Revitalisation Programme,Welare Association, Jerusalem, with EuropeanUnion unding and in partnership with the

World Heritage Centre. isinvolving course participants in curriculumdevelopment and the supervision o trainers. odate, an assessment o training needs has beencompleted, the methodology or a modularprogramme developed, and the curriculumestablished or a pilot course in 2008.

Since its inception, the programmehas undertaken a wide range o activitiesto support the role o heritage institutionsin the region. As illustrated above, specialprojects orm essential part o its activities,

and provide important indicators to measurethe impact o the programme throughout itsimplementation.

ATHAR Programme: Special Projects

Zaki Aslan (ICCROM)

Conservation of mural paintings, Church ofBehdaidat, Byblos

HAMS Project: elevation of Bosra house,drawn by former ATHAR course participantAnwar Sabik


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One Day Workshop for Children and Conservation

Mojdeh Momenzadeh (Research Center for Conservation of Cultural Relics, Iran)

In the last ew years, the Iranian ResearchCentre or Conservation o Cultural Relics(), tasked with the preservationo cultural heritage, has defined andimplemented projects to increase awarenessabout the ragility o cultural heritage andthe need to preserve it, particularly aimed atyouth. Te initial concepts and ideas werederived rom successul projects suchas the Media Save Art campaign (1991), andpublications like Te Press and the Saeguardo Heritage(1999) and Youth and theSaeguard o Heritage(2000).

Te most recent initiative was a one-dayworkshop or children on the occasion o the

international day o cultural heritage (May2007). It was organized with the ollowingobjectives: to introduce children to cultural heritage

and its ragility, and to the concept andimportance o conservation;

to emphasize their role in thesaeguarding o cultural heritage;

to build a basic understanding of the keyactors and simple orms o deteriorationo cultural heritage;

to generate greater appreciation among

teachers and mentors o the importanceo education o cultural heritage; and to popularize the motto Cultural

heritage without children: Never! Withchildren: Forever!Tirty-three elementary students, their

teachers and some parents participated in thisworkshop. Although the date o the workshopwas close to the final school examinations,thanks to the cooperation o the Ministryo Education and its offices throughout thetwenty districts o ehran province, the schoolsresponded positively and became very involved.

We used a very simple language andbasic computer slide show to explain andamiliarize children with the workshop topics.Te entire session was very interactive. Itwas encouraging to note that the generalknowledge o the children was well beyondour expectation. Tis was clearly evidentrom their keen questions and well inormedanswers during discussions.

Paper, textile and pottery objects wereused as examples as such objects are commonheirlooms among Iranian amilies. We also

prepared simple notes on how these objectswere created and the most common signs odamage. Te children used these notes, theirimagination and inventiveness to extract

the necessary inormation rom the objects,amiliarize themselves with the ideas oauthenticity and integrity, and then conductbasic techniques o conservation, using simplemethods and tools. Te children were alsoshown how to look afer similar objects athome and asked to write stories about theobjects they have at home. Te stories collectedwill be used in planning urther activities.

Parallel to the workshop, a specialpresentation was conducted or teachersand parents. Tey were very pleased withthis initiative and requested that suchprogrammes be carried out regularly inschools. o finish the day on a high note,

certificates and gifs were handed out to allparticipating children.

Te principal success o the workshop or uswas to discover how easy it is to generate interestin young minds about heritage and conservationin a short time. We were pleasantly surprised bythe interest shown by the children, as some otheir comments revealed:

It was a antastic day or me; I have mygreat-grandmothers scar. It is lovely and Iwill try to maintain it in a good way. SomedayI want to give it to my daughter.

I will give all o my classmates a copyo my guidelines. We will shout tomorrowmorning in the [assembly] queue Culturalheritage without children: Never! Withchildren: Forever!

I am very happy. I would like to be acultural heritage conservator when I grow up.

Participants in the one-day workshop

Iranian Research Centre for

Conservation of Cultural Relics

Recent Awareness ProjectsCultural Heritage in Young Hands,presentation during a training courseon Conservation and Managementof Earthen Cultural Heritage, (2-14December 2006, Chogha Zanbil).

Public Conservation, the Easiestand Safest Way of ConservationManagement, a presentation atthe 8th Biannual Conference ofConservation and Restoration ofCultural Objects and ArchitecturalDecorations (December 2007).

Translation into Farsi of the bookYouth and the Safeguard of Heritage

(ICCROM, 2000).

One Day Workshop for Children andConservation, on the occasion of theInternational Day of Cultural Heritage(May 2007).

Mojdeh Momenzadeh, Head,Department of International Affairsand World Heritage, Research Centerfor Conservation of Cultural Relics,Iran


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UNESCO-ICCROM Partnership on Endangered Collections

Isabelle Verger and Catherine Antomarchi (ICCROM)

In the last twenty-five years, the number omuseums and the size o collections havebeen growing rapidly while resources havebeen spread more and more thinly. For manymuseums, the situation is overwhelming,especially or those in countries which have noaccess to networks o resources and expertise.

In autumn 2006, and the MuseumSection o the Division o CulturalHeritage held discussions about how toaddress preventive conservation needsin countries and institutions with lesserresources. Both organizations agreed to pooltheir know-how, experience and networks towork on this issue and in 2007 inaugurated

a three-year Partnership or the PreventiveConservation o Endangered MuseumCollections in Developing Countries.

Tis ocuses on our key objectives: ensuring reliable documentation of

collections; creating the best conditions for preservation

and use o collections in storage; integrating emergency management in

museums; and assessing risks and deterioration for

effective preservation strategies.

Te target institutions are small/mediummuseums with limited resources andcontaining less than 10,000 collection items.

Activities carried out in 2007 dealt withtwo critical topics: documentation andmuseum storage. In many museums in theworld, documentation o collections is stillpoorly organized, inconsistent and in somecases even non-existent. Tis is a significantthreat, as poorly inventoried collections candisappear and all in disuse.

Te objective here is to provide smallermuseums rom developing countries with

the necessary skills and tools to analyse theircurrent documentation systems and to guidethem through a user-riendly method orcomputerized documentation systems ortheir collections.

As a first step, a survey was undertakeno the various documentation systems andinitiatives that have taken place in museumsover the last twenty years. It ocused on asample rom sub-Saharan Arica (ourteennational museums in eleven differentcountries) and was carried out in partnership

with the Ecole du Patrimoine Aricain().A subsequent evaluation and planningworkshop discussed results and actions orthe project development. Both the study and

the workshop highlighted the poor resultso attempts by various organizations anddonor countries to implant computerizeddocumentation systems in museums withlimited resources. Ninety percent o themuseums in the survey which had attemptedcomputerization had ailed. Te reasonsor this were several: lack o updated andorganized documentation systems; complexinitial situations with incomplete inventoriesand catalogues, stacks o objects, mobility orlack o staff, lack o interest and support romthe museum hierarchy and o ollow-up andassistance during the implementation o thedocumentation system.

As a result, and decidedas a priority to develop a simple approachthat stresses the importance o perormingthose tasks which are the basis or anymuseum documentation system, manualor computerized (such as ensuring that allcollections items are numbered, registeredin a bound accession register, and have alocation system).

Te results o the survey are now beingshared with other regions, notably LatinAmerica and Asia. Initial eedback suggests

that these regions have similar experiencesto Arica. Collaboration with organizationsdedicated to the documentation o museumcollections is also being explored to developand disseminate basic documentation advice,taking into account existing resources andlocal approaches and attitudes. Te intentionis to make a guide available, possibly on-line,in French, English and Spanish.

A second major concern o the- partnership is preventiveconservation o collections in storage.Although museum storage is the heart o the

museum, in many cases little attention is paidto collections in storage, which become aninactive resource or the museum.

Such collections remain most o the timeout o sight and sometimes out o mind.Yet they can be exposed to significant andincreasing risks o damage, including poortracking o objects, thefs or loss o objects,damaged objects due to overcrowding,inappropriate supports or fixtures, andabsence o environment monitoring and/orcontrol. In order to maintain their role as

centres o knowledge and research, a centralchallenge or museums is to implementstrategies or the effective care, managementand tracking o collections in storage.

UNESCO-ICCROM Storage Task

Force

Ivan Berger, Deputy Head ofConservation Workshop, MethodicalCentre of Conservation, TechnicalMuseum in Brno, Czech Republic

Martijn De Ruijter, Conservator andLecturer (Collection ManagementDepartment), Tropenmuseum andReinwardt Academy, The Netherlands

Ziva Domingos, Head of MuseumServices at INPC, Luanda, Angola

Aleksandra Diki Nikoli, Conservator,Diana Department for PreventiveConservation, National Museum inBelgrade, Serbia

Aisha Fadhil Ali, Conservator, FortJesus Museum, Mombasa, Kenya

Andrick Francisco, Consultant forCollection Management, LopezMemorial Museum, Philippines

Alvaro Gonzalez, Head of theConservation Science Unit, IDEA,Caracas, Venezuela

Martina Griesser-Stermscheg, Head,Department for Object Conservation,University of Applied Arts Vienna,Austria

Kamal Jain, Professor and Head,Department of Conservation, NationalMuseum Institute, India

Rosanna Kuon, Director in Charge,Museum of Italian Art, Lima, Peru

Mojdeh Momenzadeh, Conservatorand Head, Department ofInternational Affairs and WorldHeritage, Research Centre forConservation of Cultural Relics,

Teheran, Iran

Mara del Pilar Salas, Coordinator,Fine Arts and Cultural Heritage, Sub-

Secretary of Culture of the Province ofCorrientes, Argentina

For further information or to commenton this initiative, please contact theICCROM Collections Unit ([email protected]).


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Te objective here is to build museumscapacity to re-organize the storage o theircollections in order to guarantee theirconservation and use by the community andto share the competencies acquired withother museums in their country or region.

he project began with the design oan assessment tool or museum storagebased on a review o questionnaires andchecklists rom published sources and romunpublished course materials. he tool,in the orm o a check-list with multiplechoice answers, allows non-specializedmuseum sta to score the current state othe collections in storage, and identiy i

and where improvements are needed. It isalso a simple but eicient communicationtool to raise the attention o museumdirectors and convince them to takeaction. As a ollow-up, in January 2008, and invited a group oproessionals experienced in storage re-organization and training or a one-weekworkshop in Rome to discuss and reinea common methodology to guide sta osmaller museums in the re-organizationo their collections in storage. Participants

included twelve proessionals rom Arica,Asia, Latin America and Europe, whowere thus able to oer a variety o viewsand experiences. In addition to reining acommon methodology, the workshop alsorevised existing tools to explain or guidethe process o storage re-organization. Acollection o 315 images and visual aids wascompiled as well as a bibliography o printand on-line resources.

Following the workshop, these expertscommitted themselves to continuecollaborating with and

over the next two years to develop urtherthe methodology and the related tools.Te - Storage ask Forcewas created, with three working teamsaddressing the ollowing topics: further renement of the proposed

methodology, in particular reviewingand including missing steps or activities,and developing short explanations oreach step or activity;

development of a step-by-step approachto estimate space or collections

that could be applied to a variety ocollections and storage; and completion of the current list of

bibliographic resources compiled by

the project, andidentification oresources that aremissing and shouldbe developed.Furthermore, two

pilot projects wereidentified to test andrefine the proposedmethodology, one attheMuseo HistricoProvincial de Corrientes,Argentina, and asecond at the Museumo Decorative Arts in

Isahan, Iran. Both museums will serve as casestudies and will benefit rom the advice andsupport o the task orce. Te pilot projectswere launched in May 2008, ollowing ameeting with the respective museums staffto present and explain the first phase othe methodology, assign responsibilities,start und-raising, and identiy existing andmissing inormation. Te museums filled outthe revised user-riendly assessment tool ormuseum storage to score the current situation,to test and assess the tool, and to suggest

changes. Tey are currently completing thefirst phase, namely establishing a conditionreport o their museum storage.

In early 2009, an evaluation meetingo the Storage ask Force will evaluatethe results o the pilot projects and o theworking teams.

Although the three-year -partnership was originally tailored orendangered collections in less developedcountries, current eedback suggests it isrelevant to museums worldwide.

Smaller institutions continue to struggle

with poor resources and limited accessto expert advice. Although the availableliterature has increased and a air amountis today accessible on the Internet,proposed methodologies and tools donot respond adequately to the needs osmaller institutions which are ofen acedwith situations which have accumulatedand worsened over time. Actions takenby and , combinedwith consultation and sample surveys,demonstrated the need to motivate and

build capacity o those smaller institutionsin improving the conditions and use o theircollections. Tis is what we aim to achieve inthe next two years.

Untidiness and poor tracking of objectsin storage


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Safeguarding Sounds and Images

Aparna Tandon (ICCROM)

will turn fify next year. At the heart oits institutional memory is the digital copy o a1956 film recording o the proceedings o the general conerence held at New Delhi,India in that year. Te historic decision to ound was taken at this general conerence.Te organization was ortunate to acquire adigital preservation master o this importantrecording rom . However, its soundand image collection is at high risk. 40% o therecords in this collection are not readable as therequired play-back equipment is obsolete.

Having become complementary to thewritten word, sound and image records arenow ound in diverse cultural institutions

that are not specialized audiovisualarchives. As documents o the worldsmemory and intangible heritage, they are oimmense value. Yet, in the current phase otransition rom analogue to digital media,many institutions including arestruggling to ensure long-term access to andpreservation o their audiovisual collections.

Conservation o audiovisual materialsis complex and requires specializedguidance, skills and inrastructure.As analogue audiovisual materials are

sensitive to temperature and relativehumidity changes, they require strictstorage conditions to extend their useullie. Meeting these requirements is a greatchallenge or all institutions caring or thesematerials as energy costs escalate and coldstorage is increasingly seen as not beingenvironmentally sound.

o promote the conservation o endangeredsound and image collections within nationalcultural heritage institutions o its MemberStates, introduced the collaborative (Saeguarding Sound and Image

Collections) programme in 2006. Te firstmajor activity o the programme was amonth-long international course, :Saeguarding Sound and Image Collections.

Proessionals rom twenty-five institutionsrepresenting twenty-two countries cametogether in this first course to pool theirknowledge and experience. A majorcomponent o the course ocused onincorporating structural programmesor digital preservation in non-specialistinstitutions. Course activities ranged rom

lectures and group discussions to hands-onexercises and study visits that highlightedboth palliative and preservative measures tobe taken to saeguard audiovisual records.

A limited access website set up or thecourse continues to serve as an inormationand exchange platorm or the network oproessionals. angible outcomes o thetraining also include the conception o severalnational projects ollowing up on courseideas. For example, Vivian Spoliansky romArgentina and Emma Rey rom the Philippinesare designing introductory university levelcourses in their respective countries. Similarly,participants rom Brazil, Zimbabwe, Zambiaand Vanuatu are developing risk managementstrategies in their respective institutions.

For wider dissemination, the valuableexperience o the community will be

collected and synthesized through a web-based publication. It will differ rom existingliterature in that it will not be a best practicespublication, but will rather offer innovativeworking solutions or managing andpreserving AV collections that respect existingresources and institutional rameworks.

SOIMA 2007: Views rom participants

Elena Gudushauri, Curator o the PhotoArchive, Georgian National Museum, Georgia

Its been almost a year since Ive participated in . Tis course was very inormativeand helpul or my proessional activity. Itchanged my way o thinking regarding audioand image preservation issues. I can nowidentiy needs and problems, make decisionsand set priorities. I eel more confident in thisfield because I know now what inormation Ineed and where to find it. I I have questions, Iknow where to find answers.

One o the largest and most importantprojects o the Georgian National Museum isthe building o the Conservation Centre which

will include conservation and restorationlaboratories and storages or different types omaterial. I am currently working on a plan oran archival material conservation laboratory,and have also planned the relocation o theglass-plate negative collection due to thebuilding works. I have also been requestedto review together with colleagues a projecto the Ministry o Justice (Preservation andSaeguarding Conditions o the NationalArchival Fund Documentation). From my ownexperience, I must say that there is a real need

in the world o sound and image preservationor courses such as and I wouldlike to thank the organizers and lecturers orthe hard and really useul work they have done.

ETTER IMAGES PROVIDED

articipants, SOIMA 2007

SOIMA 2007: Safeguarding

Sound and Image Collections

PartnersLaboratrio de Cincia daConservao (LACICOR)Federal University of Minas Gerais,Belo Horizonte, BrazilCinemateca Brasileira, So Paulo,BrazilCentre de Recherche sur laConservation des Collections, (CRCC),FranceCoordinating Council of AudiovisualArchives Associations (CCAAA), UKEuropean Commission onPreservation and Access (ECPA)Masters Degree Program in MovingImage Archiving and Preservation,New York University (NYU), USA

Office of Records Services, NationalArchives and Records Administration(NARA), USA

The course, held in So Paulo, Brazil,was organized in partnership withNational Archives (AN), Brazil, andsupported by a grant from theAndrew W. Mellon Foundation, NewYork, USA.


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Peter Chitungu, Laboratory echnician, TeLivingstone Museum, Livingstone, Zambia

Almost one year now afer ,the general approach towards audiovisualmaterial preservation has greatly improvedat my institution. Tere are now deliberateprojects in place to try and better the liespan o the small audiovisual collectiono tapes in our custody. One o theimmediate projects is to move the tapesrom the current storage room with poorRelative Humidity () readings to a muchmore suitable room with recommended readings. Te other project will involvemigration o analogue video contents rom

carriers to s or the purpose oaccess in case o technological playbackchanges. We are not necessarily going tocarry out digitization o these analogue videomaterials. It is expensive and the institutioncannot afford the cost at the moment.

Tis positive approach towards audiovisualmaterials in our possession is a direct resulto the knowledge and skills acquired duringthe course. Te course wasbeneficial not only to me but also to mycolleagues involved in audiovisual materials

at Livingstone Museum, Zambia. Now we allspeak the same language o a better lie spanor audiovisual materials.

Mercy Mashingaidze, Audiovisual Archivist,National Archives o Zimbabwe

Te course had a positive impacton my proessional lie as an archivist. Igraduated rom university with a degree inHistory and Development Studies and lackedormal training in saeguarding sound andimage collections. Although I was learningthrough experience, it goes without saying

that theory is the greatest oundation to allpractice. Te course managed to equip mewith the proessional methods o audiovisualarchiving and it boosted my confidence inthis field - something that my institutiongreatly appreciates. Beore the course I hadso many doubts, and did not understandwhy certain measures in preserving soundand image collections were taken, something managed to clariy or me.

My institution benefited as afer thecourse I can now handle preservation matters

according to international standards. A goodexample o the institutional benefit is whathappened in March o this year when mydepartment was affected by a water disaster

which occurred when one o the staff membersorgot to close a tap on a Friday. Te waterstarted flowing towards the offices andstorerooms and affected 200 magnetic audiotape cassettes, two film reels and some splicingfilm adhesives. Tanks to the theoretical andpractical knowledge on disaster responseacquired rom we were able to copewith the disaster.

I used the Emergency Response andSalvage Wheel and the documentationprovided during the course and these came inhandy. Te disaster response exercise we didin Rio de Janeiro came resh to my mind as Iled the response and recovery exercise. With

the help o my colleague, I managed to saveall the materials that had been affected by thewater. We then made recommendations tomanagement which included the ormulationo a disaster plan, training or all staff ondisaster response and recovery, and a riskassessment exercise.

Overall, I can say my institution gaineda lot, as I have also shared the knowledge Iacquired on the course with my colleagues inthe Audiovisual department

Rubens Ribeiro Gonalves da Silva, Vice-director, Instituto de Cincia da Inormao,Universidade Federal da Bahia, Brazil

Te experience o attending the coursewas a great opportunity to be among lecturersand proessionals rom different countries,with different economies, improving andsharing their knowledge. Te knowledge hashelped me to propose improvements to theteaching o archival science to undergraduate.We have subsequently organized a one-dayvisual workshop, to show the students what Isaw and learnt during the course. We

have also made changes in the DocumentsConservation and Restoration disciplineprofile and started a short introductorydiscipline (34 hours) about saeguardingsound and moving images collections to tenMasters students in Inormation Science, withdifferent and interesting proessional profiles.

In June, the Inormation ScienceInstitute o Federal University o Bahiaheld the National Meetingon Inormation Learning and Researchin the city o Salvador. Sound and moving

images materials were the subject o twoimportant panels which included three participants. In act, it is a result othe experience!

Checking the condition of film

Types of audiovisual media


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ICCROM Library: Selected New Acquisitions

Paul Arenson (ICCROM)

Archaeology

La a