ORAL PRESENTATIONS BY THE INTERNS OF THE MSC IN CONSERVATION FOR ARCHAEOLOGY AND MUSEUMS (16 May 2013)

Everybody was very impressed by the presentations last Thursday. Congratulations to all the presenters! 
The presentations discussed the research the students are doing for their final MSc dissertations, due in September. Here is the list of topics, for those who could not be there:

Shiree Roberts [Manchester Museum]
Wax on, wax off? An exploration of the relationship between lacquer and wax.

Rafael Lopez Bravo [Plowden and Smith; Wallace Collection]
The influence of the object's context on conservation decision-making.

Emma Payne [Victoria and Albert Museum, sculpture; British Museum, stone]
Making moulds of objects: uses and conservation perspectives.

Rachel Greenberg [British Museum, ceramics and metals]
Revising the methodology for testing MDF sealants to prevent corrosive emissions.

Nicola Harrison [Horniman Museum]
A fair comparison? The impact of experience on the adoption of new materials.

Kelly Schulze [Historic Royal Palaces; Plowden and Smith]
Functions and events in historic houses and museums.

Rebecca Pont [Bodleian Library; Ashmolean Museum]
The removal and stabilization of fragile ceramic fragments from a damp soil-block.

Alison Foster [Royal Albert Memorial Museum; Pitt Rivers Museum]
Powerful objects: meanings, contexts and conservation.

Lisa Barter [Museums of Scotland]
Corrosion to metal: there and back again; or potentiostatic reduction from a conservator's perspective.

Ben Regel [National Maritime Museum; Science Museum]
Exploring the effect and impact of institutional context on the management and conservation of culturally sensitive materia.
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Flavia Ravaioli [Scott Polar Research Institute & Fitzwilliam Museum]
Sourcing sustainable conservation materials.

Carmen Vida Navarro [Museum of London]
Evaluating treatment processes: a discussion of treatment viability and acceptability in relation to the acetone-rosin treatment for waterlogged wood.

Two conservation-related projects feature in the Happy List 2013!

Be inspired! Two conservation-related projects feature in the Independent's Happy List 2013!

This is the Independent's sixth annual Happy List, naming "100 outstanding people whose volunteering, caring, fundraising, mentoring, charity founding or selflessness makes Britain a more contented, supportive, better-adjusted and happier place".

You can see the list here but look out for:

Acorn Bank Watermill Volunteers - Heritage lovers:
"Richard Harland, Ray Gill and Bob Price form the trio who painstakingly restored and now maintain an ancient mill at Temple Sowerby, Cumbria. For five years they have helped to rebuild the wooden structure, and the mill is now able to grind flour for the first time in over 70 years."

Denise Bernard - Restorer:
"Denise’s determination to restore The Florence Institute in Toxteth, Liverpool, which closed in the 1980s, is the reason it stands tall today. Denise and her community, helped by lottery funding, have transformed “the Florrie” into a youth and social club that is used by 250 children weekly."

ICOM-CC Interim meeting: CONSERVATION NOW - 5th-6th September 2013

CONSERVATION NOW, an ICOM-CC Interim Meeting organized by Working Groups for 'Education & Training' and 'Preventive Conservation' will take place at Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne on Thursday 5th and Friday 6th September 2013. 

The organizers seek to understand the current and future demands on conservation practice so that conservation programmes can maximise the employability of their graduates. They would like to gather data on the experiences of conservation graduates, conservation programmes, practising conservators as well as those employing conservators.

For this, they are asking for feedback through online surveys. The links are below. Please choose the one that is most appropriate to you. 

Conservation Practitioners Survey
Conservation Employers Survey
Conservation Graduates Survey
Conservation Programmes Survey 

The deadline for completion of the surveys is Friday 31st May 2013

If you have any queries please contact Jean Brown

17th Triennial Conference through Friday, May 3, 2014: deadline for contributions has been extended

ICOM-CC is extending the deadline for contributions to the 17th Triennial Conference through Friday, 3rd May, 2013. 

The conference will take place in Melbourne, Australia from 15th to 19th September, 2014. The theme is 'Building Strong Culture through Conservation'. 


See more details on the theme and on how to apply on the dedicated website
For any questions, contact  preprints

If you are interested in the Working Group on Ethnographic Collections please contact Renata

Jobs in Conservation: Lectureship in Conservation at University College London

The UCL Institute of Archaeology is recognised as one of the leading academic departments of Archaeology not just in the UK but globally. The Institute has an established position as a world leading heritage conservation training institution. Our post graduate programmes investigate cultural heritage through the conservation of heritage objects and structures.

We are seeking to appoint a talented individual at Lecturer level from 1 September 2013, to work with existing colleagues in contributing to and developing research and teaching in conservation.

The person appointed will be expected to make a significant contribution to the MA in Principles of Conservation, the MSc in Conservation for Archaeology and Museums and other Institute programmes, including academic and practical teaching, supervising dissertations, tutoring internships and organising fieldwork. It is expected that the person will enthusiastically participate in the Institute’s Heritage Studies Section, contributing to strategic developments across the activities of the Section.

Key Requirements

The successful candidate will have a passion for conservation teaching and research, outstanding achievements for their career stage, a PhD in conservation or a closely related subject, and a strong track-record of publication in the field of conservation. They will also have an enthusiastic attitude towards collaborative teamwork.

Please note that the successful candidate will be appointed to a grade on the basis of skills and experience. Appointment at grade 8 will be dependent on experience and outstanding research and teaching achievements.

For further details and for instructions on how to apply please click here

If you have any queries regarding the vacancy or the application process please contact Louisa Goldsmith

JCMS: Imaging Techniques in Conservation by Emma Marie Payne

Another great article on JCMS! Here Emma Payne explores the potential uses of new imaging techniques within conservation.


Here is part of the abstract, for your delight!

"Study of such implications is crucial because employment of these imaging techniques is increasingly common and becoming irreplaceable. For example, polynomial texture mapping (PTM) has revealed previously undetectable surface features; this makes it necessary to continue to use the technique to monitor object condition. 3D laser scanning and certain applications of CT scanning are also examined. The findings indicate that the techniques present some advantages over standard digital photography. The 3D models produced by laser and CT scanning, and the high-resolution texture maps created with PTM enable changes in surface features to be tracked and recorded. PTM is found to be particularly useful and affordable. A more established role within conservation, especially for condition assessments, would be worthwhile. Use of the imaging techniques to create digital and physical models for exhibitions can also be advantageous. However, such models must be used to enhance understanding of original objects, not to reduce accessibility to them."

Read the whole article here

JCMS: Architectural Conservation of an Amun Temple in Sudan - by Tracey Sweek, Julie R Anderson, Satoko Tanimoto

Take a look at 'Architectural Conservation of an Amun Temple in Sudan', a new article published by the Journal of Conservation and Museum Studies. 

T Sweek at work in Dangeil, image from JCMS

The article, written by Tracey Sweek, Julie R Anderson and Satoko Tanimoto (all from the British Museum), discusses the  excavation and conservation of a 2000 year old Amun Temple at Dangeil in Sudan. Dangeil is located to the south of the 5th Nile cataract in Sudan. In 2008, a preliminary visit was organised to intiate a conservation programme and trials to the architectural fabric of the temple, various other excavation seasons followed. 


The materials used in the temple's construction include mud brick, fired brick, lime plaster and sandstone - real challenges for conservators. Sweek discusses some of these challenges and the responses she found considering the restricted resources available. 

Click here to read the article.

CONSTRUCTING CLOTHING: EXPLORING THE MAKING OF DRESS

At the Safra Lecture Theatre
09/02/2013 (10:00-18:00)
For further information contact chsevents@kcl.ac.uk

This Applied Arts workshop explores the interconnectedness of the production of clothing and the construction of self. The morning session focuses on approaches to making paying particular attention to its social functions. In the afternoon the papers focus on production in its historical context, examining the technical evidence as it survives from the Classical to Medieval periods. The aim of the day is to bring together a diverse audience to think about how the dress functions in terms of practical, functional and cultural elements. We are what we make and we are what we wear.

Programme
10.00 - 10.30 Registration, with tea and coffee
10.30 - 10.40 Introduction
Constructing clothing: approaches to making
10.40 - 11.20 Margarita Gleba (University College London), ‘You are what you wear: exploring evidence for Scythian dress’.
11.20 - 12.00 Ben Cartwright (University of Cambridge), ‘Making the cloth that binds us: the role of textile production in producing a sense of home’.
12.00 - 12.40 Myriem Naji (University College London), ‘Working at the loom, working on the self: gender and weaving in the Sirwa, Morocco’.
12.40 - 13.40 Lunch
The making of dress: from the Classical to Medieval periods
13.40 - 14.10 Myriem Naji’s film of the Sirwa Weavers of Morocco making the akhnif.
14.10 - 14.50 Hero Granger-Taylor, ‘Weaving clothes to shape in Classical antiquity’.
14.50 - 15.30 Ursula Rothe (The Open University), ‘Roman provincial dress: making and meaning’.
15.30 - 16.00 Tea and coffee
16.00 - 16.40 Frances Pritchard (University of Manchester), ‘Styling dress in Viking-age Dublin’.
16.40 - 17.20 Gale Owen-Crocker (University of Manchester), ‘Digging out medieval dress: the importance and limitations of archaeological evidence’.
17.20 - 17.45 Questions and conclusions
The registration fee for this workshop is £5. Please book via the King's e-store
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/chs/eventrecords/constructing-clothing.aspx

Project on communicating conservation UCL-IoA 2012-13

This was the last of a series of posters designed by students from ARCLG141 (2012-13),  one of the core courses of the MA in Principles of Conservation at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London.

Each poster explored a specific conservation issue and tailored it to the targeted audience. The posters were accompanied by a paper where the same issues were explored in more depth. Unfortunately you will only have access to the posters!  But watch this space and you will certainly know more about the amazing work these conservation students are doing!
You can see all the posters in this blog by scrolling the page down or on our UCL page

You can leave comments here or on our FB page

Issues in conservation: reversibility, neutrality and objectivity, by V Ford

Conservation theory is pervaded by the notions of reversibility, neutrality and objectivity. This poster re-examines the terms, questioning their usefulness and attainability in modern conservation practice. The aim is to increase awareness and understanding about their implications and to encourage conservators to think beyond individual terms when making treatment decisions as well as in their interactions with others.

Photos taken with kind permission from Magdalen College, Oxford.

Target Audience

Primary audience: Conservation professionals. Secondary audience: Museum professionals. Context: International or national academic conference.