e-conservation magazine • 17
TRANSCRIPT
e-conservationthe online magazine No. 17, December 2010
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Multicultural Conservation
e-conservation
Nowadays conservation has become a truly multicultural field, not only because the desire to protect
our heritage has no borders or nationality, but also because conservation itself has profited enormously
during the years from the contributions of many different cultures. Nevertheless, its multiculturalism
is still not assimilated by conservators as strongly as it should be. For example, with English being
today the most used lingua franca in the world, it is only natural that most of the technical literature
on conservation can be found in English although much, much more is available in other languages
such as French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, etc. This, obviously, raises the problem of
multilingualism and the restricted access we have to literature or information conveyed in other
languages than those we speak. For a long time it was thought that the internet would help over-
come this problem by direct and instant communication, and although it has indeed improved the
access to information, it has not brought a definitive solution. It has never been easier to find a re-
ference of a book or an article, but to access it remains as difficult as it was before.
In the long run, this problem has led to the creation of a gap between conservators from English-
speaking countries and the rest of the world, which may appear as ‘less developed’. However, it is not
difficult that this should occur whilst the contributions to this common patrimony of knowledge by
different countries is so unbalanced. Conservation may not be equally developed as a profession in
every country, but sharing information on a bigger scale would certainly help us equalize the level of
knowledge and to surpass this gap.
Part of the problem, as my experience and dialogue with fellow conservators has shown me, is that
in non-Anglo-Saxon countries a high percentage of professional conservators don’t see publishing
as a necessity. This, I believe, happens for two reasons. Firstly because they do not have the tradition
or practice of writing for the public and secondly, because of a feeling that their contribution does
not count, that it’s not relevant enough to make a difference on the international scene. Whereas the
first problem can only be surpassed with time, the second is about a mentality which can be changed.
It’s up to us to deal with it. It appears to be present in the west, but mostly in the eastern European
countries, and it may well exist in the Orient and Far East too. The tendency is to publish at a national
level, which appears to be a greater contribution and is preferred rather than a smaller one on an in-
ternational scale. This repeated practice has triggered off a lack of participation that reflects upon
younger generations, and that can be seen on today’s dynamic scene as a lack of interest and indif-
ference. Or, would it be possible to interpret this mentality as reminiscent of the old practice of hiding
‘restoration trade secrets’, when conservators did not want to disseminate knowledge because of
competition?
Of course not all of our interventions are equally important, not all the works of art we deal with are
as notorious as others. However, it’s important that undergoing projects, new methodologies and
new materials are disseminated frequently and that interesting case studies are published regularly.
The importance of publishing can not be understated: new solutions to old problems may be found
in unexpected sources and the ingenuity of one conservator may well prove useful to another. Conser-
vation has benefited from science but unlike scientists, we still need to learn that to share our ex-
perience and know-how is part of the job. After all, the development of the conservation field is in
the hands of every conservator. Where every opinion matters and each contribution can make a dif-
ference, the sharing of information is a duty of us all.
Rui BordaloEditor-in-Chief
NEWS & VIEWS 6
ARTICLES
CASE STUDY
32
The Social Media Challenge for Conservation Outreach
By Daniel Cull
REVIEWS
Conservation and the Eastern Mediterranean
IIC Congress
Review by Sagita Mirjam Sunara
Bigstuff 2010
Review by Alison Wain
16th International Heritage Show
Review by Petruta Vlad
NEWS
Preparing Ikats for Colors of the Oasis: Central Asian Ikats.
Dyeing, Dressing & Display
By Cyndi Bohlin
BOOK RELEASES
Books Will Speak Plain. A Handbook for Identifying and Describing
Historical Bindings, by Julia Miller
Studies on Information and Knowledge Processes. Studies on
Heritage Management I, by Ferenc Kiss, Lia Bassa (eds.)
The Picture of Memory, by Michela Rossi, Cecilia Tedeschi (eds.)
UPCOMING EVENTS
January - February 2011
Science and Restoration at the Service of Interpretation
By Dimitrios Doumas
An Extensive Study of the Effect of the Enzyme α-Amylase
Used in Textile Conservation on Silk Fibers Dyed with Safflower
and Madder Dye
By Harby E. Ahmed
Conservation and Restoration of a Rare Large Persian Carpet
By Omar Abdel-Kareem
The Bactria Cultural Centre: A UNESCO-sponsored project in Mazar-e
Sharif, war-struck northern Afghanistan – Success or Failure?
By Alessandro Califano
EVENTS
8
41
INDEX
28
22
13
17
52
e-conservation 5
20
64PROJECTS
24
23
new
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THE SOCIAL MEDIA CHALLENGE FOR CONSERVATION OUTREACH
Conservators are increasingly utilizing
the internet as a means of what’s called
'outreach', often though the method
(as opposed to the medium) of this
outreach remains a version of broad-
cast communication that fails to take
full advantage of the potentialities of
the internet. Since antiquity the primary
method of communication has been
from one (or few) to many; whether it
be the printed handbill, the TV advert-
isement, or an academic journal article,
the form has remained one of 'broad-
cast' a one way street; a producer to
consumer relationship. In comparison
'social media' offers a profound chal-
lenge to this system, the potential of
a many-to-many communication, in
which all who take part can communi-
cate with one another directly without
the mediation of a central broadcasting
system. This, after Deleuze and Guat-
tari, could be thought of as 'rhizomatic
communication'.
The rhizome is an idea extracted from
botany: “A rhizomatic plant has no cen-
ter and no defined boundary; rather,
it is made up of a number of semi-inde-
pendent nodes, each of which is ca-
pable of growing and spreading on its
own, bounded only by the limits of its
habitat” [2]. The idea has developed
as a metaphor for a model of thought
that defies the very idea of a model; a
“Write, form a rhizome, increase your territory by deterritorialization.”
(Deleuze and Guattari) [1]
By Daniel Cull
decentralized, pluralistic system of connections.
Philosophically this metaphor has been described
as "thought characterized by a radical openness
to an outside” [3]. The metaphorical rhizome is
concerned with principles of connection, hetero-
geneity, multiplicity, and rupture. The extrapola-
tion of these central components onto the post-
modern nonlinearality and labyrinthine nature,
and hypertextualization, of the internet enable it
to be characterized as a rhizome, through utilizing
this essential nature of the internet conservation
outreach could become more effective.
Conservators routinely use social media for com-
munication, and the profession is increasingly
approaching the point at which “arguments
about whether new forms of sharing or collabor-
ation are, on balance, good or bad reveal more
about the speaker than the subject” [4]. That be-
ing said, not all conservation outreach online
e-conservation
Sarracenia rhizome.
makes best use of the rhizomatic nature of the me-
dium in which it is being conducted. The result is
often the social media equivalent of spam broad-
casts - the excess production of unsolicited one way
communication. However, conversely, there are a
few within the field who have developed 'outreach'
into a fully collaborative communication system.
There are, for example, many small scale campaigns
for the safeguarding of material culture (often
buildings or places) that utilize platforms such as
facebook to develop communities of care; such as
the excellent ‘Save Our Seminary’ [5]. Moreover,
social media allows the development of an idea,
rather than product, which can be released for others
to take up and build upon, such as 'Wikipedia Saves
Public Art!' [6] in which the collaboratively edited
project page becomes the de/central/ized point of
oversight. Alternatively, rhizomatic systems also
allows nodes to be connected without their direct
participation, as is illustrated by the recently
launched ‘e-conservation daily’ [7] which allows
conservation information that is already being
shared by conservators using twitter to be brought
together into one aesthetically pleasing location
for easier consumption; and additional re/sharing.
Previously the intention of outreach was to in-
form in order to gain support (financial, political,
social, etc) for a given product, the social media
approach tends towards encouraging action and
information sharing amongst peers; essentially
creating communities rather than consumers. One
of the most profound aspects of the rhizomatic
social media approach that differs from the tree-
like broadcast model is the way in which control
of outcomes is given up, in favor of wider parti-
cipation. In essence an increase in territory in
the new medium is achieved through the act of
deterritorialization. The question then for con-
servation outreach can no longer exclusively be
a case of ‘what will make people value us’ or ‘how
do we demonstrate the importance of heritage
to people’, but, must instead be ‘what ideas do we
wish, and have, to share’ and ‘how do we encourage
people to share their heritage with one another’?
Notes:
[1] G. Deleuze, and F. Guattari, A Thousand Plateaus:
Capitalism and Schizophrenia, B. Massumi (trans.),
University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 1987,
originally published as Mille Plateaux, Les Editions
de Minui, Paris, 1987, p. 11
[2] D. Cormier, “Rhizomatic education: Community as
curriculum”, Innovate 4 (5), 2008, URL
[3] S. Newman, From Bakunin to Lacan: Anti-Authorita-
rianism and the Dislocation of Power, Lexington Books,
New York, 2001, p. 105
[4] C. Shirky, Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Orga-
nizing Without Organizations, The Penguin Press, New
York, 2008, p. 297
[5] Save Our Seminary Facebook Group, URL
[6] D. Cull, “Wikipedia Saves Public Art: An interview
with Richard McCoy and Jennifer Geigel Mikulay”,
e-conservation magazine 14, 2010, pp. 19-27, URL
[7] e-conservation daily, URL
VIEWS
e-conservation 7
DANIEL CULLConservatorThe Musical Instrument Museum
Website: http://dancull.wordpress.com
Contact: [email protected]
Daniel Cull is from the West Country of the British
Isles. He trained at the Institute of Archaeology,
University College London, where he received a
BSc in Archaeology, MA in Principles of conserva-
tion, and an MSc in Conservation for Archaeology
and Museums. He was later awarded an Andrew
W. Mellon Fellowship at the National Museum of
the American Indian/Smithsonian Institution,
Washington, DC. He currently works as a conser-
vator at the Musical Instrument Museum and as
a collaborator with e-conservation magazine.
Review by Sagita Mirjam Sunara
The 23rd biennial IIC Congress was held in Istan-
bul, Turkey, the European Capital of Culture in
2010. The five-day event was impeccably organized
by the International Institute for Conservation and
hosted by the Sabanci Centre. Focusing on the
conservation issues in the Eastern Mediterranean,
the Congress provided an opportunity to share
ideas and experiences, expand knowledge, es-
tablish new collaborations and strengthen those
already existing. It gathered over 300 participants
from 44 countries.
Some 40 presentations were divided in 7 sessions:
"Diversity in the Eastern Mediterranean: from the
sea bed to Mount Athos", "Islamic arts in metal
and manuscript", "Diversity in the Eastern Medi-
terranean: from odea to photographs", "From deco-
rated sandals to decorated rooms","Preserving
objects in situ and ex situ","Making and preserving"
and, finally, "Paint, painting, religious use and
sustainability". A wide range of topics was dis-
cussed, from the maintenance of archaeological
sites and preserving objects in situ to the conser-
vation of moveable heritage and the issues deal-
ing with historic places' preservation. The full list
of presentations can be found here.
Since it is impossible to summarize all 40 presen-
tations, I will highlight just a few important ones.
Two international projects were presented that
address the ongoing need for conservation edu-
cation in the region: MOSAIKON and the Middle
East Photograph Preservation Institute (MEPPI).
MOSAIKON is a partnership of the Getty Conser-
vation Institute (GCI), the Getty Foundation, the
International Centre for the Study of the Preserva-
tion and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM)
and the International Committee for the Conser-
vation of Mosaics (ICCM). It is a collaborative ef-
fort to preserve the mosaic heritage of the Medi-
terranean through education and professional
capacity building. Kathleen Dardes (GCI) talked
about courses offered for site managers and tech-
nicians. One of the most important goals of this
project, however, is the development of a strong
academic infrastructure in mosaics conservation.
Nora Kennedy (Metropolitan Museum of Art) and
Debra Hess Norris (University of Delaware) dis-
cussed the need for preserving photographic col-
lections in the Mediterranean. In collaboration
with the Arab Image Foundation and the American
University of Beirut they held a workshop on the
conservation of photographic materials. Although
September, 20-24, 2010,
Istanbul, Turkey
Organized by:International Institute for Conservation, IIC
Hosted by: Sabanci Centre
CONSERVATION AND THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEANIIC Congress
VIEWS
8 e-conservation
Debra Hess Norris and Nora Kennedy, "Preservation of the photographic heritage of the Eastern Mediterranean".
this workshop was a huge success and another
one is planned in near future, they feel that edu-
cational tools are not the only means that can be
used to address this problem; it is necessary to
translate professional literature and make it ac-
cessible, to raise public awareness and increase
funding. The two projects described convey the
idea that the cultural heritage is a common con-
cern, and that the challenges met in its preserva-
tion can only be overcome through international
collaboration.
Many non-Mediterranean countries show great
interest in the cultural heritage of this region, in
part because their museums hold objects of Medi-
terranean provenance. The so-called Ottoman
rooms, richly decorated reception rooms in private
Syrian houses, for example, are mostly preserved
in museums outside Syria. A series of lectures shed
new light on these rare polychrome wooden in-
teriors. Idries Trevathan of the Islamic Arts Mu-
seum Malaysia, a team of conservators of The
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and
Anke Scharrahs, a private conservator working
on the Syrian interiors in German collections and
on those few surviving examples in Damascus,
discussed materials and techniques of their exe-
cution, condition, conservation and presentation.
Only 10% of 600 Ottoman rooms in Damascus have
been preserved, said Scharrahs, and more than
80% of these have been over painted and/or var-
nished with an oil-resin varnish that has darkened,
thus changing their appearance. The IIC congress
gave delegates an opportunity to raise awareness
and attract the interest of the global community
of experts to these burning issues.
At the very opening of the congress, the renowned
author, historian and university professor David
Lowenthal delivered the Forbes Prize lecture, which
recognizes those who have made an outstanding
contribution to the field of conservation. He was
one of the six panelists of the round table discus-
sion entitled "Between Home and History: man-
aging the interface between preservation and
development of living historic places", which was
held on the second day of the Congress. Other
panelists included anthropologists Leyla Nezi and
Ayfer Bartu Candan, preservationist and author
Stephen Bond, and preservation architects Fran-
cesco Siravo and Asli Kiyak Ingin. Following a touch-
ing video interview with Nobel Prize winning au-
thor Orhan Pamuk, a native of Istanbul, the dis-
cussion focused on the importance of preserving
the community along with the built heritage.
Panelists from Istanbul promoted an appeal to
the international community to support their
fight against gentrification of the city. This round
table was a part of the IIC's initiative Dialogues
REVIEWS
Idries Trevathan, "The Ottoman Room at the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia: a technical study of its methods and materials".
e-conservation 9
Round table discussion.
for the New Century, a series of discussions on
emerging issues in the modern world and their
relationship to the preservation of cultural heritage.
All transcripts are available online.
One-day and half-day excursions were offered on
the third day of the Congress. The delegates had
the opportunity to explore Istanbul and network
in a less formal environment. There were many
opportunities for networking during the Congress:
in the breaks between the lectures short meetings
10 e-conservation
were organized for those who received grants to
attend the event, the representatives of the IIC
national groups and the student-participants.
The IIC seems determined to engage its members
more actively in its projects. One of the great new
initiatives is the Project Lingua, which invites pro-
fessionals from non-English speaking countries
to voluntarily translate transcriptions of the Dia-
logues for the New Century events to their native
languages, so that the professional knowledge can
be shared worldwide.
REVIEWS
Second student meeting. Visit to the Istanbul Conservation Laboratory.
Visit to Hagia Sofia. Visit to Blue Mosque.
e-conservation 11
Posters were displayed throughout the Congress.
The authors presented their work on a dedicated
session on the fourth day of the event. The poster
prize was awarded to Solmaz Yasollhi for her poster
"Rehabilitation of the Damir Gapisi historic cara-
van route in Tabriz, Iran". Following a proposal
made at the IIC Student Meeting in London, where
the Congress was held in 2008, a student poster
session was organized alongside the 'profession-
al' one. There was, however, no difference in the
quality between the two. The Student Poster Prize
went to Caroline Roberts for her poster, "Docu-
mentation, Technical Analysis and Treatment of
a Bitumen Model Boat from Ur", while an honor-
able mention was given to Michail Koufopoulos
for his poster "Methodology for the design of
repair mortars".
Following the last session of last day of the Con-
gress, President of the IIC Jerry Podany awarded
the Keck Award to the Wallraf-Richartz Museum
& Fondation Corboud and the Cologne Institute for
Conservation Science of the University of Applied
Sciences in Cologne for their project, "Painting
Techniques of Impressionism and Postimpression-
ism". This reward is presented to those that pro-
mote public understanding and appreciation of
the work of the conservation profession.
Keck Award winners.
REVIEWS
Poster session.
I believe that the success of a professional meet-
ing can be judged by its outcomes. For me, one
of the best things about the Istanbul Congress is
the formation of the IIC - Arabic Group. It sends
out a message that it is not only the culture that
brings people together, but also the effort to
preserve it.
SAGITA MIRJAM SUNARASenior teaching assistantThe Conservation-Restoration Department
Arts Academy of the University of Split, Croatia
Contact: [email protected]
Sagita Mirjam Sunara has a diploma in conser-
vation-restoration of easel paintings and poly-
chromed wood. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D.
in Art History at the Faculty of Philosophy in
Zagreb, Croatia. Her doctoral research deals with
the history of conservation-restoration practice
in Croatia. She works as a senior teaching assistant
at the Department for Conservation and Resto-
ration at the Arts Academy of the University of
Split, teaching about modern techniques and
materials in the conservation and restoration
of easel paintings and doing practical conserva-
tion work with MA students.
Do you need an online presence?
Do you feel it’s time to update to 'digital conservation'?
Do you have a website that looks like built in the last century?
www.Yconservation.com
Visit our website
Yconservation is a collaborative project designed especially for individuals
and small businesses in the cultural heritage field. We create online solutions
that provide you with what you need, combining design, functionality and
ease of use. We offer HIGH QUALITY and LOW COST SOLUTIONS for
your business or project.
GRAPHIC AND WEB DESIGN SERVICES FOR CONSERVATION
13e-conservation
REVIEWS
On 6-8 October, the Imperial War Museum hosted
Bigstuff 2010, a conference centered around the
challenges of preserving, restoring and display-
ing large technology heritage objects. This was
the third in the series of Bigstuff conferences
(the others being in Canberra, Australia 2004
and Bochum, Germany 2007), and like the pre-
vious ones, drew people from all over the world,
who cared for a wide variety of objects, and worked
in an eclectic mix of organisations. The following
papers are described thematically.
The theme of the conference call for papers had
been ‘conflict’, recognising that the big challenges
of large technology heritage can often result in
strong disagreements. In the conference itself,
however, this theme morphed into one of poli-
tics and decision making, with speakers taking a
positive and proactive approach to the difficulties
and developing improved processes for the ne-
gotiation of significance, display goals and treat-
ment priorities.
Stefan Brueggerhoff of the German Mining Mu-
seum outlined a decision making model to deal
with truly big industrial machinery complexes.
Recognising that it is impossible to do everything
at once at such sites, the model focuses on de-
fining goals and priorities for the gradual con-
servation of the site over an extended period of
time, planning for the parts of the site that can-
not be preserved, and drawing together the needs,
approaches and languages of the different spe-
cialists involved in a large site project.
Sue Warren from the Canada Science and Techno-
logy Museum Corporation spoke of trying to re-
concile the ethics of the conservation profession
(minimal intervention and the preservation of
original material), with the expectations of visi-
tors, who she thought wanted to see technology
objects highly restored. In response to this pre-
dicament she had also developed a decision making
model, based on an objective assessment of the
significance of the object and its role within the
collection. Application of this model has resulted
in some less interventive treatments, and visitors
have responded very positively to the less restored
objects.
Sue had drawn on the Conservation Management
Tool developed in 2006 by Joanna Barr to aid
decision making for working heritage machinery.
Joanna (now Romanos) has continued to refine
this Tool, working with Allison Russell of the Na-
tional Motor Museum of Australia, who presen-
ted the updated version at the conference. Like
Stefan’s model, the focus is on bringing togeth-
er assessments of significance, physical condi-
tion and available resources in a process that is
thorough, objective and reproducible. Joanna’s
model also incorporates a risk management evalu-
ation, and five star rating system for rarity, fra-
gility and (physical) state, both of which help to
make the assessments of different objects explicit
and comparable.
David Hallam, of the National Museum of Australia
(NMA), also drew on Joanna’s work, as well as
Significance 2.0 (a must-read for heritage profes-
sionals – find it on the web), to assess the signi-
ficance, level of risk and consequences for each
mechanical system in an object. This gave him a
numerical risk rating for the whole object that was
BIGSTUFF 2010 October 6 - 8, 2010, Duxford, UKOrganiser: Imperial War Museum, Duxford, UKReview by Alison Wain
Visit our website
easy to graph – great for those corporate manage-
ment meetings! David also described analytical
work done on coolants, brake fluid, engine, gear-
box and transmission oils at the NMA, and by Mi-
chael Brunnott at the Coventry Transport Museum,
noting that in each case certain products were
notably better suited for use on older vehicles. The
NMA is also collaborating with the Swiss Founda-
tion HAM in a feasibility trial of an inspection and
maintenance program for their large operational
vehicle collection.
Anthony Coullis, of Britain’s National Railway Mu-
seum, spoke of the challenges and solutions to
operating historic locomotives, especially on main
line railways. Like the speakers above he also uses
a Conservation Management Plan that involves
making an assessment of the significance of object,
as well as a hierarchy of replacement parts – opera-
tion of a locomotive is more likely to be approved
if only minor parts need replacement or repair.
Andrew Schroeder from the Australian War Memo-
rial, and I, looked at the consequences of not fol-
lowing such rigorous planning processes. A hastily
implemented idea to make about 25 vehicles from
the Memorial’s collection operational for Memorial
and other events fell apart as it became evident
that the project members had different goals, the
audience evaluation and marketing side had been
omitted, and the real costs of the project had not
been acknowledged. We described the strategies
which were most helpful in resolving the resulting
conflicts, and looked at the way existing organisa-
tional structures and culture influenced the out-
comes of the project.
Dave Morris, of Britain’s Fleet Air Arm Museum,
discussed where to draw the line in operating ob-
jects, noting that there was a perception that it
was OK to borrow parts from non-flying aircraft
to keep flying aircraft operational for public dis-
14 e-conservation
REVIEWS
play, because ‘the parts would be returned later’.
Dave pointed out that they could not be given
back if the aircraft crashed, and that there was
little evidence that the flying aircraft had been
used for public displays anyway. He advocated
maintaining a firm line between flying and non-
flying collection objects, and basing the object’s
use plan on a realistic evaluation of the benefits
of operation.
Ethical decisions about use always have pros and
cons on both sides. Laura Kennedy from the Aus-
tralian War Memorial, and I, delved into the Me-
morial’s decision to purchase a Ford Chevy truck
to use as display furniture. With no known historic
provenance, it was felt that the truck could be
resized and repainted to fit the display with no
ethical questions necessary, but is this really so?
Is it ethical to display an object that is not, histori-
cally, what it appears to be? Do visitors care? My
research on visitor preferences for large techno-
logy presentation suggests that many visitors feel
original objects provide a bridge to the past, and
value signs of age and use as evidence of history,
in which case the answer is yes, it does matter.
On the practical side, Yvonne Shashoua from the
National Museum of Denmark, presented a paper
evaluating coatings for iron objects in exposed or
uncontrolled environments. No coating is ever per-
fect, but she came up with some clear winners and
Staff and volunteers in the aircraft conservation workshop talking to conference delegates.
REVIEWS
15e-conservation
losers for particular sets of environmental condi-
tions. Overall she found that wax-based coatings
were the best, and suggested that oxygen consump-
tion rather than adhesion testing was the best short
term predictor of long-term protectiveness.
Illustrating the fact that many of the challenges
of large objects are a result of their sheer size rather
than their genre, Chris Collins of the Natural His-
tory Museum in London described the physical
and political problems of removing and treating
mouldy reptile fossils from the rain-soaked wall of
a gallery. The most intractable part of the project
was not the treatment but the politics: achieving
co-ordination and co-operation between differ-
ent sections of the museum’s administration, and
managing the fall-out from the discovery that the
damage was much worse than first thought and
that the gallery would be unavailable for events
for several months. Robert Turner, of EURA Con-
servation, provided an account of the conserva-
tion of a series of tiled picture panels, that further
illustrated problems and creative solutions in-
volved in getting big things off the walls they were
stuck to.
Chris Knapp from Duxford described the cleaning
and restoration of a B52 covered with large amounts
of corrosion and deteriorated paint. A key factor
in the success of this project, much of which in-
volved repetitive, uncomfortable and exhausting
work, was maintaining team morale. In a later ses-
sion he also spoke of the practical steps required
to successfully – and without punching any holes
in original fabric – suspend aircraft from the roof.
Norbert Tempel spoke of the challenges of rehabili-
tating a vapour discharge tower at Henrichshütte
Iron Works in Germany. The need to remove asbes-
tos-containing corrugated sheeting from the tower
meant losing original material, but provided a
unique opportunity to repair and support the
structural steelwork beneath it. This illustrated
one of the ethical dilemmas of large machinery
preservation – to stabilize structure or workings
underneath or inside objects, it is often necessary
to damage or remove outer parts. Norbert also
presented a paper by Kornelius Goetz on repairs
to the Zollern 2/4 machine hall, and noted that
Germany has new inspection standards for old
engineering structures, that must be met before
the structures can be declared safe.
James Mitchell, of Industrial Heritage Consulting,
spoke of the twin perils of not operating functional
objects, and of operating them badly, describing
Aircraft preparing for practise runs ahead of the Duxford airshow.
REVIEWS
16 e-conservation
the consequences of both approaches through the
examples of the Elsecar Newcomen pumping en-
gine at Barnsley and the Trencherfield engine in
the cotton spinning mill at Wigan. Expert conser-
vation work has saved the Trencherfield engine,
but the Elsecar engine is, unfortunately, still in
limbo.
Promoting good heritage practice, Brian Barker
spoke about an award winning training program,
developed jointly by IWM and BAPC, to train volun-
teers in the conservation and preservation of air-
craft. The course was nationally accredited and
immensely popular, and at the request of aviation
volunteers a spin-off course was developed in
customer service – again people were realising
that technical skills were only half the battle – the
other half was people skills. Brian feels that the
structure of the courses means that they could also
be easily adapted to other countries if required.
Carl Warner from Duxford spoke of innovative ways
to help visually impaired people appreciate large
objects, noting that it was vital to talk to people
about what they needed and to trial solutions with
focus groups to ensure those needs were met. As
a result of this research, Duxford has adopted a
range of new display techniques that benefit both
sighted visually impaired audiences, and has been
rewarded with enthusiastic feedback.
The conference was focused, inspiring and a great
deal of fun. If anyone would like more information
about any of the papers, please contact Alison Wain.
ALISON WAIN
ConservatorContact: [email protected]
Alison has managed large technology heritage
conservation and display projects in museums for
many years. In 2004 she initiated the ongoing
Bigstuff conference series, which brings together
expertise from academia, museums, trades and
amateur and volunteer organisations to collectively
address the particular challenges raised by large
technology heritage. She is currently undertaking
a PhD at the Australian National University, looking
at how people’s personal and occupational back-
grounds affect the way they value, display and
view large technology heritage.
Breakout session on the balcony during the Bigstuff conference.
Review by Petruta Vlad
November 7, 2010, Paris, France
Organiser: AAF (Ateliers d'Art de France)
16th INTERNATIONAL HERITAGE SHOW
REVIEWS
e-conservation 17
Four days, from 4th to 7th of November 2010, were
dedicated to “The Mediterranean Heritage” at The
International Heritage Show in Paris. Every year,
this event brings together international exhibitors
and presents to the specialists and the large public
the most actual questions and solutions about
heritage, its conservation and its role in the so-
ciety. The generous thematic of this year does not
only revisit the origins of the western culture, the
Mediterranean area, but also questions the future
of this valuable heritage and its uses today. As
Frédéric Mittérand, the French Minister of Culture
mentioned, this show is not just a simple homage
and revival of the “culture of monuments” as Aloïs
Riegl called it, but also a proposition to create new
dialogs and new economical and cultural networks
between the North and the South. From archeolo-
gical and natural sites, all varieties and forms of
architecture, design, art creations, to all the as-
pects of working and living in the Mediterranean
areal today, everything represents an active cul-
ture. In this way, our heritage is not only our his-
tory but also our present and most of our entire
future.
This 16th edition of The International Heritage Show
was organized by the “Ateliers d’Art de France”,
the national French association of professionals
handcrafts created in 1868 and assembling 2800
members. It presented over 250 exhibitors and
counted 37 oral conferences at the Carrousel of
the Louvre Museum. There were present profes-
sionals of all branches of activity: conservator-
restorers (ceramics, glass, leather, mechanical
arts, metals, painting, paper, stone, wood), tech-
nicians (informatics, lighting, security systems),
services (architects, cultural engineers, research
laboratories), promotion and valorization of the
patrimony (tourism actors, governmental insti-
tutions and local administrations, associations),
education (universities and colleges, education
Detail of damaged modern concrete-frame building at new bus-stand, Leh.
18
REVIEWS
e-conservation
associations), information (editors, libraries, book-
shops and press). Among them there were special
guests from the Mediterranean area, such as Euro-
med Heritage IV (European financed program for
the Mediterranean Heritage), European Institute
for Cultural Itineraries, The Pole for Cultural In-
dustries and Patrimony, The Valencian Institute
for Conservation and Restoration and The National
Tourism Office from Croatia.
The special event of the International Heritage
Show was the exhibition “Seeing differently the
Art Craft” (“Nouveau regard sur les métiers d’art”)
organized by the “Ateliers d’Art de France”. Present-
ing contemporary creations of international artist,
this exhibition proved the inspiring dialog, which
exists between opposite cultures and the richness
of the ancient techniques revived by the creativity
of contemporary artists. Old techniques and new
materials can be putted together in creating a new
art where the ancient is integrated in our present.
This exhibition’s purpose was to demonstrate that
these values must be preserved and generously
transmitted to the new generations.
Four ceremonies of prize receptions were organized
on this occasion.
At his first edition, the Terreal Prize, accorded by
Terreal, French leader of quarry tile and world
leader of tiles, distinguished the professionals
working in heritage conservation.
The Clio Prize, created in 1997 in order to encour-
age the archeological francophone researches
over the world, was accorded this year to arche-
ology teams who worked in Morocco (first prize,
accorded to Jean Paul Raynal from The National
The News section is publishing diverse
information on cultural heritage topics, such
as on-site conservation projects reports,
conferences, lectures, talks or workshops
reviews, but also course reviews and any other
kind of appropriate announcements. If you are
involved in interesting projects and you want
to share your experience with everybody else,
please send us your news or announcements.
For more details, such as deadlines and
publication guidelines, please visit
www.e-conservationline.com
Center for Scientific Research, France, for Casab-
lanca Programe), in Rome (second prize, Domini-
que Castex, from The National Center for Scientific
Research, France, for his work at The Catacombs
of Saints Pietro and Marcelino) and in Egypt (third
prize, Philippe Brissaud for his wok at Tanis).
Two other prizes, the Contest “Ma Pierre à L’édifice”
distinguished those who work for the religious
heritage in France, and the Pèlerin Prize, at his
20th edition, distinguished those who contribute
to the “patrimoine de proximité’’ preservation.
This edition of The International Heritage Show
received over 20.000 visitors in four days and al-
lowed the creation of new networks and partner-
ships for the actors of the patrimony. Despite the
economical crisis and the diminished funds of many
associations and governmental institutions in
France, this edition was a successful one, count-
ing the number of loyal participants, the new ar-
rivals and the quality of their work.
19
REVIEWS
e-conservation
By Cyndi Bohlin
PREPARING IKATS FOR COLORS OF THE OASIS: CENTRAL ASIAN IKATS
Long before a Textile Museum exhibition opens
to the public, museum staff is busy at work re-
searching, selecting pieces, assessing the needs
of the textiles and deciding how they will be dis-
played. The museum’s two full-time conservators
play a key role in this preparation.
The museum’s fall/winter exhibition, Colors of
the Oasis: Central Asian Ikats, presented a unique
opportunity-and challenge-for the conservators.
As with every exhibition, they first evaluated
the textiles, documenting areas of damage and
creating a condition report, to determine what
treatments were needed. Given the historic nature
of the ikats, treatments were often necessary.
Dyeing, Dressing & Display
The final exhibition incorporates a combination of display methods. Photo by Kevin Allen.
“Our examination showed fraying seams, tears
and abrasions”, says Esther Méthé, chief conser-
vator.
Most treatments were focused on reinforcing
areas of weakness where the silk warp was worn
away, leaving the weft exposed and fraying. To
address this, the conservators used a combina-
tion of techniques. An underlay or overlay, cus-
tom-dyed to match the spectrum of colors on the
ikats, was used to support weak areas. Couching
stitches were used to secure loose threads to an
underlay, as shown in the example at right. A sheer
overlay, shown in the top left image, prevented
further fraying, but also visually reconstituted
NEWS
20 e-conservation
the original color and look of the textile, providing
a more complete aesthetic presentation.
The treatments were very labor intensive. Although
the majority of the textiles required a few hours
of dedicated attention, “some treatments took
20, 40 or even 140 hours.” After each ikat was
treated as required, the conservators consulted
with the curator to bring her vision of its display
to life. For Colors of the Oasis, a mix of T-stands,
wall displays and dress forms were chosen to give
depth to the exhibition and present the textiles
from both aesthetic and social perspectives.
Using a dress form didn’t just mean hanging an
ikat onto a mannequin. “Just as you don’t put on
a coat without undergarments, we needed to do
the same for the ikat coats.” Original patterns
were created for the pseudo-shirts to be “worn”
under the ikat coats and tulle skirts were made to
add volume. Each slat used in the exhibition for
a wall mount or T-stand was custom-made from
wood covered in an archival sealing material, and
then polyester felt padding, a special Tyvek®, and
finally, cotton fabric. Every ikat displayed on the
wall was padded with "inner pillows" made from
polyester batting and cotton, which prevent the
textile from caving in on itself.
A dark blue cotton leader is sewn to the top of the hanging panel.
Esther Méthé attaches arms to a dressform;
An underlay patch and couching stitches secure the loose weft threads on this panel. The Textile Museum, 2009.16.5. The Megalli Collection.
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21e-conservation
Like all exhibitions at The Textile Museum, Colors
of the Oasis is truly the result of a team effort.
“This exhibit would not have been possible without
the efforts of our two outstanding interns,” says
Méthé, namely Angela Duckwall, a recent graduate
of Winterthur’s masters in conservation program
and Char Laverty, of the Savannah College of Art
and Design. Beyond this, the conservation depart-
ment had the help of three regular volunteers (who
continue to come every Thursday). The department
also relied on the work of an outside preparator
as well as a contract conservator to finish all that
was needed before the exhibition opened.
The conservation team is now looking ahead to the
museum’s next exhibition, Second Lives: the Age-
Old Art of Recycling Textiles, and beyond, assess-
ing the needs of other textiles and pursuing treat-
ments. “Our collections include many historic tex-
tiles which sometimes need help—but they are
beautiful when you consider their age and use,"
reflects Méthé.
Certain ikats required a custom-dyed overlay to improve their appearance.
EXHIBITION
Colors of the Oasis: Central Asian Ikats
October 16, 2010 through March 13, 2011
http://www.textilemuseum.org
By Julia Miller
BOOKS WILL SPEAK PLAINA Handbook for Identifying andDescribing Historical Bindings
The recent publication Books Will Speak Plain by
book conservator Julia Miller is intended to give
an overview of historical bindings that can assist
conservators, librarians, curators and booksellers
to correctly identify and describe historical books.
On the long term, this study will help preserve
and hopefully add to scarce information available
on bookbinding style, structure and materials.
Moreover, this guide will contribute to the correct
appreciation of those less valued, common-looking
bindings and their significance.
The book contains an extensive glossary of terms,
guidelines for writing descriptions of bindings and
is accompanied by a DVD with 1,471 searchable
color images and captions.
In March 2008 the author received a Conserva-
tion Publication Fellowship from the Samuel H.
Kress Foundation to write a book. The wonderful
outcome -“Books Will Speak Plain”- is the result
of many years of training, teaching, and an ex-
tensive experience and research on historical
book collections.
Publisher: The Legacy Press
Publication: 2010
Pages: 592, 374 illustrations
ISBN: 978-0-9797974-3-9
Language: English
NEWS
22 e-conservation
Aquincum, Budapest, part of the Roman Limes.
Fertő/Neusiedlersee Hungarian/Austrian World Heritage site (2001).
After being published for the first time in 2009
in Hungarian language, the 1st volume of Studies
on Heritage Management published by the Foun-
dation for Information Society (ITA) is now avail-
able in English. The book gathers 13 studies by
World Heritage experts on built and natural sites,
and includes not only their description but also
technical and financial characteristics, with a fo-
cus on their economic utilisation and the turistic
income. The book is intended for educational pur-
poses, prominent Hungarian case studies being
shared with other countries as World Heritage
management examples. It is addressed to experts,
researchers, trainers and students in the field.
The volume comprises contributions on up-to-date
issues in archaeology, such as Archaeological Her-
itage Protection in the Passing Time by Professor
Zsolt Visy from the University of Pécs, Aquincum,
the Roman Limes on the WH Tentative List by Paula
Zsidi, director of the Aquincum Museum, and The
Situation of Archaeological Heritage in Hungary
by the Director of the National Office of Cultural
Heritage, by Dénes Jankovich B.
Other studies are dealing with various subjects:
the complex issues of forms, management and
utilisation of heritage sites; the close connection
between nature and culture; the economic func-
tion of hisotric, sites among others. The last part
STUDIES ON INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE PROCESSES Studies on Heritage Management I
is dedicated to the long term experiences and fu-
ture perspective of WH and its protection, discussed
by Tamás Fejérdy and János Tardy, two experts in
this domain.
Besides its educational purpose, the book is in-
tended to be an enjoyable reading for anyone with
an interest in Hungarian sites and World Heritage
management.
Editors: Ferenc Kiss, Lia Bassa
Publisher: Foundation for Information Society
Publication date: November 2010
Pages: 257
ISBN: 978-963-87788-7-1
ISSN: 1587-2386
Language: English
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23e-conservation
“It is only after a long period of neglect that,
in recent years, we have witnessed a renewed
interest and awareness of cemeteries as urban
and monumental architectures. On the one hand,
cemeteries can be considered open air museums
and, on the other, they serve an important func-
tion as infrastructure. The preservation of arte-
facts interweaves and partly clashes with the
burial processes, as the conservation of memories
collides with the re-use of graves, an egalitarian
principle with origins in Napoleonic cemeteries.
An enormous heritage has developed in European
cemeteries, in particular in Catholic countries.
This heritage is not just of architectural or
artistic relevance, but it also constitutes a sig-
nificant manifestation of Cultural Heritage.
In fact, the quality of materials employed in
each manufactured product is the carrier of
public memory, which must be preserved as
such, rather than as an expression of the Arts.
The conservation of all the historical and monu-
mental parts of the cemetery shows the impor-
tant implications connected both to the pre-
servation of its function, indispensable for the
survival of heritage, and the necessity to safe-
guard and enhance the immaterial values, evoked
through subtle references to history and customs.
In this way, the architecture of memory reveals
a complicated pattern requiring an articulate
and interdisciplinary survey, since knowledge
is at the basis of art preservation.”
Michela Rossi
THE PICTURE OF MEMORY Shapes, Signs and Materials in the Octagonal Cemetery of La Villetta
in Parma
IL DISEGNO DELLA MEMORIA
Forme, segni e materiali nell’Ottagono della Villetta a Parma
This volume regarding the octagon cemetery of
“La Villetta”, in the city of Parma, Italy, presents
a section of the results of a complex survey which
followed a preliminary analysis about planning
techniques and the estimation of architectural
works. Moreover, it concludes an earlier study on
the system of cemeteries of Parma, which had led
to the approval of a specific town planning scheme
and the publication of a first volume (Lost City and
Architectures Regained. The Octagon of La Villetta
Cemetery and other Burial Architectures in Parma,
edited by Michela Rossi, ETS, Pisa, 2007). Hence,
the volume recently published, The Picture of Me-
mory, is a continuation of the first one.
The shift from an urban to an architectural scale
has emphasised the complex structure of the pic-
ture of memory, while involving different specific
disciplines, in order to give the broadest scientific
outcomes to the expected results of preservation
and restoration processes.
Editors: Michela Rossi and Cecilia TedeschiPublisher / Year: ETS, 2010
Pages: 336ISBN: 9788846727022
Language: Italian
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24 e-conservation
Not only architects, chemists and biologists have
taken part in this work, but also historians and
art historians, who have stressed the deep rela-
tionship between material forms and immaterial
values since the cemetery architecture represents
the society in which it is embedded better than
any other building.
The essays contained in this volume are a selec-
tion of the material produced during the survey,
re-elaborated in order to underline the keys to
interpretation that both the architecture and the
artefacts offer. One of the main keys to the read-
ing of the text explores the continual reference
between the city of the dead and that of the living,
a reference that is implicit in the scheme of the
urban structure, but that is also expressed by for-
mal complexity as well as by the decorations and
the arrangement of the funeral ornaments.
Once again, the table of contents leave space for
further in-depth analysis and new perspectives.
A close examination of the topics introduced by
the different essays preceding the presentation
of the survey also provides a critical reading—one
or rather one of several possible—as if they were
facts leaving room for further interpretation.
The first part of the work comprises essays con-
cerning directly the project of “La Villetta”, along
with others which look at the values of the ceme-
tery indirectly yet extensively. These include its
historical norms and civic memories. The second
part illustrates those references made in the es-
says which will help us understand the models and
formal choices resulting from cultural values and
ever-changing customs. The third section contains
essays concerning the pre-existing products and
material aspects of architecture. The final section
gathers the reproduction of the architectural sur-
veys along with a description of the main archi-
tectures and a brief reference to the tombs, as
Michela Rossi, in her essay “The theatre of memory” explains the architectural shape of the cemetery and its strong relation with the contemporary theatre. The combined choice of square/octagonal shape, numbers and measures may be explained as symbolic reference to life and death, earth and sky. Above is shown the geometrical/numerical layout of the plan and its relation with the measures, proportions and graphical construction of the octagonal pattern of the plan and the comparison with the local baptistery.
Below is a comparison between the drawing of the first ceme-tery project, which would have had a different number of porch spans on the same pattern, and the oratory plan.
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25e-conservation
well as some biographical details regarding the
most celebrated people buried there. The appendix
constitutes a substantial part of the book, with
its architectural and funerary glos-sary and a col-
lection of funeral symbols and their meaning.
The work can be read in two different ways: first,
we find the history of the monuments and many
of their references; second, the potential of a series
of pilot research projects that, in time, have fol-
lowed on from each other coherently, widening the
field of interest to an interdisciplinary approach.
The exchange of opinion between researchers
from different schools of thought and scientific
background underlines the parallel goals that
were only achieved gradually and thanks to a
progressive convergence of interest from the
general to the specific.
The complexity of the system as a whole and the
diversification of the areas involved deserve a
more in-depth investigation. These issues even-
tually drew attention to the first octagonal peri-
meter of “La Villetta” – the source of all current
and possible future research. Nevertheless, the
results of this study, albeit contextualised to one
specific case, offer above all a methodological ap-
proach that can be applied to several practical
problems related to monumental architecture
and that of cemeteries, such as management,
preservation and improvement.
Cecilia Tedeschi is the editor of survey cards of the main his-
torical building still existing in the actual cemetery, whose growth begun with the twin galleries designed by Sante Ber-gamaschi in the second half of the XIX century. Her essay is dedicated to the urban work of this architect, who directed the city technical office for a long time. The figures above show the architectural survey of the last historical addition to cemetery, elaborated by Erica Alberti and Donatella Bon-tempi before Polo Bertozzi’s consolidation project.
Erika Alberti, in her essay “Ephemeral and memory, equipment and furniture”, investigates the meanings and the sources of burial objects, finding in baroque temporary sets of court funerals and weddings the models of bourgeois tombs and their furniture. The figure shows some burial monuments built for the funerals of the dukes of Parma in XVII-XVIII century and of Adam Albert, Count von Neipperg, Maria Luigia’s second husband.
Donatella Bontempi’s essay deals with the foundation
and design of the cemetery, which followed a vexed
matter against burying inside the city walls.
Carmen Nuzzo investigates the formal models of ceme-
tery and graves, finding in ancient burials the arche-
types of family chapels, evolving in different types the
main symbolical elements of cemetery: the enclosure,
the door and the burial room.
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26 e-conservation
Are you reading this?So is everybody else...
e-conservationline
For advertisingand other information on publicity,
please contact
and request a copy of our mediakit.
even
tsThe events in this section are linked to the
original homepage of the organisers or to the
calendar of events at www.conservationevents.com.
Click on "Read more..." to find out more details
about each event.
SHA 2011 - Boundaries and Crossroads in ActionGlobal Perspectives in Historical Archaeology
Date: January 5-9 Read more...
Place: Austin, Texas, USA
Below the surface of every landscape is chemi-
cal evidence of past human activity and, poten-
tially, an historic site. Recent advances in the
use of portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF),
RAMAN technologies and the reduction in costs
for laboratory analyses have made these tech-
nologies affordable for field studies that "com-
plete the circle of understanding" of historic
era terrestrial and marine sites through the
integration of archaeochemistry, Archaeogeo-
physics, literature research, oral interviews
and excavation.
International Conference on Digital Library Management (ICDLM)
Date: January 11-13 Read more...
Place: Science City, Kolkata, India
The theme of the conference is 'Extending
Benefits of Modern Technology to Public,
Academic, and Special Libraries'.
The conference aims to provide an internation-
al forum for sharing advanced thoughts and
experiences focusing on digital libraries and
its management. All public libraries, special
libraries, and academic libraries are expected
to gain and exchange knowledge, skills, and
expertise from this event.
Janu
ary
2011
Preservation Basics Training Day
Preservation Assessment Survey Workshop
Date: January 11 Read more...
Place: London, UK
Designed for library and archive staff, the workshop intro-
duces the Preservation Assessment Survey (PAS) metho-
dology, explains the benefits of carrying out a survey,
introduces options for carrying out the survey and in-
cludes a number of practical sessions. The emphasis on
practical activities allows attendees to plan, measure,
and compile survey data and provides ample opportunity
to discuss local issues and potential difficulties.
Date: January 26 Read more...
Place: London, UK
Preservation of collections is an important part of the
day to day work of librarians and archivists who have to
maintain access to collections. The day will explore what
is meant by preservation; highlight the risks to collections
and show how to minimise those risks with simple, cost-
effective actions.
e-conservation
Janu
ary
2011
Managing the Library and Archive Environment
Date: January 18 Read more...
Place: London, UK
Avoiding a ‘one size fits all’ approach to environmental
parameters, the day helps you to understand the vulnera-
bilities and tolerances of your collections and then shows
how to set realistic and achievable targets that are ap-
propriate to the materials in your care and the resources
available to you. At the end of the day you will be in a
strong position to take cost-effective decisions and pri-
oritise actions for maintaining a sustainable environment.
Preservation of Glass Plate Negatives
Date: February 11 Read more...
Place: Edinburgh, Scotland
Conservators and photographers from RCAHMS will discuss
their work with glass plates, and Jenny Hodgson, conser-
vator from National Monuments Record English Heritage
will present her talk entitled Conservation of Glass Plate
Negatives - Creating a Stable Future (recently presented
at the CF10 conference in Cardiff). There will be an oppor-
tunity for participants to share their knowledge and ex-
periences of glass plate negative preservation.
Interdisciplinary Conference on the Practice of Salt Reduction
Date: February 3-5 Read more...
Place: Hildesheim, Germany
The talks will present informative, long-term case studies
of salt reduction in both climate-controlled and non-
climate-controlled environments and evaluate the meas-
ures taken. In addition, we have topics related to the pre-
vention, such as climate control to prevent or minimize
salt damage.
Febr
uary
201
1EVENTS
21e-conservation
Febr
uary
201
1
The Use of Substitute Materials on Historic Preservation Projects
Date: February 4 Read more...
Place: Boston, USA
The Symposium would like to explore the decisions that
are made about when to use substitute materials and how
well or how poorly the use of substitute materials is
affecting historic fabric. Also, is the use of substitute
materials allowing us to avoid making difficult decisions
about the long term maintenance and sustainability of
historic sites.
Energy Efficiency in Historic Buildings
Date: February 9-11 Read more...
Place: Visby, Sweden
The aim of the programme is to develop and disseminate
knowledge and technical solutions that will contribute
to energy efficiency while safeguarding our cultural herit-
age. This gentle approach to energy efficiency is reached
by interdisciplinary cooperation, where energy conser-
vation is integrated with the conservation of cultural
property. The goal is to create a solid knowledge-based
framework in order to facilitate long-term sustainable
management of historical property of high cultural value.
iECS 2011International Edelstein Color Symposium
The Science & Art of Color
Date: February 27-28 Read more...
Place: Ramat-Gan, Israel
The focus of this international symposium is to high-
light the synergy that exists between art and science
through the unifying element of color. This symposium
will convene experts in their fields who will discuss the
nature of pigments and dyes, as detected by scientific
methods, in use in ancient palaces, historic paintings,
medieval manuscripts, and ancient European textiles.
The use of color in modern design, urban lighting, ar-
chitecture, painting styles, women’s fashion, as well as
the psychology and philosophy of color will also be
presented. Additionally, the scientific discovery of the
first authentic Biblical Tekhelet from ancient Israel will
be announced and discussed.
Poster presentations are welcomed in all areas that are
related to the "color" theme of this symposium. Please
email your abstract to the Symposium Secretariat by
January 10, 2011.
e-conservation magazine offers the possibility to publish bilingual articles in the html version. Articles inEnglish may also be published in French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Romanian, at authors request.
arti
cles
AREAS OF PUBLISHING
Conservation TreatmentMural Painting
Painting
Stone
Sculpture
Textiles
Paper / Documents
Photography
Metals
Tile / Ceramic / Glass
Furniture
Music instruments
Ethnographic assets
Archeological objects
Conservation ScienceScientific research
Material studies and characterisation
Analytical techniques
Technology development
Biodeterioration
State-of-the-art
Reviews
Preventive ConservationTheoretic principles
Case studies
Documentation in ConservationStandardisation
Documentation methods
Data management
Conservation TheoryEthics
Conservation History
Art History, Iconography,
Iconology, Chemistry, Physics,
Biology, Photography, Cultural
Management, Museology,
Computer Science, Legislation
and Juridical Processes,
Conservation Policies
and any other field applied to
Conservation and Restoration
of works of art.
Find out more: www.e-conservationline.com
e-conservation
SCIENCE AND RESTORATION AT THE SERVICE OF INTERPRETATION
The article discusses the relationship between art history/ curatorship, conservation and conservation science within the context of the art museum. It identifies the physicality of artworks as the underpinning of interpretation and the meaning-making process entailed in the museum experience; hence it denotes the pivotal role conservation and particularly restoration play within this framework. It stresses the significance of the analytical examination of works of art as an art historical tool rather than a conservation aid. Thus, it draws attention to the interplay between scientifically obtained information, which analytical work produces and the subjective standards, which restoration encompasses. Finally, it advocates the artistic dimension of conservation and asserts that visual appreciation and aesthetic understanding are prerequisites for any kind of restoration intervention carried out on artworks.
By Dimitrios Doumas
In the last few years the term interdisciplinarity
has been one of the most widely spoken words
amongst museum professionals, and the implica-
tions it brings forth for the interpretation of col-
lections and the interrelations between museum
staff have proved essentially rewarding. Being
conscious of their role, museum staff members
have to consider that they form part of an inte-
grated team of specialists who discern each indi-
vidual task within the context of the wider function
of the museum [1]. The multidisciplinary nature
of museum work dictates the necessity for balance
between connoisseurship, science and technical
expertise. Curatorial work and art historical re-
search can be facilitated and revised with the aid
of conservation and conservation science and vice
versa.
This paper discusses the interrelationship between
conservation, art history and conservation science
and stresses the importance of visual appreciation
that constitutes perhaps a common language, as
it enables holistic interpretation of artworks.
Forms of Interpretation and the Interpretation of Forms
The museum experience is primarily artefactual;
as a communicative process it is direct and at the
same time weak; however strong and immediate,
it remains fleeting unless the meanings it incar-
nates are encoded in language. The core difference
between curatorship and conservation, as they
affect the meaning and the form of works of art
lies exactly in the way each realm constructs inter-
pretation. Conservators, mainly through restora-
tion and to a lesser extent conservation, establish
visual interpretation. To interfere with the phys-
ical nature of the work – even in a passive way - is
a determinant that may have irreversible implica-
tions for the perception of artworks and this fact
leaves no room for errors and, because of that,
conservators turn into critical interpreters. Res-
toration reconstructs a unified image of artworks
and in that sense it forms a strong and lucid visu-
al language that can be far more important and
powerful than any interpretative and communic-
ative medium employed by curators (e.g. labels,
wall-texts). Curators through textual interpreta-
tion communicate the experience of artworks. Yet,
apart from any factual information (e.g. dates,
provenance, technique, ownership and contextu-
alization), much of which depends to some ex-
tent on conservation and conservation science
work, curatorial interpretation may entail many
different and subjective deductions, which nev-
ertheless can all be reasonable enough. Thus, it
encompasses pluralism, hence relativism. Objectiv-
ity is required, but not as an absolute principle.
Having said that, curatorial interpretation could
be regarded as objective if it is rationally coherent
and solid to the extent that it can withstand cri-
ticism and interrogation [2].
Museum work is primarily a matter of plain and
simple seeing, including seeing beyond the skin
of the object; and yet, the cognitive system of
meaning-making, which curatorial work encom-
passes, is eventually structured by the object’s
materiality. This signifies, on the one hand, the
pivotal role conservators play in the making of
the museum experience; on the other hand, tex-
tual and visual interpretation of artworks can only
be effective when what the eyes see and what is
extracted through scientific analysis are not at
variance with each other. Eventually, their com-
bination will help the sentient conservator per-
form restoration sensibly. Conservators juggle
between the aesthetic experience a work of art
offers and their involvement with its material na-
ture. The latter implies that their perception and
attitude as viewers are affected and in fact deter-
mined by their urge to rescue an object and by
33e-conservation
SCIENCE AND RESTORATION AT THE SERVICE OF INTERPRETATION
their tendency to repair the damage they see, both
of which may deprive them of the pleasure of ap-
preciation.
Analysis and Restoration: Impartial Enquiry and Subjective Performance
Art curators and conservators are confronted by
the dual nature of art. Art is not simply a matter
of producing and viewing tangible objects, nor can
it be transformed into a science of ideas deprived
of its subject matter [3]. Art depends on materials
and techniques that acquire unique historical im-
portance and signification. Artists use matter and
transfigure it into art and experience conveyed
across a series of historical records [4]. Works of
art integrate a combination of attributes, which
on the one hand designate resemblance and ana-
logy with the sensible world, whereas at the same
time signify remoteness and detachment from the
tangible. In this sense, artworks are material ob-
jects with symbolic meaning and distinctive ex-
perience [4]. Assuming that works of art differ
from any other man-made object in that their cre-
ators have a certain non-utilitarian intention, also
considering that their form signifies their mean-
ing and that their meaning designates their form,
it can be concluded that ‘…the more the propor-
tion of emphasis on “idea’’ and “form’’ approaches
a state of equilibrium, the more eloquently will
the work reveal what is called content’ [5, p. 62].
It is the unity of these three constituents resulting
in aesthetic experience curators and conservators
aim to re-establish in an artwork. This standpoint
is quite critical when one weighs the fact that in
humanities the work of art is aesthetically recre-
ated whereas in science it is rationally investigated.
The visuality of artworks integrates an intellectual
attestation and a physical object [6], hence un-
derstanding derives if visitors establish a relation
between the work’s meaning and intention. This
relation is reflected in the work’s form. Within this
framework, restoration, as a series of processes
that interfere with the artwork’s appearance, has
a profound impact on its aesthetic, historical and
social significance.
Restoration, as an interdisciplinary act devoted
to the reinstatement of visuality uses science and
art historical knowledge. It is thus based on the
interplay between scientific objectivity and sub-
jectivity; a dialogue between measurable progress,
which analytical work may bring forth, and non-
measurable interpretation of culture [7]. The in-
valuable role of science in conservation cannot
be questioned (particularly when it comes to is-
sues like dating, attribution, authentication etc.),
and surely it has contributed considerably to the
accomplishments of conservators at a professional
level. Science plays an essential role as it equips
the profession with a methodology enquiry. In
effect, it has played a part in establishing conser-
vation as an academic discipline because it turns
mere observation into conclusion as it makes a
deduction valid by proof [8].
Nevertheless, the application of science to con-
servation has some limitations. In theory, science
enables conservators to distinguish between cause
and effect, understand deterioration processes
and know material technology. Experimentation
with materials and methods produces technical
knowledge that allows conservators to intervene
efficiently as regards treatment performance. This
may indicate those products and procedures, which
have better properties and outcome than others,
but the final decision as to how and when these
are applied rests upon the conservator’s judge-
ment to resolve on those options that best satisfy
certain needs, because treatments can only be
appropriate or suitable to particular objects and
for their specifically intended environment. In
this sense, conservators enjoy the benefit of choice
amongst a variety of tested materials that meet
34 e-conservation
DIMITRIOS DOUMAS
the three major conservation criteria: stability,
longevity and reversibility/retreatability.
In terms of getting insights into the nature of
artworks, science in everyday practice does not
always (or fully) determine treatment decisions
and planning. The decision, for instance, to re-
move overpaintings may result from the outcome
of technical examination with imaging techniques
such as x-radiography, infrared and ultraviolet
spectra. Additionally, instrumental analysis meth-
ods that range from simple microscopic examination
of paint cross-sections to the more sophisticated
x-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy-dispersive x-ray-
microanalysis (SEM-EDX) can verify the presence
of pigments, which may be inconsistent with the
presumed dating of a painting, and this is a straight-
forward process that results in concrete evidence.
The presence of chrome yellow, for instance, in
an early Renaissance painting would be an indi-
cation either that the work must have undergone
alteration at some point from the 19th century
onwards or that it is a fake [9]. In any case, what
we see in the painting, what we think we see and
what the painting actually is can all be different.
On the other hand, the question to reconstruct
the losses of a painting totally, partially or not
to touch them at all is dictated by factors that
do not relate to solid scientific facts. These con-
sist mainly in the aesthetic integrity of the work
as this derives from the original (or earlier) con-
dition of the work, or to be more precise, from the
presumed idea of its original or earlier condition,
as well as the extent of its deterioration and past
intervention. Other factors include the work’s art
historical context, the aesthetic requirements of
the institution (i.e. certain institutions opt for full
reconstruction of losses for their displays, where-
as others resolve on minimum intervention) and
the conservator’s subjective visual judgement and
technical performance. So, an artwork’s image is
dependent upon the marriage of scientifically
obtained data and subjective perception based
to a large extent on aesthetic understanding.
Having said that, it becomes obvious, that science
can be equally useful to art curators, since it can
be corrective to art historical knowledge, as it is
to conservators, for it validates certain treatments
that would otherwise be uncontrolled and/or
controversial.
The relationship between connoisseurship, con-
servation and conservation science can be deli-
cate. Unquestionably, conservation scientists play
a key role. They, by definition, are essentially con-
cerned with ‘hard facts’ while nuances of artistic
input are not their realm. Inevitably, even though
conservation scientists are accredited, on occa-
sion, with a definitive role (e.g. detection of fakes
and forgeries, identification of previous interven-
tions), their participation is subsidiary. Just like
curators and conservators, they too are involved
in the artwork, but only to a finite extent. While
scientists concentrate on the work’s physicality,
the results of their research are used by museum
experts, combined with other pieces of informa-
tion and applied to such aspects of the work that
go far beyond its corporeal nature. Besides, the
rest of the object ‘…is the prerogative of the art
historian’s considerations and the restorer’s ma-
nipulations’ [10, p. 446]. All these domains work
on a stage at which the artefact assumes its muse-
ological context and enters the realm of public
viewing. While conservators aim at establishing
the relationship between substance and process,
and an artist’s visual idiom, art historians – based
initially on what is seen – consider their arguments
within a certain socio-cultural context and scien-
tists, by analytically studying the nature of ma-
terials, can set up historical perspective anew.
Each viewpoint shapes a different statement, which
attempts to determine the visual and intellectual
process of artistic endeavour to the extent that
35e-conservation
SCIENCE AND RESTORATION AT THE SERVICE OF INTERPRETATION
it affects the meaning of the work. Getting insights
into the experience of producing art is totally dif-
ferent from the messages of the finished work.
Yet, despite the fact that the experience of creat-
ing art differs from the completed work, the two
should enlighten each other; however, the cross-
section of a paint sample, for instance, may provide
information on the technical aspects of creation,
but it is not really illuminating in terms of the
initial idea the artwork has emerged from or the
artist’s state of mind before and during the cre-
ative process. Obtaining information and putting
this information in context are different mecha-
nisms. In a way, science deconstructs the creative
process of art and by doing so it fails to capture
the intangible aspect of an otherwise quite phys-
ical manipulation of concrete materials and tech-
niques. The interaction of science with theory en-
ables the understanding of relationships and main-
ly ‘…that of reason and intuition …deliberation
and spontaneity’ [11]. A paint cross-section can
thus be meaningful if the experience of viewing
and the experience of creating art are jointly taken
in, hence artistic intent and vision, as these con-
nect to physicality are deciphered. In this sense,
it appears that the role of the conservator is that
of an intermediary between the art historian/cu-
rator and the conservation scientist who eventu-
ally addresses art historical questions rather than
conservation and restoration issues. Conservation
science, thus adds to connoisseurship, which is
the underpinning of curatorship. In the past, con-
noisseurship was based principally on the prom-
inence of seeing. Traditional connoisseur curators
performed mainly interpretation by description;
thus they recounted their experience of a work and
by doing so they appraised it and suggested ways
of reading it [12]. Nowadays, connoisseurship re-
lies, apart from secondary sources, on science and
physical testing, and if scientific analysis results
match visual evidence, then curators can claim
to have conducted sustainable interpretations.
Restoration as a Viewing Process and Artistic Empathy
The dominant role of science in contemporary
conservation practice results from science’s pur-
suit for objectivity. After centuries of arbitrariness,
personal preferences and partiality, science offers
rational thought and precludes assumptions in
favour of pure facts. Nevertheless conservation
has always had an artistic dimension, and this
fixation with factual evidence may deprive the
art conservator of the painterly attitude of deal-
ing with objects. Even though restoration has been
repeatedly accused in the past for precisely this
sort of approach (mainly for excessive interven-
tion/retouching, which resulted in beautification
and adaptation to current trends, fashions and
personal tastes), in order to empathize with the
artists, conservators ought to act like them, but
not in the unjustified way this was done in the
past. Today, conservators have all the scientific
equipment and technology necessary to work with
precision in a systematic, evidence-based manner,
which nonetheless might hold them back from
assuming their artistic role.
Since scientific conservation involves materials
– not ideas – it considers the world from the point
of view of hard material sciences [13]. Neverthe-
less, works of art are conveyors of multiple mean-
ings, ideas, intentions, dreams and aspirations;
they are products of their epoch and amalgama-
tions of social, political, cultural, economic and
personal circumstances in a given place, at a given
time, and as such, their conservation and restor-
ation incorporate the preservation and visual in-
terpretation of intangible cultural qualities such
as memory, symbolism, identity, intention, vision
as well as a series of related information. If con-
servation is deprived of its artistic dimension, it
is then reduced to a factual and material discipline.
If the work of art is seen holistically, as a material
DIMITRIOS DOUMAS
36 e-conservation
entity and an envisioned creation, then analytical
work is presumed just as much as artistic empathy
is justified. Precisely as the artist has to overcome
the fear of counterbalancing the dialectic during
the creative process between reality and fiction
[14], respectively, the conservator must empathize
with the painter and see the artwork as a created
readable visual fiction. If this is achieved then the
work will have been considered first as a completed
image – despite its losses and deterioration - and
as the result of a certain intention. Evidently, and
as stated earlier, it might be hard for conservators
to see a work of art disengaged from what they
have been trained to look at and care for – namely
damage, wear and distortion. Nonetheless, it is
important to appreciate the work for what it stands
for first and then regard it as a subject of critical
enquiry and physical intervention.
Conservators can sometimes impose significant
change in the way(s) the past is construed and
may be reshaped due to the visual and aesthetic
impact that their actions have on objects. In this
sense, conservators introduce narratives of a work’s
meaning, aging, decay, intervention, adaptation
and reinterpretation [15]. In so doing, they take
on an academic role - which for years was hardly
ever acknowledged since the mighty curator was
considered the one and only expert - and that is
to edit the visible history of artworks and then
decide which aspects to reveal or reconstruct and
which to hide or play down. Works of art, just like
any other functional object, are documents of the
reality (or realities) they have emerged from. At
the same time, they convey an indefinite quality,
a sort of ‘otherness’ that consists mainly in the
particularity of artists and their standpoint to-
wards the world. Conservation and particularly
restoration, therefore, have to maintain a good
balance between the documentary information
works of art provide, which fixes their historical
value, and their aesthetic dimension. Conservators
are essentially accountable for what museum visitors
physically see in artworks. The role of connoisseur
curators and scientists in this burden- some respon-
sibility is vital, as they advise on originality and in-
tention, and since objective analyses cannot be de-
finitive in terms of aesthetics, a choice eventually
is made on what the eye tells about style and hand.
Conclusions
Visual appreciation therefore proves vital; look-
ing precedes seeing and as a going-back-to-basics
process it is rather the starting point that enables
museum professionals to make allowance for any
intellectual, technical and scientific enquiry. Such
integration of personal and impersonal viewpoints
is a necessary condition for understanding artistic
intentions. In so doing, and before any treatment
is undertaken, conservators pose serious ques-
tions that involve issues like what is it that they
should preserve and restore, how do they justify
their choices to place emphasis on certain aspects
of the work while undermining others, and most
importantly, whom do they treat objects for.
Assuming that the realm of conservation and res-
toration is not about preserving material and struc-
ture only, and that the exhibition of artworks is
not circumscribed into putting them on mere dis-
play, conservators face the challenge to perceive
the object not only as it is now, but also as it was;
to discern the many different ways it has changed
and envision the possible ways it might continue
to change. Bearing in mind that conservators act
as liaison between the objects and the public, the
perception of an artwork’s meaning is dependent
upon the treatment it has undergone. To this end,
visual interpretation and presentation are funda-
mental - a fact which denotes the significance of
restoration as a museological act whose aesthetic
implications may impinge on and, in effect, shape
public perception of art.
37e-conservation
SCIENCE AND RESTORATION AT THE SERVICE OF INTERPRETATION
Note
Much of the discussion articulated in this article
is based on my doctoral thesis ‘Curatorship and
Conservation: A Theoretical Enquiry into the Scope
of Each Realm, their Interaction and the Conse-
quences for the Perception of Works of Art’, Uni-
versity of Lincoln, Lincoln UK, 2008.
References
[1] J.R. Galser and A. Zenetou, Museums: A Place to Work – Planning Museum Careers, Routledge, London/New York, 1996
[2] M. Shanks and I. Hodder, ‘Processual, post- processual and interpretive archaeologies’ in S. Knell (ed.), Museums in the Material World, Routledge, London/New York, 2007
[3] N. Davey, “The hermeneutics of seeing”, in I. Heywood and B. Sandywell (eds.), Inter- preting Material Culture: Exploration in the Hermeneutics of the Visual, Routledge, London/New York, 1999
[4] M. Carter and A. Geczy, Re-Framing Art, Berg Publishers, Oxford, 2006
[5] E. Panofsky, “The history of art as a humanistic discipline”, in S.N. Price, K.M. Talley and A. Melucco Vaccaro (eds.), Historical and Philo- sophical Issues in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage, The Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles, 1996
[6] E. S. Skaug, “Cleaning controversies and “the two cultures”: steps towards professional autonomy”, in J. Bridgland (ed.), 11th Trien- nial Meeting, Edinburgh 1-6 September 1996, Preprints, Vol. I, ICOM-CC/James & James, London, 1996
[7] H. Schinzel, Touching Vision – Essays on
Restoration Theory and the Perception of
Art, Ghent University/VUB Brussels University,
Brussels, 2004
[8] B. Appelbaum, Conservation Treatment Meth- odology, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, 2007
[9] M. E. Wiseman, A Closer Look: Deceptions and Discoveries, National Gallery Company Ltd., London, 2010
[10] G. Urbani, “The science and art of conserva- tion of cultural property”, in S.N. Price, K.M. Talley and A. Melucco Vaccaro (eds.), Historical and Philosophical Issues in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage, The Getty Conservation In- stitute, Los Angeles, 1996
[11] C. Mancusi-Ungaro, “Material and method in modern art”, in J. Hill-Stoner (ed.), Scientific Examination of Art: Modern Techniques in Conservation and Analysis, The Arthur Sackler Colloquium, March 19-21, 2003, The National Academies Press, Washington D.C., 2005, pp. 152-161
[12] D. Carrier, ‘”In praise of connoisseurship”, in S. Knell (ed.), Museums in the Material World, Routledge, London/New York, 2007
[13] S. Muñoz-Viñas, Contemporary Theory of Conservation, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, 2005
[14] L. Schneider-Adams, Exploring Art, Laurence King Publishing, London, 2002
[15] D. Bomford, “The conservator as narrator: changed perspectives in the conservation of paintings”, in M. Leonard (ed.), Personal Viewpoints: Thoughts about Paintings Conser- vation, The Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles, 2003
38 e-conservation
DIMITRIOS DOUMAS
FREE CONSERVATION
RESOURCES
Art Conservation Researchconservationresearch.blogspot.com
SCIENCE AND RESTORATION AT THE SERVICE OF INTERPRETATION
39e-conservation
DIMITRIOS DOUMASPaintings Conservator Contact: [email protected]
Dimitrios Doumas has been working as a paintings
conservator at the Benaki Museum Conservation
Department, Athens since 2001.
He was conferred with the Doctor of Philosophy
award in 2010 at the University of Lincoln, UK.
His thesis titled ‘Curatorship and Conservation:
A Theoretical Enquiry into the Scope of Each Realm,
their Interaction and the Consequences for the Per-
ception of Works of Art’ explores the role of art con-
servators within the wider function of the art
museum/gallery and particularly their relation-
ship with curators.
He received his Master of Arts in the ‘Conservation
of Historic Objects’ from De Montfort University,
UK in 2000 after completing his undergraduate
studies in ‘Conservation and Restoration’ at the
same university in 1999.
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due 1st January 2011
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AN EXTENSIVE STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF THE ENZYME α-AMYLASE
USED IN TEXTILE CONSERVATION on Silk Fibers Dyed with Safflower
and Madder Dye
By Harby E. Ahmed
Natural adhesives were used to fix archeological textiles onto textile, paper or wood
supports. However, starch adhesives may be harmful on ageing. This paper describes the
use of α-amylase enzyme to remove adhesives from silk dyed fabrics. Silk fabrics were
subjected to accelerated ageing. Natural dyes used in this study were safflower, madder
and their mixture as found in real objects. The effect of enzyme concentrations and the
treatment time were studied with respect to the mechanical behavior and color changes.
The study proved that the use of enzymes in adhesive removal showed good results in a
short treatment when compared to conventional methods.
Introduction
Adhesives are used in textile conservation to hold
deteriorated and friable fibers together in order
to improve physical strength of fibers or textiles.
With ageing, natural adhesives, such as starch,
become hard, rigid and even brittle causing me-
chanical damage to textiles. Furthermore, under
ageing conditions the pH of adhesives may become
acidic, to the degree that causes acid hydrolysis
of fibers in humid conditions [1, 2].
The use of enzymes in conservation is an alterna-
tive when all other options have been exhausted
or cannot be used. Enzyme treatments will be of
great advantage if the layers of adhesive are very
thick or resistant avoiding, thus, lengthy humidi-
fication or bathing periods. The enzyme α-amyl-
ase is used in textile conservation to hydrolyze
starch adhesives, cleaving at random internal α-
1,4 glycosidic bonds in both amylose and amylo-
pectin, showing little or no activity on α-1,6 bonds.
This enzyme degrades starch into small polymeric
fragments, known as dextrins and maltose, disac-
charides which contain two glucose residues [3-6].
Method and materials
- α-amylase enzyme from Aspergillus Oryzae, type
X-A, code A6211 (Sigma). One unit will liberate 1
mg of maltose from starch in 3 minutes. Ph= 6.9
at 20 ºC;
- Starch from Riedel-de Haen. AG, Seelze, Han-
nover, code 18727;
- Greek silk fabrics supplied by Tsiakiris Co., Soufli;
- Natural dyes such as madder and safflower dye;
- Mordents such as Al2(NH4)2(SO4)4.24H2O (Fluka).
Samples Preparation
The exhaustion method was used to prepare the
dyeings using a liquor ratio (LR) of 1:20 (1 gm of
fabric per 20 ml of bath). In order to help the dye
to adhere to the fabric, a mordant (alum) was ad-
ded as concentrated solution (50 g/l) to give a
final dye bath concentration of 2.5 g/L or 5 g/L.
Consequently, the dyeings were washed three
times in cold water (5 minutes, room temperature
(25 ºC), LR 1:20.) to remove the unfixed dyestuff
[7, 8].
The starch adhesive was applied on the samples
as a solution which was absorbed by the fibers
and solidified. Accelerated ageing was performed
because it was important to simulate the charac-
teristics and condition of a historical textile. There-
fore, accelerated thermal ageing was done at a
temperature of 120 ºC for different time periods
of 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 days.
Enzymatic treatment
After ageing, the samples that were coated with
starch were cut up into small pieces (2x2 cm) and
were put in test tubes. Then, 5 ml of enzyme solu-
tion (α-amylase in sodium phosphate buffer, pH
= 6.9) was added to each tube and was incubated
at different time intervals (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5
and 3.0 h) at room temperature (25 ºC) and at
40 ºC. The enzyme concentration varied (1, 10,
15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, and 50 U/ml) and was
added to each fabric sample with and without
stirring.
Testing and Analysis
Morphological study
The surface morphology of the untreated samples
was compared to the enzymatically treated fabrics
using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Quan-
ta 200 ESEM FEG from FEI [9].
42 e-conservation
HARBY E. AHMED
Color Measurement
The CIE-Lab values of the color changes were meas-
ured using a double beam Optimatch spectropho-
tometer (Datacolor Spectraflash SF 450, UK)
(Table 1).
Mechanical properties
Mechanical parameters such as tensile strength
and elongation were measured according to the
ASTM D5035 method in the warp and weft direc-
tions. Silk fabric was cut into strip 30 cm length
and 5 cm width. Five samples per treatment set
were tested and the breaking load averaged for
each sample [10].
X-ray diffraction analysis
X-ray diffraction measurements of enzymatically
treated and untreated samples were carried out
with a SIEMENS X-Ray Diffractometer – D 5000,
given 40 kV Cu Ka, radiation of 30 mA. The diffrac-
tograms were recorded over 2θ = 50 to 300 con-
tinuously at a scan rate of 20/min. Crystalline in-
dex (crystalline to amorphous ratio) can be cal-
culated according to Segal [11].
Fourier transform infrared spectral analysis (FTIR)
The infrared absorption spectra of the untreated
and treated samples were measured in the range
500–4000 cm-1 with a resolution of 4 cm-1 at room
temperature with a Bruker FTIR Tensor 27 spectro-
meter using KBr pellets [12].
Results and discussionEffectiveness of amylase on starch adhesive paste removal
The surface of the fibers after the application of
the adhesive was investigated using a Scanning
43e-conservation
Samples Thread / cm Mechanical parameter Weight g/m2
Plain weave
Warp Weft T.ST Eb (mm)
Silk - Raw 32 25 27.961 15.852
25.4 Plain 1/1
Silk – S. + M. - original
32 25 30.372 16.531
Silk – S. - original
32 25 25.959 12.821
Silk – M. - original
32 25 25.925 12.562
Color Coordinates
L* a* b* C* h X
UncoloredSilk
89.87 0.574 6.211 6.214 84.8 72.34
Silk – S. - Alum
80.84 0.839 62.68 62.68 89.24 55.50
Silk – M.- Alum
61.40 24.44 25.69 35.46 46.42 34.82
Silk – S. + M. - Alum
72.90 11.32 41.14 42.67 74.62 46.57
Y Z
76.02 73.53
58.19 15.22
29.71 16.79
45.01 21.32
Table 1. Structure of silk fabrics used in the experimental part. Legend: S. = Safflower; M. = Madder.
THE EFFECT OF α-AMYLASE ENZYME IN TEXTILE CONSERVATION
Electron Microscope (SEM) and compared to the
surface of the samples after the application of
the enzyme. Figures 1 and 2 show samples before
and after the enzyme treatment, where the sur-
face difference can be noticed. The analysis of the
conditions affecting the performance of the en-
zyme allowed to observe that its efficiency in re-
moving a higher amount of hardened starch in-
creases directly with its concentration in the
treatment solution. As the enzyme concentration
increases, the number of successful collisions
also increases showing that the reaction rate is
directly proportional to the enzyme concentration.
Thus, the higher the enzyme concentration, the
faster the reaction takes place.
The effect of time was also analyzed. It was ob-
served that there is a direct proportional relation-
ship between the length of the treatment and the
higher efficiency of the enzyme to hydrolyze har-
dened starch. It was also noticed that applying
the enzyme at 40 ºC resulted in a higher efficiency
than applying it at 25 ºC. The enzymatic reaction
is temperature dependent as it can be accelerated
increasing the temperature. However, if the tem-
perature is too high, the enzyme may be denatured.
Every enzyme has an optimal temperature under
which it is the most efficient. It has also been
observed that aged starch coated fibers require a
harder process of removing the starch in the same
conditions in which the enzyme works. Longer
contact time between starch adhesive paste and
fibers leads to a high degree of polymerization
and covalent bonding of the starch with the fibers.
In other words, upon ageing chemical changes
take place in the starch adhesive paste, sometimes
resulting in chemical bond formation between the
fiber substrates and the starch adhesive paste.
44 e-conservation
Figure 1.Microphotographs of silk fibers. Sample A shows a silk fiber coated with starch at 40% after ther-mal ageing at 120 0C for 12 days. The ageing in-duced the starch to shrunk, crack and become rigid and brittle. Samples B, C and D show silk fibers, also coated and aged as sample A, after the en-zyme application done at concentrations of 5, 20 and 75 U/ml, respect-ively. The treatment was performed at 40 0C for 3 h with stirring.
HARBY E. AHMED
A
C
B
D
45e-conservation
Figure 2. Photographs of silk fibers. Figures A, B and C show silk samples dyed with safflower, madder and a mixture of safflower and madder respectively, coated with 40% starch concentration after thermal ageing at 120 0C for 12 days. The ageing induced the starch to shrunk, crack and become rigid and brittle. Figures D and E show stereoscope images of silk samples coated with 40% starch concentration after thermal ageing at 120 0C for 12 days. Sample F shows a stereoscope image of silk fibers, coated and aged after the enzyme application at concentration 75 U/ml. The treatment was done at 40 0C for 3 h with stirring.
A
C
B
D
E F
THE EFFECT OF α-AMYLASE ENZYME IN TEXTILE CONSERVATION
On the other hand, SEM microphotographs show
that the use of α-amylase resulted in extensive
cleaning of the fiber surfaces, with high effect-
iveness for small capillaries and the center of
the yarn bundle.
Furthermore, the samples weight was compared
before and after the treatment and a direct correl-
ation between the enzyme concentration and the
time of enzymatic treatment with the percentage
of weight loss was observed, as shown in figure 3.
Effect of α-amylase treatment conditions on the crystallinity
X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of untreated and
treated samples is presented in two ways.
The first way presents the percentage of the crys-
tallinity index of the untreated samples and of those
treated by enzyme at different concentrations.
There is a slight increase in the crystallinity index
of the silk after enzymatic treatment as presented
in Table 2.
The second way is the Wide Angle X-ray (WAXS) dif-
fractograms of the silk samples (Figure 4) that show
a slight difference between the treated and the
untreated fabrics due to the action of α-amylase.
It can be seen that the treated silk shows a slight
increase in the peak intensity (counts) in both the
amorphous and crystalline regions. This suggests
that the treatment using amylase enzyme does
not affect particularly the size and shape of crys-
tallites of the silk samples. Furthermore, the ratio
of the crystalline and amorphous fractions barely
changed, thus the enzymatic treatment did not
result in considerable decrystallization of the silk.
Changes in crystallinity by amylase treatments
may be indicated by the tensile properties of the
samples. Therefore, there were no drastic changes
on the size and shape of crystallites of the samples.
Effect of α-amylase treatment conditions on the functional groups
The spectra obtained for the control sample and
the treated samples (silk dyed with madder, saf-
46 e-conservation
Figure 3. The figures shows a decrease of the starch weight after buffer or enzyme application performed at concentration of 40 U/ml (A) and 75 U/ml (B) for silk fabric coated by 20% starch, at 120 ºC for 1 day to 12 days. Both treatments were done at 40 ºC for 0.5h to 3.0h with stirring.
HARBY E. AHMED
A B
silk to different concentration of amylase enzyme.
Generally, there are no drastic changes in the
FTIR spectra among the treated and untreated
samples. This can be explained by the absence of
new chemical groups and the fact that none of
the existing groups disappeared. These results
show that the enzymatic treatment caused no
significant damage to the fibers (Figure 5).
flower and mixture of madder and safflower dye)
treated by α-amylase enzyme in different con-
centrations (10, 20, 30, 50 and 75 U/ml) at dif-
ferent duration (1 and 3h) are reproduced in
Table 3.
FTIR did not detect changes between the three
tested samples indicating the good stability of
47e-conservation
Figure 4. Wide Angle X-ray (WAXS) diffractogram of silk after enzyme application performed at concentrations of 25, 50 and 75 U/ml for 1 and 3 hours.
Table 2. Crystalline Index of treated silk fabrics.
Samples Crystalline area Amorphous area Crystallinity index(%)2θ Counts 2θ Counts
72.70Silk – Raw 20.440 o 192 12.960 o
56.2 72.03Silk – amylase - 25 U-1 h 20.58 o 201 12.491 o
61.0 71.48Silk – amylase - 25 U-3 h 20.713 o 216 13.056 o
56.1 71.80Silk – amylase - 50 U-1 h 20.630 o 199 13.836 o
56.6 72.36Silk – amylase - 50 U-3 h 20.481 o 203 12.890 o
66.3 71.78Silk – amylase - 75 U-1 h 20.531 o 235 13.117 o
Silk – amylase - 75 U-3 h 20.605 o 233 13.365 o 63.3 72.83
52.4
THE EFFECT OF α-AMYLASE ENZYME IN TEXTILE CONSERVATION
HARBY E. AHMED
Table 3. Functional groups of dyed silk fabric after enzyme treatment and their respective wavenumbers as identified by FTIR.
Silk + S. + M. (cm-1)
Silk + S. (cm-1)
Silk + M.(cm-1)
Functional Groups
3279 3279 3279 Broad band due to bonded O-H stretching - in case of silk, this band overlapped N-H stretching
2924 2924 2924 C-H stretching of saturated aliphatic groups
2162 2162 2162 Overtones or combination bands
1705 1705 1705 C=O stretching of the dye
1644 1644 1644 C=C stretching of the dye
1619 1619 1619 C=O stretching (amide I)
1514 1514 1514 C-N stretching + N-H bending (amide II)
1443 1443 1443 C-H bending (amide III) overlapped O-H bending
123011671068998
123011671068998
123011671068998
C-O stretching of various hydroxyl groups
611 611 611 C-H out of plane
Legend: S. = Safflower; M. = Madder.
A
BFigure 5.FTIR spectra of untreated and treated silk. Figure A compares an untreated silk sample with a sample of silk dyed with madder after α-amylase treatment at different concentrations for 1 h. Figure B compares an untreated silk sample with a sample of silk dyed with safflower after α-amylase treatment at dif-ferent concentrations for 1 h.
48 e-conservation
Effect of α-amylase on samples color
Table 4 presents the color changes of colored silk
dyed with madder dye, safflower dye and a mix-
ture of madder and safflower using alum as mord-
ant after amylase treatment with different enzyme
concentrations for different periods of time.
The results show that the silk dyed with madder
presents a small color difference (ΔE) between
1.030 and 1.932. There is a slight decrease in
brightness (ΔL*) and in color chromaticity (ΔC*).
On the other hand, we can see a slight increase in
color hue (h) of silk dyed with madder.
Concerning the color changes of the colored silk
49e-conservation
THE EFFECT OF α-AMYLASE ENZYME IN TEXTILE CONSERVATION
Silk + M. Δ E Δ L Δ C Δ H Observations
10 U – 1 h 1.030 -0.520 -0.591 -2.163 Darker, less red, less yellow
10 U – 3 h 1.173 -0.256 -0.904 -0.141 Darker, less red, less yellow
20 U – 1 h 1.151 -0.273 -0.607 -0.350 Darker, less red, less yellow
20 U – 3 h 1.173 -0.195 -0.617 -0.954 Darker, less red, less yellow
30 U – 1 h 1.216 -0.541 -0.740 -1.648 Darker, less red, less yellow
30 U – 3 h 1.431 -0.010 -0.627 -1.508 Darker, less red, less yellow
40 U – 1 h 1.442 -0.113 -0.916 -0.124 Darker, less red, less yellow
40 U – 3 h 1.932 -0.188 -0.787 -0.464 Darker, less red, less yellow
Silk + S. Δ E Δ L Δ C Δ H Observations
10 U – 1 h 1.251 0.611 -0.534 0.906 Lighter, less red, less yellow
10 U – 3 h 1.546 0.987 -1.732 1.423 Lighter, less red, less yellow
20 U – 1 h 1.179 0.623 -0.425 0.906 Lighter, less red, less yellow
20 U – 3 h 1.445 0.699 -0.408 1.197 Lighter, less red, less yellow
30 U – 1 h 1.544 0.442 -0.271 0.601 Lighter, less red, less yellow
30 U – 3 h 1.714 0.010 -0.627 1.508 Lighter, less red, less yellow
40 U – 1 h 1.574 0.746 -0.508 0.855 Lighter, less red, less yellow
40 U – 3 h 1.932 0.188 -0.787 0.464 Lighter, less red, less yellow
Silk + M. + S. Δ E Δ L Δ C Δ H Observations
10 U – 1 h 0.984 0.386 0.259 -0.388 Lighter, less red-yellow
10 U – 3 h 1.470 0.961 0.071 1.331 Lighter, less red-yellow
20 U – 1 h 1.583 0.285 0.437 0.259 Lighter, less red-yellow
20 U – 3 h 1.299 0.106 0.796 1.021 Lighter, less red-yellow
30 U – 1 h 1.552 0.788 0.632 2.012 Lighter, less red-yellow
30 U – 3 h 1.785 0.240 0.453 1.287 Lighter, less red-yellow
40 U – 1 h 1.493 0.465 1.406 -0.193 Lighter, less red-yellow
40 U – 3 h 2.006 0.013 0.521 -0.075 Less red-yellow
Table 4. Effect of α-amylase concentration on the brightness (L), the hue (h), and the color chromaticity (C) of silk dyed with madder mordanted with alum. Legend: S. = Safflower; M. = Madder.
dyed with safflower dye, the samples show a color
difference (ΔE) between 1.216 and 2.351. There is
a slight increase in the brightness (ΔL*), a slight
decrease in color chromaticity (ΔC*), and a slight
decrease in the color hue (h) of silk dyed with saf-
flower.
Table 4 also presents the color changes of colored
silk dyed with mixture from safflower and madder
dye. The results show that all these samples have
color difference (ΔE) between 0.984 and 2.002
and a slight brightness (ΔL*) decrease. All of the
treated samples had a color change of about 1.5,
which is not easily detected by the human eye.
This indicates that there are no drastic changes
in the color shades or the hues of dyed silk fibers.
Effect of α-amylase on mechanical parameters of the samples
Tensile strength and elongation of untreated and
treated silk fabric samples are presented in Table
5. The treated silk samples show only a slight im-
provement in the elongation properties over the
untreated samples, with an increase in enzyme
concentration and enzymatic treatment time.
This shows that there are no drastic changes in
the mechanical parameters of the dyed silk fibers.
Conclusions
α-amylase is considered an effective enzyme for
the removal of starch adhesive paste even at rel-
atively low temperatures (room temperature).
According to the results of this study, α-amylase
causes first an improvement in the mechanical
parameters (Tensile Strength, Elongation and
Crystallinity index) of silk fabrics and a slight
change in the optical parameters of silk dyed with
Madder, safflower dye or mixture of mordanted
with alum. Furthermore, the fact that no drastic
changes were recorded in the color shades or the
hues as well as in the brightness values and the
mechanical parameters of the samples proves
the suitability of α-amylase to remove the starch
adhesive from archeological silk fabrics having
either madder or safflower dye.
50 e-conservation
Table 5. The mechanical parameters of cotton samples after amylase treatment with different enzyme concentration 25, 50, 750 U at 40 ºC for different time periods - 1.0 h and 3.0 h. Legend: T.ST = Tensile strength; Eb= Elongation.
War
p di
rect
ion
Samples T. St. (kg force) Eb (mm)
Silk - Raw 27.967 15.852
Silk - amylase - 25 U - 1 h 27.881 15.901
Silk - amylase - 25 U - 3 h 28.005 16.301
Silk - amylase - 50 U - 1 h 28.537 16.247
Silk - amylase- 50 U - 3 h 28.423 16.769
Silk - amylase- 75 U - 1 h 28.971 17.113
Silk - amylase- 75 U - 3 h 29.318 17.023
HARBY E. AHMED
Acknowledgments
This paper was supported by the 2-years project
“New Strategies for Conservation of Ancient Egyp-
tian Textiles with the Application on Some Selec-
ted Textile Objects" at the Museum of the Faculty
of Archaeology, Cairo University, and funded by
STDF (Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific
Research, Egypt).
51e-conservation
References
[1] A. Tímár-Balázsy and D. Eastop, Chemical
Principles of Textile Conservation, Butterworth-
Heinemann, 1998
[2] S. Landi, The Textile Conservator’s Manual,
Butterworth-Heinemann, 1998
[3] I. Schwarz, "2. A Pre-packaged α-Amylase
Poulticing System: Albertina-Kompresse",
The Book and Paper Group Annual 19, 2000,
URL (accessed 1st September 2010)
[4] A. Blüher, I. Schwarz, G. Banik, G. Römer,
and E. Thobois, "The Albertina compress: a
ready-to-use enzyme compress for removing
starch paste", Restauro 105 (3), 1999
[5] S. Decoux, “Enzyme used for Adhesive
Removal in Paper Conservation: a Literature
review”, Journal of the Society of Archivists
23(2), 2002, pp. 187-195
[6] P. C. DeSantis, “Some Observations on the
use of Enzymes in Paper Conservation”,
Journal of the American Institute for Conser-
vation 23(1), 1983, pp. 7-27, URL (accessed
1st September 2010)
[7] H. Schweppe, Practical hints on dyeing with
natural dyes : production of comparative
dyeings for the identification of dyes on
historic materials, Conservation Analytical
Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution, 1986,
URL (accessed 1st September 2010)
[8] H. E. Ahmed , Y. Zidan and K. El-Nagar, “Studies
on dyeing with cochineal and ageing of silk
dyed fabric”, in R. Janaway and P. Wyeth (eds.),
Scientific Analysis of Ancient and Historic Tex-
tiles, Archetype Publications,2005, pp. 246-250
[9] J. Batcheller, "Optical and scanning electron
microscopy techniques for the identification
of hair fibres from Roman-Egyptian textiles",
in R. Janaway and P. Wyeth (eds.), Scientific
Analysis of Ancient and Historic Textiles,
Archetype Publications, 2005, pp. 51-57
[10] P. G. Tortora, and R. S. Merkel, Fairchild's
Dictionary of Textiles, Fairchild Publications,
7th Edition, 2007
[11] L. Segal, J.J. Greely, A.E. Martin Jr., and C.M.
Conrad, “An Empirical Method for Estimating
the Degree of Crystallinity of Native Cellulose
Using the X-Ray Diffractometer”, Textile Re-
search Journal 29(10), 1959, pp. 786–794,
doi: 10.1177/004051755902901003
[12] M. Baker, D. van der Reyden, and N. Ravenel,
"FTIR Analysis of Coated Papers", The Book
and Paper Group Annual 8, 1989, URL
(accessed 1st September 2010)
HARBY E. AHMEDConservator-restorerContact: [email protected]
Harby E. Ahmed is a conservator-restorer spe-
cialised in textiles. He started his training at the
Conservation and Restoration Institute, in Kina,
Egypt where he obtained a Diploma degree in
1993. He later obtained a Bachelor and Master
degrees in Conservation and Restoration in 1997
and 2002, respectively, at the Cairo University,
Egypt and a PhD on the use of enzymes for con-
servation of textiles from the Enzyme Biotechno-
logy Department of the School of Chemical En-
gineering from the National Technical University
of Athens, Greece in 2010. At the present he is a
lecturer of Textiles Conservation at the Conserva-
tion Department of the Faculty of Archaeology,
Cairo University.
THE EFFECT OF α-AMYLASE ENZYME IN TEXTILE CONSERVATION
case
stu
dy
CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION OF A RARE LARGE PERSIAN CARPET
By Omar Abdel-Kareem
This study describes the conservation and restoration of a large carpet belonging to the Cairo University.
The carpet was identified as Persian, being made in the city of Isfahan between 1850 and 1900 A.D. The
initial examination indicated that the carpet was very soiled, with stains and extensive losses. These
problems were thoroughly investigated before the treatment methodology was implemented. This study
explores an innovative restoration technique for carpets, which consists in the replacement of the missing
areas by using previously prepared pieces identical to the original but produced by a different
technique and fixed in place by stitching. This method is reversible and in agreement with conservation
ethics. After conservation, the carpet was prepared for display by using a Velcro strapping system.
e-conservation 53
CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION OF A RARE LARGE PERSIAN CARPET
Introduction
Among the textile arts, carpets hold a special
status [1]. Their deterioration leads to both a loss
on the origin and history of the object and to the
weakening of the carpet itself [2]. Historical car-
pets, representing one of the most artistic treas-
ures, should be preserved for future generations
[3]. Most of the times, carpets need conservation
and restoration treatment before exhibition. There
is a tendency for conservators to draw a distinct
line between the restoration and the conserva-
tion treatment. This is especially true in the area
of carpets, since parallel services exist for their
restoration and conservation [4]. Both these in-
volve intervention: a physical modification of the
carpet with the intention of preserving or enhan-
cing it physically and/or visually. In neither case
the original state of the carpet can be recreated.
Conservation is the treatment that places a carpet
in serviceable condition for handling, study, and
display, recognizing that an active intervention
should not detract from the original components
and visual aesthetics of the piece. Restoration is
the treatment that places a carpet in serviceable
condition primarily for its intended utilitarian use,
striving to integrate the restoration with the ori-
ginal visual aesthetics as unobtrusively as possible
[5]. Conservation aims to maintain the physical
and visual integrity of the object while removing
and adding the minimum material. Restoration
aims to recreate the visual and physical appear-
ance of the carpet as it is believed to have looked
originally. This also raises the interesting ques-
tion of the distinction between a restored carpet
and a fake. This depends on the actual treatment
carried out, or on the way in which the treated
piece is presented to the public [6]. The most
common treatments of carpets include cleaning,
stabilization, exhibition and storage. This pro-
cess should begin with a complete examination
and documentation of the piece which usually in-
cludes the creation of photographic or video re-
cords [7]. Conservators have feared the use of
restoration techniques primarily as a reaction to
the treatments that compromised original arti-
facts in the attempt to compensate for losses. To
avoid this problem, textile conservators turned to
minimalism as a way of addressing loss [8]. Effect-
ive restoration can give a textile visual complete-
ness and physical strength, which can be particu-
larly successful for functional textiles, such as car-
pets and rugs.
The main aim of this study is the conservation and
restoration of a large rare Persian carpet belong-
ing to the Cairo University. The project aimed to
improve the long-term preservation of this car-
pet by making it safe and adequate for display.
Also, this project aimed to stabilize and improve
aesthetically the disfiguring losses of this carpet.
The procedure was to combine the skills with an
OMAR ABDEL-KAREEM
Figure 1. General view of the carpet before the intervention.
Figures 2 and 3. Persian inscriptions. Left: Reference to the provenance of the carpet, which was made in the city of Isfahan (actual Iran); Right: Reference to the name of the carpet maker: Raheme.
54 e-conservation
innovative technique to achieve aesthetic com-
pensation for losses in oriental carpets.
Description and condition
Historical Context
A large carpet belonging to the Cairo University
(Figure 1) had been used as permanent floor cov-
ering at the Ahmed Lotfy hall, the University main
hall. According to the design and decoration the
carpet is Persian, being made in the city of Isfa-
han (actual Iran) between 1850 and 1900 A.D.
The carpet contains Persian words, as shown in
Figures 2 and 3, meaning that it was a present
from Isfahan, and that it was made by “Raheme”.
Technical Notes
The dimensions of the carpet are 505 x 785 cm.
The warp and weft are made from cotton and the
weft is constructed by two threads run for every
row of knots. The type of knot is Persian (Senna,
or unsymmetrical knot). The number of knots is
36/cm2. The most present colors in the carpet are
red, dark blue, light blue, white to beige and light
gray-green.
Condition report
Initial examination indicated that the carpet
condition was as follows: the whole surface was
very dirty, stiff and hard due to solid, sandy dust
accumulated during the long term use as floor
covering in the university. There were also some
different additional stains on it and in some the
knots were rotten or had disappeared completely.
There were enormous holes in the carpet and the
selvedges and edges suffered from wear and ab-
rasion. Nevertheless, except for the aforemen-
tioned aspects, the carpet still appeared to be
quite strong and in fair condition.
Microscopic examination
Small parts of each fiber were analyzed with an
optical microscope. The results show that all the
yarns from different colors of the knots (pile) are
composed of wool (Figure 4). The fibers were gen-
erally in good condition although relatively dirty.
The yarns of both warp and weft, and edges are
made of cotton.
Figure 4. Surface morphology of a fiber of knotting thread at 400x magnification.
e-conservation 55
Scanning electron microscopy
The observation of the surface morphology of
fibers collected from some parts of the carpet by
scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed a
high degree of weakening and damage. The sur-
face shows losses of the scale structure. There is
a large amount of dust covering the surface, there-
fore the fibers appear opaque (Figure 5). This may
be due to the microbiological deterioration (rot)
of the wool fibers in these parts of the carpet.
Despite these damages, the results showed that
most of the carpet is in a fairly good condition.
X-ray diffraction analysis
The dust collected by vacuum cleaner from the car-
pet was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) spec-
troscopy. Spectra of the examined dust showed
that the mineral composition of the dirt contained
quartz, calcite, dolomite, albite and clay minerals.
This composition is similar to that of common nat-
ural mineral dust in Cairo (Figure 6).
Proposed treatment
In order to achieve the main aim of the project,
which was to improve the long-term preservation
of this carpet, the proposed treatment included
the following steps: cleaning and removal of the
stains, stabilization of the selvedges and edges,
stabilization of the weak and missing areas, com-
pensation for the loss areas to stabilize and aes-
thetically improve disfiguring losses on the carpet
and preparation for display.
Conservation treatment
Vacuum cleaning
The initial investigation showed that most of the
soiling is loose dust that can be cleaned using a
Figure 5. SEM microphotograph showing the surface morphology of a fiber of knotting thread.
Figure 6. EXRD spectra of the dust showed that the main com-ponents of the dirt were inorganic substances of mineral ori-gin, namely quartz, albite, calcite and dolomite.
CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION OF A RARE LARGE PERSIAN CARPET
Figures 7 and 8. Surface cleaning of the carpet on both sides by vacuum cleaning.
56 e-conservation
vacuum cleaner. To clean the carpet, the floor sur-
face of a large room was covered with a sheet of
polyethylene on which the carpet was rolled out
face upwards. The suction head of the vacuum
cleaner was used from top to bottom of the carpet
to extract the loose dust from the surface. In the
areas where the carpet was too weak, the proce-
dure was carried out through a strong layer of poly-
ester net (Figure 7). After finishing the surface
cleaning, the carpet was covered with another
sheet of polyethylene and then it was rolled up
between the two sheets on a special PVC roller.
This way the carpet was turned on, the top sheet
of polyethylene was removed and the previous
procedures were repeated on the other side (Fig-
ure 8). These procedures were repeated several
times on both sides until no more dust could be
removed by the vacuum cleaner.
Stain removal
Tests for colorfastness were carried out before
any cleaning treatment. All the carpet dyes in
the stained areas proved to be resistant in con-
tact with the detergent (Synperonic N). Color-
fastness test were also carried out on the other
chemical that was used to remove the other
soils. The stains were removed using a solution
of 0.3 g/L of non-ionic detergent (Synperonic N)
in deionized water, which was then rinsed with
deionized water. Other stains were removed with
using ethyl alcohol and deionized water 1:1 v/v
(Figures 9 and 10).
Restoration
Stabilization techniques (lining)
There are various methods to treat carpet edges
that became weaken, damaged and abrasive [4,
9, 10]. However, the carried study confirms that
a complete lining attached to the back of the Figures 9 and 10. Example of a stained area before and after cleaning.
OMAR ABDEL-KAREEM
Figure 11 Example the lining of the edges with linen fabric. The complete lining of the carpet was performed in order to stabilize loose elements and to support the carpet during display periods.
e-conservation 57
carpet edges was the best method to stabilize
loose elements, and support the carpet during
display periods. The complete mounting will carry
the overall stress and strain of the carpet’s weight
while hanging on display. The procedure was ap-
plied as shown below.
Preparation of mounting fabric
Many steps were taken to clean and to remove
shrinked linen fabric before using it in the mount-
ing process. The fabric was washed and rinsed
three times in deionized water in a home-style
washing machine, using a pure, synthetic deter-
gent without optical brightener (Synperonic N).
The fabric was then partially dried in a home-style
tumble dryer on high heat for 20 minutes. Still
damp, the linen was laid flat on a glass table sur-
face. The warp and weft were gently aligned, sel-
vedges were cut and the linen was left to dry over-
night [11].
Attaching the mounting fabric
The carpet was laid out face down on a clean, flat
surface. The carpet was flattened carefully, without
any folding. Each one of the edges was backed
completely with a sheet of linen fabric prepared
previously (with appropriate area). The backing
mounting fabric was attached to the carpet using
curved needles as they lie flat on work surface
without tension. The linen fabric was sewn to the
carpet overlapping the vertical rows of stitches
(Figure 11). All stitches were done using needle
and cotton threads. Different types of stitches
were used in this work: herringbone stitches were
done around the top and bottom edges, over-sew-
ing was used to fix the selvages, and running
stitches were used to join the linen fabric with
the carpet. The fringe was also stitched to a linen
backing to keep it aligned. The damaged areas
were stitched using couching stitches and each
fringe thread was fixed with over-casting stitches.
The edges of split areas were mounted and stitched
onto new linen patches using herringbone stitches
(Figures 12-15).
Compensation of the loss areas
There are different methods to compensate loss
areas [4, 7, 8, 12, 13]. These can be classified into
Figures 12 and 13. An area with lacuna before and after intervention.
CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION OF A RARE LARGE PERSIAN CARPET
Figures 14 and 15. An area with lacuna before and after intervention.
58 e-conservation
Figures 16 and 17. Compensation the loss areas. Example of a lacuna in the carpet (left), and designing process of the missing part in order to match the original one (right).
six repair techniques [14]: reknotting with the
insertion of a partial or complete new foundation;
embroidery techniques; inserting a carpet patch
cut from another carpet; patching with fabric at-
tached from the back using needles and threads;
patching with fabric or with patch cut from an-
other carpet using adhesive; and a complete lining
attached to the carpet back with couching stitches
used to stabilize loose elements, either to patches
or to the lining itself (this technique is similar to
traditional tapestry repair). The current study
explores an innovative restoration technique for
carpets consisting in the replacement of missing
areas with pieces identical to the original, although
previously made by a different technique, and
fixed by stitching. This method is reversible and
in agreement with conservation ethics (Figures
16-21).
Preparation of new pieces identical to theoriginal
The preparation of the new pieces was done in
several steps:
1 - Identification of the exact area of any loose
part by placing a sheet of thin transparent ramie
fabric (pure cellulose) behind the area and out-
lining the lacuna, marking thus the correct size
of the new piece (Figure 17).
2 - Recreation and design of the decoration on
the identified areas in order to mimic the origin-
al pattern (Figure 18). The patterns of other sim-
ilar areas have helped in this procedure once the
patterns of most carpets are governed by rules
of symmetry [13].
OMAR ABDEL-KAREEM
Figures 18-21. Compensation the loss areas. From up to down: preparation process of the new piece, the new piece finished, stitching the new piece onto the lacuna of the carpet, and general aspect of the lacuna area after intervention.
e-conservation 59
3 - Fixing a cleaned undyed cotton fabric with
appropriate area on a wooden frame.
4 - Fixing the prepared transparent ramie fabric
with decoration on the cotton fabric up on the
wooden frame (Figures 18-19).
5 - Dying threads of natural wool (100% wool
with appropriate thickness) with high fastness
dyes (in colors similar to the original ones).
6 - The decoration was performed using needles
and wool threads with appropriate colors (Fig-
ure 18). The procedure was repeated until accu-
mulating the adequate aesthetic appearance,
similar to the original but still different and dis-
tinguishable as the piles are not knots, only plug
accumulating threads.
7 -Additionally, fixing stitches using dyed cotton
threads and needles were used to secure and fix
the new developed relief part with the backing.
8 - The completed new compensation parts were
carefully cut out from the wooden frame with
pinking shears.
Attachment of the new pieces to the carpet
To attach the new pieces in their places on the car-
pet, the following steps were performed. Mount-
ing and patching each hole with appropriate linen
packing, attached by stitching with needle and
threads. The edges of the hole were fixed by patches
using herringbone stitches. The damaged warps
ends and wefts of the carpet around the hole were
left in place and secured on the backing linen
fabric. Each new compensation part prepared
previously was stitched directly into the appro-
priate lacuna of the carpet with the backing linen
fabric stitched previously to the carpet (Figures
20-24).
CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION OF A RARE LARGE PERSIAN CARPET
60 e-conservatione-conservation
Preparation for Display
Since the early 1970s, conservators have used
hook and loop fasteners such as Velcro to hang
tapestries, carpets and other large flat textiles.
These allow for even distribution of the weight
and quick removal of objects in case of emergency
[5]. The common and simplest technique of using
Velcro system is stitching the soft side of Velcro
with the top and bottom of the carpet or tapestry.
The hook side of Velcro is attached (glued and
nailed) to wooden battens [7, 10, 11, 15, 16].
The application of the Velcro system could be per-
formed because this carpet was in fair condition,
allowing hanging. The only problem, however, was
its extra weight. Therefore, additional support to
the carpet was done by complete lining of the top
and bottom edges of the carpet (about 1 meter
along the width of the carpet). The application
procedure of the Velcro system was done as follows:
1 - The treated carpet was laid face down on a
clean, flat surface covered with a polyethylene
sheet.
Figures 22-24. Compensation of losses. Above left: example of a lacuna in the carpet; Above right: the new piece finished; and general aspect of the lacuna area after intervention.
OMAR ABDEL-KAREEM
e-conservation 61
Figure 25. The back side of the carpet after intervention.
e-conservation
2 - Careful measurements were done to identify
the exact areas where the Velcro strips would be
attached and to calculate the length of the Vel-
cro strips, as well as to identify the appropriate
frame that was required.
3 - The soft side of Velcro was sewn (using a sew-
ing machine) to linen strips before being stitched
onto the carpet.
4 - The prepared soft side of Velcro was fixed onto
the carpet using needles and cotton threads (Fig-
ure 25).
5 - The hook side of the Velcro strips was glued
and nailed onto the previously designed wooden
battens.
Conclusion
XRD analysis showed that the main components
of the dirt were inorganic substances (quartz,
calcite, dolomite, albite and clay minerals).
SEM examination of the fiber revealed a high de-
gree of weakening due to the deterioration on
some parts of the carpet while most of it is in a
fairly good condition. The technique used in this
study for compensation the loss parts of the carpet
proved quite successful, providing an adequate
aesthetic compensation for loss in the oriental
carpets, as the visitors can not easily differentiate
between original knots and the new fill.
At the same time, the method respects the funda-
mental principles of restoration and recreates the
visual and physical appearance of the carpet as it
is believed to have looked originally.
The technique used in this study respects the out-
set of the carpet: its visual and aesthetic continu-
ity, the original materials, structural soundness,
and reversibility. It also facilitates a minimum
handling of the object as it can be done separately
(on wooden frame) and then stitched directly in-
to the lining fabric that stitched previously with
the carpet.
To prepare the carpet for hanging display, Velcro
strapping was stitched to various areas on the
back of the carpet, not only to the edges. This is
because the carpet is too large and heavy. A com-
plete lining attached to the back of the carpet edges
is very important to stabilize loose elements, and
to support the carpet during display periods.
Notes
The dating of the carpet was carried out by Prof.
Dr. Rabie Khalifa, Professor of Islamic Monuments
and Arts, Vice Dean of Faculty of Archaeology,
Cairo University.
Acknowledgments
I gratefully acknowledge Prof. Dr. Hussam Eldin
Abdel-Hamid, Director of the Center of Conserva-
tion of Antiquities, Manuscripts and Museum Ob-
jects, Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo University,
for his encouragement and permission to pub-
lish this work. I would also like to thank the
CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION OF A RARE LARGE PERSIAN CARPET
team of the project, Mr. Salah Madboli, Mr. Ali
Saad, Mr. Mostafa Abdel-Salam and Mr. Wahid
Abdo for their assistance. Finally, I would like
to thank all the individuals who took the time
to share their experience in this project.
References
[1] C. Bier, “Carpet Condition: A Curator's Percep-
tion of ‘the Hole’”, The Textile Museum Journal,
Volume 29-30, 1991, pp. 6-8
[2] A. Lister, Guidelines for the Conservation of
Textiles, English Heritage, London, 1996
[3] R. B. Hutchison, “From Restoration to Conser-
vation: Parallels Between the Tradition of
Tapestry Conservation and Carpet Conservation”,
The Textile Museum Journal, Volume 29-30,
1991, pp. 9-12
[4] H. F. Mailand, “Traditional Methods and
Alternatives for Cleaning, Repairing, and
Exhibition Rugs”, The Textile Museum Journal,
Volume 29-30, 1991, pp. 26-33
[5] S. W. Green, “Preface”, The Textile Museum
Journal, Volume 29-30, 1991, pp. 5
[6] K. Leath, and M. M. Brooks, “Velcro TM and
other hook and loop fasteners: a preliminary
study of their stability and ageing characte-
ristics”, Textile Conservation Newsletter 34,
1998, pp. 5-11
[7] J. Merritt, “A Survey of Current Practices in
Europe”, The Textile Museum Journal, Volume
29-30, 1991, pp. 42-45
[8] Z. A. Perkins, J. Brako, and R. Mann, “Woven
Traditions: The Integration of Conservation
Figure 26. Final aspect of the carpet after intervention.
OMAR ABDEL-KAREEM
62 e-conservatione-conservation
Omar Abdel-Kareem is associate Professor at the
Conservation Department of the Faculty of Archae-
ology at Cairo University, Egypt. He specialized in
textile conservation, having trained in different
countries, namely at the Textile Conservation Cen-
ter TCC (UK), The Hungarian National Museum and
Faculty of Fine Art in Budapest (Hungary), Musée
Historique des Tissus in Lyon (France), and Wawel
Castle, Krakow (Poland). He has also training in
application of analytical techniques such as HPLC,
XRD, and FTIR and UV/VIS spectroscopy to textile
conservation.
He is the principle investigator of the Egyptian
National Project funded by STDF “New Strategies
for Conservation of Ancient Egyptian Textiles” with
application on some selected textile objects from
the Museum of Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo Uni-
versity. He is a member of Med-Colour-Tech Pro-
ject, supported by the European Commission. He
has supervised 12 Master and PhD thesis in Cairo
and Yarmouk University. He has published more
than 40 articles in the conservation field.
OMAR ABDEL-KAREEMConservator-restorerContact: [email protected]
and Restoration Techniques in the Treatment
of Oriental Rugs”, The Textile Museum Journal,
Volume 29-30, 1991, pp. 13-25
[9] A. H. Ennes, "The stabilization of edges and
ends: gradations of intervention", The Textile
Museum Journal, Volumes 29-30, 1990,
pp. 34-41
[10] S. Landi, The Textile Conservator’s Manual,
Butterworth-Heinemann, London, 1998
[11] S. Gates, “One Hundred Anatolian Flatweaves:
Conservation for Exhibition, Travel, and Sto-
rage”, The Textile Museum Journal, Volume 29-
30, 1991, pp. 65-76
[12] C. de Nola, C. Tonin, M. Bianchetto Songia,
R. Peila, C. Vineis, R. Roggero, and L.E. Bran-
cati, “Conservation project of an early 19th
century Turkish Ghiordes rug found to have
significant pesticide (DDT) contamination:
the result of a successful cooperation”, in
Preprints of the 13th Triennial Meeting Rio de
Janeiro, 22-27 September 2002, ICOM-CC,
Vol. II, 2002, pp. 730-735
[13] H. J. Exner, “To Restore or Not to Restore”,
Oriental Rug Review, Volume 15 (6), 2004,
pp. 1-11, available at URL
[14] S. W. Green and J. Swetzoff, “Compensation
for Loss in Oriental Rugs: Traditional Methods
and Passive Fills”, The Textile Museum Journal,
Volume 29-30, 1991, pp. 46-57
[15] Y. Maes, “The Conservation/Restoration of
the Sixteenth-Century Tapestry The Gathering
of the Manna. The Conservation of Tapestries
and Embroideries”, Proceedings of Meetings
at the Institute Royal du Patrimoine Artistique,
Belgium, September 21–24, 1987, The Getty
CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION OF A RARE LARGE PERSIAN CARPET
e-conservation 63e-conservation
Conservation Institute, California, 1989,
pp. 103–112
[16] M. Austin, “Mounting Large Textiles”, The
Textile Specialty Group Postprints, 1996,
pp. 14-16
proj
ects
THE BACTRIA CULTURAL CENTRE:
A UNESCO-sponsored project in Mazar-e Sharif, war-struck northern
Afghanistan – Success or Failure?
by Alessandro Califano
Introduction
The case study of a UNESCO sponsored cultural
centre providing on-site heritage related services
in northern Afghanistan, and of its background
– including the actions to foster traditional build-
ing craftsmanship and preserve immaterial cul-
tural heritage – is compared to two other cases,
in southern Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Though
not a complete success per se, this approach may
be seen as potentially useful in similar situations
in post-war and post-disaster countries.
Project's background and setting
About half an hour away from Mazar-e Sharif's
downtown area, driving east towards the border
with Uzbekistan, a new suburb is under construc-
tion. Stretched out to the south of the main road
leading to Khulm (the old town of Tashkurgan,
where the summer residence of the Afghanistan
kings used to be), right below the hills building a
geographical border to the vast northern steppe,
the construction dominates the lower lands. It is
a bit less dusty here, and there is a chance that
rivulets flowing down the mountain will make
their way to gardens and water reservoirs instead
of quickly evaporating in the desert plain, even
before reaching the Amu Darya river farther north.
It is for this reason that the area had always been
used as a pasture for sheep and goats by local
herdsmen. According to my sources, the whole area
was bought about five years ago, by or on behalf
of Tajik Governor Atta Muhammad. He is now con-
trolling the Balkh Region in the name of President
Hamid Karzai's central government after the pre-
vious local leader, Uzbek Abdul Rashid Dostum,
was called to other offices to the Afghan capital.
Measurements and subdivision of the whole area
in different-sized land lots followed quickly. Two
Inside the Bactria Cultural Centre land lot, looking south.
South of the Tashqurgan road to Mazar-e Sharif, a cultural centre named after ancient Bactria is being
built by ACTED and UNESCO in a new suburb. Started in 2007, it should be completed by 2017. But
UNESCO’s funds for the project are exhausted and no more funds have been found in the meantime, so
no further action has taken place since the building’s foundations were completed in late 2008.
In the light of a comparison between this project and another Bactria Cultural Centre built in Tajikistan, it
could be considered that the Afghanistan-based one is not a success so far. It is also perfectly clear
that in the current climate – where security concerns for other provinces have top priority – cultural
heritage issues are lagging behind in getting both funding priority and consideration.
However, UNESCO’s strategy of considering as the main requirement for the funding the production of
special dome tiles needed for the construction has been very effective: fostering traditional
craftsmanship and passing on a traditional, high-quality building technique to the next generation of
craftsmen is now a fact and so are the short and long-term benefits given to a local community in war-
struck northern Afghanistan.
65e-conservation
THE BACTRIA CULTURAL CENTRE IN MAZAR-E SHARIF
large roads were laid out through it, south of the
Mazar-to-Tashkurgan road, while various north-
south diversions drove straight towards the hills.
The very same reasons that made the area very
good for herdsmen made it an excellent choice
for builders and landlords too. In fact, a new sat-
ellite town dedicated to hosting foreign institutes
and affluent members of society couldn't have
been planned better: in the opposite direction of
nearby Balkh's notorious hemp (Cannabis sativa)
plantations, it enjoys a quiet and relatively un-
polluted position, with lots of space to be freely
rearranged, and with an extremely low acquisition
price to start with.
It is in this area that UNESCO and ACTED had planned
to built a new cultural centre. The Bactria Centre,
named after the ancient denomination of the wide
area ranging from the mountain ranges of Haza-
rajat up to southern Tajikistan, had to cover mul-
tiple functions. Firstly, it was meant to foster local
artistic efforts, and secondly to provide shelter
to temporary exhibitions of both contemporary
artefacts and of local archaeological findings. It
was meant to be a hub of cultural activities – part
museum, part incubator, part dissemination centre.
There had been some previous similar achievements
in the same macro region: on the one hand the
small on-site museum at Fayaz Tepe in Uzbekistan
and a Buddhist monastery blossoming near today's
Termez from the Kushan period down to the 5th
century, restored by UNESCO and the Japanese
government, and on the other the first Bactria
Centre established by ACTED itself in Dushanbe,
almost as soon as Tajikistan headed out of its
lengthy and bloody civil war1. Socio-economic
conditions in the three states being somehow
similar, though Uzbekistan was, and still is, far
better off than the other two, the past experience
suggested that the opportunity was to be seized
in the Mazar-e Sharif area as well.
Project's description – 2008
In an on-site visit I paid to the construction site
in October 2008, together with Czech fellow pho-
tographer Roman Pekar, ACTED's chief engineer
for all projects in Balkh, Mr. Isar, and Mr. Sayed,
who is monitoring monument control at ACTED,
told me that the actual construction work started
in 2007. The contract said that work should be
finished by 2017 although they were confident
to be able to have everything ready by 2013. The
project, for which UNESCO had generously contri-
buted, was developed by architects of the Russian
Federation and was then handed out to the local
Rendering of the Bactria Cultural Centre.
66 e-conservation
Looking south-east at the building’s eastern entrance to the inner court.
ALESSANDRO CALIFANO
1 Bactria Cultural Centre, Tajikistan, URL (ast consulted on 4 November 2010)
branch of ACTED by UNESCO's office in Tashkent,
which provided the funds. This might have been
a rather uncommon procedure since Afghanistan
already had its own UNESCO office in Kabul at
that time. Ancient Bactria covered, however, the
three locations, each now belonging to a different
state. And since Barry Lane, at that time head of
the UNESCO office in Tashkent, was very active in
fostering both the Fayaz Tepe project in Termez
and the first Bactria Centre in Dushanbe, it made
sense that the impulse should come from one and
the same source – and some of the funds, as well.
At the time of my visit, the about 8,000 square
metre land lot was evened and fenced, while the
building's foundations had been thoroughly laid
out, emerging from the slightly sloping ground
about 1.2 meters on the southern end to 1.6 meters
on the northern end. The platform was laid out
in a east-west direction, the north-south sides
being the shortest. The main entrance was on
the eastern side. Inside the one-storey building,
chambers were clearly outlined in two rows: to-
wards the outside the somewhat more spacious
ones and looking towards the inner court the
less spacious ones. The wide central court was
going to be landscaped as a garden while the
vast outer space had room enough for another
garden as well as for a large parking place. All
chambers were going to be covered by circular
domes, for which special tiles had been provided.
In fact, UNESCO's main strategy was to foster tra-
ditional craftsmanship, and the funds provided
were also meant to cover the production of the
special dome tiles which were considered the
main requirement for the granted funding. Neatly
Looking north-west over the building’s foundations.
67e-conservation
Looking south – ordinary (left) and special tiles (right) are heaped at the entrance.
THE BACTRIA CULTURAL CENTRE IN MAZAR-E SHARIF
stacked along the southern fence of the land lot,
two brands of tiles were in fact waiting to be set
in place. One was the coarser, rather fragile sort
of semi-industrial construction bricks every con-
struction worker uses in the area, those bricks that
one can see being baked at small local manufac-
turing plants all around in the plains, high chim-
neys puffing out vast amounts of pollutants and
fumes. The second ones were of a completely dif-
ferent kind: traditionally used in the region of
Balkh for local long-lasting buildings, these tiles
where comparatively larger, smoother and heavier.
Completely handmade, the latter are prepared
using a thick clay mix pressed into wooden forms,
where the tiles rest for a while to let the water
drip out, to finally be set out into the sun to dry
out until hard. Resistance testing to both impact
and pressure assure these tiles to be much more
long-lasting than the usual construction bricks.
The lengthy and accurate human labour involved
in the production process, as well as the much
higher care in choosing the raw material, caused
however these techniques to be not only neglected,
but even almost forgotten in present-day archi-
tecture, even in a region that had been originally
famous for this very same high-end quality product.
Project's description – 2009
I had the opportunity to travel back to Afghanistan
less than a year later, in May 2009, for a Kabul-
based UNESCO consultancy contract. Though this
of course implied that I would not have a chance
to visit again the Bactria Centre building site on
this occasion, I could nevertheless contact ACTED
for a briefing about the further development since
my previous visit to the country. Sadly, not very
much has moved since. The funds granted by
UNESCO have paid for the construction of the build-
ing's foundations, as well as for hoarding bricks
and tiles for the further construction needs, but
are now exhausted. In the mean time, no more
funds have been found, and no more action has
taken place.
In fact, even the first phase had been a pretty dif-
ficult one, as confirmed by two sources: despite
having the approval of Balkh's Governor Atta him-
self, as well as being able to rely on UNESCO funds
for the foundations, there was much wrangling
to gain approval for the rest of the construction.
There was even the impression of some interfer-
ence from the government side regarding this is-
sue. On the other hand, as was perfectly clear and
well stated by everybody, in the current climate
– seeing security concerns for other provinces
having top priority – it seemed that Culture was
definitely lagging behind in getting both funding
priority and consideration.
ACTED itself had been very restricted in its action
by not having enough funds. To this came staff
changes in the Afghan offices of the NGO and a
rising number of projects, so that they hadn't been
From left to right: measuring the regular construction tiles; measuring the special dome tiles – height; and measuring the spe-cial dome tiles – width.
68 e-conservation
ALESSANDRO CALIFANO
in a condition to really follow up on this project.
However, they were still hoping to come back to
it in 2010, and would still continue to be looking
for funds. But in comparison to the previously ac-
tivated Bactria Centre in Dushanbe, it was evi-
dent that the situation in Afghanistan was either
much more complex or, to say the least, by far
not as positive in its medium-term prospective
outcome.
An evaluation attempt
In the light of a comparison between the past and
the prospective evolution of the two Bactria cul-
tural centres, the one in Dushanbe and the one
being presently built in Mazar-e Sharif (the mu-
seum at Fayaz Tepe being a positive achievement
obtained on a much smaller scale), it could be de-
duced that the Afghanistan-based centre wasn't
a success so far. Even more, that the continuing
conditions of social and political uncertainty in
many areas of the country, together with rising
security and military related concerns, let many
further difficulties be viewed ahead.
Nevertheless, it wouldn't be completely fair to let
an evaluation rest entirely on this basis. With the
completion of the foundations and the prepara-
tion of all the tiles and bricks needed for further
building, the most arduous part of the work has
been done. Neatly sheltered under a double lay-
er of plastic sheets and earth, the bricks, and
even more the tile stacks, are securely protected
for future use, while the presence of guards on
site should deter theft. On the other hand, bricks
being readily (and cheaply!) available in the whole
area – and tiles being of uncommon use – theft
prevention partially lies in the materials them-
selves. The relative optimism of engineer Isar re-
Right: Covering the special tiles to protect them even in the case of a long interruption of work at the construction site.
Above: ACTED Chief Engineer Isar with a large fragment of the special tiles and detail of a special tiles fragment.
69e-conservation
THE BACTRIA CULTURAL CENTRE IN MAZAR-E SHARIF
garding a timely completion of the whole building
can thus be better understood: even a long inter-
ruption of work at the construction site will not
damage the part of the building completed so far,
much less the material to be used to complete it.
Funds for another year of activity should possibly
bring it to its final shape, while some more time
would of course be needed for its inner decoration,
landscaping, and eventually planning its activities
– which will probably prove the toughest task to
fully achieve.
But if time schedule and milestones for bringing
the building process to an end are to be considered
more or less adequate, (while only time will tell
what will become of the original plan to make it
function as a hub for multi-purpose, heritage re-
lated activities, and whether it will compare to the
lively proposals of its twin in Dushanbe), there is
still another point to take into account.
Choosing the peculiar and lengthy production pro-
cess of old-fashioned hand-made tiles as the main
requirement for their funding, UNESCO has had a
primary role both in fostering traditional crafts-
men's knowledge and passing it on to a younger
generation of Afghan craftsmen, and in working
towards the completion of a real and contemporary
model that could proudly stand against the usual,
pre-fabricated concrete-and-iron building solu-
tions. This choice would then represent a real al-
ternative solution, challenging the nefarious im-
pact of mainstream cash-related building solutions
which have no spin off effects at all on the local
economy. Far from compromising with “modern”
techniques, which in the end are generally revealed
as only apparently cheaper than traditional build-
ing solutions – and certainly much less environ-
mentally friendly – Barry Lane's project chose to
involve local work forces, letting them participate
in a complex but sustainable training and produc-
tion process.
Even if the final product of the Bactria Centre pro-
ject seems still to be largely floating in the future
this at least has been already achieved: passing
on a traditional, high-quality building technique
to the next generation of craftsmen is now already
a fact. It can be considered a healthy and sound
approach, combining traditional craftsmanship
training, planning and actual building, with the
help of external funds to foster sustainability and
economy in a destitute, war-struck area. With all
its shortcomings, it should be considered as a good
case-study of how immediate and long-term bene-
fits can be given to local communities, and of what
could be done – or maybe rather: could and should
have been done – in Afghanistan, to effectively
help a country disrupted by 30 years of war.
Credits:All pictures © Alessandro Califano, 2008
ALESSANDRO CALIFANOCuratorContact: [email protected]
Italian national, a Ph.D. in Oriental Studies,
Alessandro Califano has been Research Scholar at
J. Nehru University’s School of Social Sciences (New
Delhi), and Research Fellow in Museum Studies at
the UBC’s Museum of Anthropology (Vancouver).
Senior Curator at Rome’s Heritage Department, he
is also working on material and immaterial cultural
heritage related projects as a free-lance Cultural
Consultant in the Baltic area for the Italian Minis-
try of Foreign Affairs, and in Central Asia (Uzbe-
kistan, Afghanistan) for UNESCO. He is a member
of ICOM, ICOMOS-UK, and the Canadian Museums
Association.
Websites:
http://museumstudies.tumblr.com
http://twitter.com/a_califano
http://www.slideshare.net/califano
70 e-conservation
ALESSANDRO CALIFANO
No. 17, December 2010
ISSN: 1646-9283
Registration Number125248
Entidade Reguladorapara a Comunicação Social
Propertye-conservationline, Teodora Poiata
PeriodicityBimonthly
CoverA view from the 16th International Heritage Show,
Paris 2010Photo by Petruta Vlad
Executive EditorRui Bordalo
EditorsTeodora Poiata, Anca Nicolaescu
CollaboratorsAna Bidarra
Daniel Cull
Graphic Design and PhotographyAnca Poiata, Radu Matase
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