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Organized by:
European Research Centre for Book and Paper Conservation-Restoration
Recognised professionals of the conservation community, such as Joseph Schirò (Heritage Malta, Malta), René Larsen, (Konservatorskolen, Copenhagen, Denmark), Elissveta Moussakova (St. Cyril and Methodius National Library, Sofia, Bulgaria) and István Kecskeméti (National Archives, Helsinki, Finland) participated in the conference board.
Around 50 speakers from 25 different countries (18 European and 7 other countries) participated to the conference, which was developed in three tight scheduled days. The topics of the conference presented a diversity of approaching the conservation and preservation issues of cultural material in libraries and archives, involving ethical and aesthetical considerations, introducing new equipment, materials and ideas.
In the morning session of the first day, the matters of the fundamental principles and ethics in conservation-restoration, the reflection of aesthetics in art restoration and the theoretical and practical content in the training programs for conservators were discussed. The presentations started with Ursula Schädler Saub (Germany) arguing about the “Theoretical Fundaments in the Conservation and Restoration of Books: How Helpful are the Theories of Alois Riegl and Cesare Brandi for the Practice?”, followed by Weronika Liszewska (Poland) with “Aesthetics and Standards in Paper and Book Conservation–Restoration” and Maria Casanova (Portugal) with “What Do We Need? Education, Ethics, New Values or a Different Perception for the Profession! Revisiting Book Conservation Theory and Practices in the First Portu- guese Paper Conservation Laboratory”.
After the coffee-break, the presentation of Ingeborg Ullrich (Germany) “Expiry Date: Unknown – The Experimental Use of Material in the Artist’s Book and Installation Art” (presentation in German with simultaneous English translation) provi-ded a purely creative and aesthetic perspective. Manfred Mayer and Erich Renhart (Austria) followed with “Searching for Traces”, presenting the use of “Novec Fire Protection Fluid” in reading faded or indistinct text, providing its technical details and properties and advantages of its use. The session ended with Nicholas Pickwoad (United Kingdom) setting the question “Library or Museum? The Future of Rare Book Collections and its Consequences for Conservation and Access” in a critical perspective.
The afternoon session included topics on the study of types of 19th century paper concerning quality and provenance and the investigation of the effect of light and conservation treatments on paper. These topics were covered by the presentations of Penelope Banou (Greece) with “Archival Records of the New Independent Greek State (mid 19th c.). Where History, Paper Technology and Preservation Meet”, Petra Vávrová (Czech Repu-blic) discussing about the “Damage of Paper Due to Visible Light Sources Irradiation and Post-Radiation Effects after 2 Years of Storage in Darkness” and Spiros Zervos (Greece) arguing on the results of his research with “Investigating the Causes of Paper Strength Loss after Aqueous Treatments”. Salvador Muñoz-Viñas (Spain), in his presentation “A New Approach to Flattening and Lining Paper: the Pleural System”, discussed the applications and benefits of his invention (a vacuum table that provides controlled, uniform drying of large objects), while Manfred Schreiner (Austria) intro-duced the audience to “Documentation of Watermarks in Paper by X-ray Radiography” in compari-son with other methods used for the same purpo-se. The presentations “Copying presses” discussing the different types and variations by Josepf Schiro (Malta), and “Wax Tablets in Polish Collection – the State of Preservation and Restoration Issues” by Elzbieta Jablonska (Poland) concluded the first day. A variety of topics characterized the second day of the conference. The first presentation was given by René Larsen (Denmark) who stressed the necessity of the “Scientific Approach in Conservation and Restoration of Leather and Parchment Objects in Archives and Libraries” in order to determine the proper treatment arrangements. The next presentation was made by Myriam Krutzsch (Germany) who discussed the conservation of ancient leather fragments in “Is there a Chance to Rescue Egyptian Texts on Leather?”. Later, Igor Kozjak (Croatia) argued on “The Influence of Hydrolytic and UV Treatment on Properties of Leather Used in Book Conservation”. The presentations of Zsuzsa Tóth (Hungary), “Restoration of a Unique Hungarian Medieval Codex based on Results of Recent International Research and on a New Restoration Technique”, and Gayane Eliazyan (Armenia), “Preservation and Restoration of the Matenadaran Manuscripts”, responded to practical conservation topics. In accordance, the case study of a splendidly illuminated manuscript and its conservation and preservation issues invol-ved was discussed by Theresa Zammit Lupi (Malta) in “The Grand Master L’Isle Adam Manuscript, Volume 8: a Particular Example of Degradation and Pre-treatment Testing”, where the removal of historical extended additions was in question. The majority of the second day’s presentations were oriented to the approaches of conservation-restoration of collections, in respect of the original structure (forms), materials, date, origin, historical context, art and aesthetics, such as those of Karin Scheper (Netherlands), who presented “Islamic Manuscript Structures. A Refinement of Knowledge about Islamic Book Constructions and the Implications for Preservation or Conservation Treatments”, Rumyana Decheva (Bulgaria) with “Preserving the Original Structure of the Medieval Codex During Conservation”, Jedert Vodopivec (Slovenia) with “Census and Analysis of Slovene Medieval Codices” and Małgorzata Pronobis-Gajdzis and Jolanta Czuczko (Poland) with “The 19th Century Book – Underestimated Beauty”. The concern for developing the conservation discipline and framework through systems and principles was discussed in the presentations “The Romanian National Library National Centre for Pathology and Restoration of Documents (NCPRD) – Perspectives and Development Needs” by Mariana Lucia Nesfantu (Romania), “For a New Policy for the Preservation of Documents” by Eduard Zaloshnja (Albania), and “Results of the National Program – a Complex System of Conservation in Siberia” by Irina Guzner (Russia). The needs of each collection and the benefits of the recommended approach were argued respectively. The necessity for research, evaluation and assessment for the conservation and preservation parameters was also emphasised in the presentations of Reni Marcheva-Kanova (Bulgaria), “Need of research in the Everyday work of the Librarian and the Archivist Preservation of the Library and Archive Collections – Care by Different Specialists”, Maja Krtalić (Croatia), “Possibilities, Perspectives and Obstacles in Book and Paper Conservation-Restoration Research: Example of Croatia” and Ekaterina Andreyeva (Russia), “Safe Keeping Assessment of Ancient Slave Manuscripts”. Alternative solutions were recommended by Abdur Rasheed (India) in his presentation about “Recent Trends in Book and Paper Conservation” suggesting, e.g., the use of natural products such as plants and seeds for insect control, while Rodica Mariana Ion (Romania) discussed the use of “Nanomaterials for Chemical and Biological Restoration of Old Books”. Finally, István Kecs-keméti (Finland) discussed about “Managing Archival Collections for Digitisation: Experience from Two Projects of 1.55 and 2.07 Million €” a matter that concerns the archival collections community. The morning session of the third day started with Jörg Krüger (Germany) presentation on the results of the experimental work on “Cleaning of Soiled Paper Model Samples Using Short and Ultrashort Laser Pulses”, while Florian Kleber (Austria) proceeded with “Technical Approaches to Manuscript Analysis and Reconstruction” reporting a project involving interdisciplinary collaboration for the documentation, investigation and edition of unique importance medieval Slavonic manuscripts. The investigation of the crucial problem of mould activity and treatment were the topics of the following presentations by Flavia Pinzari (Italy), “The Contribution of Microbiological Research in the Field of Book and Paper Conservation” and John Havermans (Netherlands), “New Insights on Disinfection of Archival and Library Materials Using Gamma Radiation” proposing lower intensity in its application. The presentations by Erna Pilch Karrer (Austria) and Dirk Andreas Lichtblau (Germany) discussed the need and use of Surve-NIR in “Needs for Paper Research: Now We All Need to Buy SurveNIRs” and “SurveNIR – the Non-Destructive Evaluation of Material Conditions in Conservation, the Actual and the Potential Use” respectively. The paper of Marina Bicchieri, Michaela Monti, Giovanna Piantanida and Armida Sodo (Italy), “Applied Research and Critical Approach: the Proper Way to Deal with “Real” Library Heritage” was kindly announced by Flavia Pinzari. The discussion over the application of new or alternative materials, combinations or variations in form and properties to serve the needs and purposes of conservation and preservation outline the topics of the final session with the contributions of Halina Rosa (Poland) on “Study on the Adaptation of Biocellulose Nano Fibres to Restoration of Historical Paper, Parchment and Textiles”, Samantha Sheesley (USA), “Practical Applications of Lascaux Acrylic Dispersions in Paper Conservation”, Iza Zajac (Poland), “Sealant & Adhesive Remover, agent by WEICON. During the Conservation Process of “Lindley’s Plans”, Mehmet Konuklar (Turkey), “A New Method for Conservation of Paper Works of Art: Triple Mixture of Methyl Cellulose, Carboxymethyl Cellulose and Nano-Micro Calcium Hydroxide Particles” and Yuri I. Aristov (Russia) with “ARTIC – A New Family of Humidity Buffers for Libraries and Archives”. All the aforementioned presentations contributed to a very successful conference that gave the opportunity to the speakers to present their research and approaches to conservation and preservation today, as well as the needs, the problems, the agony, the troubling issues and the various aspects that influence or determine their efforts. The contributions in the conference were already available during the meeting in a publication entitled “New Approaches to Book and Paper Conser-vation Restoration”, edited by Patricia Engel, Joseph Schirò, René Larsen, Elissaveta Moussa-kova and Istvan Kecskeméti, and published by Verlag Berger. Further information on the book and the list of authors, articles and respective abstracts can be found in the Center web address. In the conference closure, experts on European funding programmes presented and recommended eligible ways of application and possibilities for co-operations within the upcoming EU’s 7th framework program for research. The discussion over the limited funding opportunities (packages) related to conservation research projects, resulted in the decision for the formulation of a common statement to respond to the EU Green Paper on the Common Strategic Research Framework for Research and Innovation. In the following days, this document was delivered to the EU Commission (see on the official web site of the European Research Centre). The sessions were completed with the discussion over the conclusions and results of the conference, focusing on the research topics that the partici-pants of the book and paper conservation community were mostly interested in. The decision on the urgent topics of research leaded to the arran-gement of several subject discussion groups and sessions respectively. The conference was conclu-ded with the wish of putting forward an accreditation of material for conservation which would be gradually implemented by the Research Centre. The successful outcome of this conference is not only due to the excellent organisation, the interesting topics, the professional presentations, in the majority, and the proper publication, but also to the benefits of witnessing an interdisciplinary approach of conservation, varying in concept, perception, and principles where scientific, cultural and financial parameters stood on a different basis. This also highlighted the need for the creation of a solid platform for a common language, ethics, attitude and approach, consolidating research and education. Finally, the hospitality of the organisers, the vivid atmosphere during the breaks of the conference and the evening events delighted the participants. This already started to show from the organised welcome meeting, over a warm soup, the first evening. The heavy schedule of the conference was decompressed with a banquet with speeches from local politicians and a representative of Net Heritage, Barbara Swiat-kowska, and a light dinner in the Vereinhaus the first evening, the special piano and song recital in the library of the Kunsthaus with the valuable books and editions, the conducted tour in the facilities of the European Research centre, followed by wine and light snacks, in the second evening. Everything was nicely organised, without exaggerations, under the sharp eye and guidance of Patricia Engel, who seemed to have everything running like a clock. Horn, as the location of the event provided a special character to the conference and supplemented to its success. It was a delightful, tranquil town in lower Austria, where everything was in a walking distance in the quite streets of Horn, green and blossomed with the smell of lilac trees on the air. Most of the participants were pleased with the concept and outcome of the conference, really supportive to the efforts and tasks of the Research centre and agreed to the idea of repeating this meeting in two years time. Photos by Spyros Zervos, Patricia Engel and Maria Giannikou.
About the author
Penelope Banou
Contact: pbanou@yahoo.grConservator
Penelope Banou graduated from the Department of Conservation of Antiquities and Works of Art in the TEI of Athens (1996) and specialized in the conservation of works of art on paper after her postgraduate studies, Master of Arts in Conserva-tion of Fine Art at the Northumbria University in UK (1998). Ever since, her professional activities include participation in preservation and conservation projects of works of art on paper and archi-val material collections belonging to public and private collections, while she is involved in education (lecturer in the Department of Conservation, T.E.I of Athens) and research programs with several publications. She belongs to the permanent staff of the Conservation Department of the General State Archives in Athens since 2008.
Permanent link to this resource: http://www.e-conservationline.com/content/view/1019 |
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