IIC Congress 2012 The Decorative - International Institute for ...

The decorative and applied arts havecontributed greatly towards both thepractical and the social aspects ofeveryday life as they have responded tocontemporary needs and materialinventions.However, technologicallyinnovative aspects of the artifactsproduced have sometimes beenunderrated, while their aestheticqualities have been studied intensively.The multidisciplinary approach ofconservators can help to unravel thefascinating story of some of theseartifacts in their original context.

The language of the Congress will beEnglish.

Registration now openRegistration for the Congress is nowopen on the Congress website:http://www.iiconservation.org/congress/2012vienna/registration

Members of IIC should log onto the

ConservationNews in

The e-paper of the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works

IIC is delighted to present the 24thbiennial IIC Congress, and IIC’s secondsuch event inVienna, the first havingtaken place there over thirty years ago in1980. The 2012 event will be held at thenew campus of the University of Vienna,situated in the heart of the city.

The 2012 Congress will focus on atopic that is uniquely well-suited toVienna’s wealth and breadth ofdecorative and applied arts heritage.Ornament and decoration have beenevident in human endeavour since thebeginning of human history, rangingfrom the bold clarity of ancient Egypt tothe great period of Jugendstil and theVienna Secession around 1900 and on tothe exuberant revivals of today.Wherever civilisations have developed,many of their forms of culturalexpression can be considered as‘decorative’ or ‘applied’ arts. The congresstopic coincides withVienna’s Klimt 2012

Issue 29, April 2012

An interviewwith NiC –Discover collection care atBT ArchivesFeature on page 5

ANetwork of Networks –Discover the work of theInternational Network forthe Conservation ofContemporary Art (INCCA).Find the full article onpage 9

Were you at the IIC AGM?Here is your chance to catchup, read theminutes onpage 11–13

IIC Congress 2012The Decorative: Conservation and the Applied Arts10 to 14 September 2012

Wiener Secessionsgebäude, 1897, JosephMaria Olbrich

celebrations, on the 150th anniversary ofthe birth of Gustav Klimt.

www.iiconservation.org!

News in Conservation No. 29, April 2012 2

The application should be supportedby one senior professional conservator,who should be named,with affiliationsand contact details, on the applicationdocument.Applications will be acceptedby post, fax or email and should bereceived by 30thApril 2012.

All applications should be sent to theIIC Office marked ‘BrommelleMemorial FundApplication’ or ‘GaboTrust Application’ as appropriate.

IIC website before attempting toRegister, in order to take advantage ofthe special members’ rate. Contact theoffice if you have forgotten yourpassword.Non-members may wish tojoin, via the website, or by contacting theoffice, in order to take advantage of themembers’ discount while also gainingthe manifold benefits of membership.

Help for Student MembersThe Brommelle Memorial Fund was

established in 1990 in memory ofNorman Brommelle, who was Secretary-General of IIC between 1958 and 1988.The fund is used to provide assistancefor students of conservation who wish toattend the Institute’s internationalcongresses. Students are defined as thoseenrolled in a full-time course ofconservation training leading to arecognized academic qualification.Students may apply at any time duringtheir course of study, including theirfinal year or internship.Applicants mustbe Individual Members or StudentMembers of IIC in good standing.

In order to spread funding over aswide a geographical area as possible, itmay be necessary to restrict the numberof recipients from any one organization.The Fund will normally provide only apart of the total cost of attending thecongress and it is important thatstudents should attempt to obtainadditional funding from elsewhere.Successful applicants will receive not lessthan the amount of the Congress Fee.

News in Conservation is published by TheInternational Institute for Conservation ofHistoric and ArtisticWorks

3, BirdcageWalk,London, SW1H 3JJ, UKTelephone +44 (0)20 7799 5500Fax +44 (0)20 7799 4961www.iiconservation.orgISSN 1995-2635EditorBarbara [email protected]

AdvertisingGrahamVoce, [email protected]

Format DesignWebb &Webb Design Limitedwww.webbandwebb.co.uk

ProductionDesignMalcolm [email protected]

PrintingL&S Printing Company Limitedwww.ls-printing.com

Deadlines for next issue (June 2012)Editorial: 1 May 2012Advertising: 15May 2012Disclaimer:Whilst every effort ismade to ensureaccuracy, the Newspaper Editor and IIC can accept noresponsibility for the content published in thisnewspaper. The opinions stated in individual articlesbelong to the author(s) and do not necessarily reflectthose of the IIC, its officers or Council. Noresponsibility is assumed by the publisher for anyinjury and/or damage as a result of the application ofanymethod, product, instructions or ideas in thepublication. Inclusion of a product or treatment inthis publication does not imply endorsement of theproduct or treatment.

© 2011 The International Institute for Conservation ofHistoric and ArtisticWorks

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Applications must be received at the IICoffice by 30April 2012 and successfulrecipients will be advised by the end ofMay.

To apply, the application form can bedownloaded from the IIC congresswebsite, or a paper version obtainedfrom the IIC office. Send the completedform by email, post or fax to IICtogether with a copy of your CV and aletter of support from your coursesupervisor.Applications will be acceptedin English only.

Applications for assistance to attendthe Conference close on 30thApril 2012

Help from the GaboTrustThanks to the generosity of the GaboTrust we are able to offer up to threecash awards of up to £1,000 to assistpracticing sculpture conservators whowork on modern sculpture to attend theCongress.

Application is open to participantsfrom any country.Applicants shouldideally demonstrate in their CV practicein modern sculpture conservation. Thisfunding will not cover total attendance,accommodation and travel/subsistencecosts, so applicants will need toguarantee in their application that theycan fund the balance of the coststhemselves.

To apply, a brief statement should beprovided in English describing howattendance at the Congress would be ofbenefit to the individual and toconservation in his/her country.

Change of Details?Let IIC Know!

In an effort to keep all ourinformation current, IIC isasking members to log on tothe website atwww.iiconservation.org andmake sure all the records wehold are correct and up to date.The process will only take a fewminutes but will ensure that IICis able to communicateeffectively and you will not bemissing out on any relevantnews and events.Thanks for your cooperation


This is a time of change and here at IICwe are changing and adapting withmajor initiatives that I want to bring toyour attention.

While Reviews has been merged withStudies in Conservation (SiC), NiC hasbecome a web-based publication whereit can hopefully reach a much wideraudience.

IIC has completely revamped the wayin which papers pass through the peerreview process, resulting in a much fasterturnaround, indeed a time frame whichis among the fastest anywhere in the field.Back issues of Studies in Conservationand Reviews in Conservation as well ascongress preprints are nowmore easilysearchable online. This means thatcontributions are cited more often andrecognized more fully, raising the statusand visibility of your work. I’m happy toreport that you have respondedpositively to these changes. SiC has seena dramatic and steady increase in thenumber of submissions in this last twoyears and NiC continues to elicitcomments and praise. Through thesechanges, and those yet to come, IIC willcontinue to be stronger and will be betterable to serve the Heritage Conservationcommunity worldwide.

Not much space left to tell you aboutthis issue, so I will just thank you for yoursupport and wish you a happy reading!Barbara Borghese Editor

Venice’s Ponte Dei SospiriRestoredThe Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri),inVenice, Italy, is now on display afterrestoration has been completed.

Tourists and gondoliers inVenice cannow enjoy the view of the Bridge ofSighs again, with the completion of athree-year restoration project.

The Italian city’s famous bridge hadbeen covered by advertising hoardings

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News in Brief

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to help finance the work.The 17th-Century bridge connects

the Doge's Palace to a former prison. Itis said that inmates glimpsingVenicefrom the bridge used to sigh in despair.

The restoration was started after achunk of marble injured a tourist.

The Bridge of Sighs and surroundingfacades were covered in adverts duringthe work. The decision to cover thefacades with large adverts had causedcontroversy inVenice, which attractsmillions of tourists each year.

Local legend says that couples will beassured of everlasting love if they kiss ona gondola at sunset under the bridge.

Restoration of Ancient BoatBegins in EgyptConservation has begun on a 4,500-year-old wooden boat that wasoriginally discovered in 1954 next to thepyramids, one of Egypt’s main touristattractions. The work has been madepossible with the help of a US$10million grant (UK£6.3 million) fromWaseda University, Japan.

The boat is one of two that wereburied next to Pharaoh Khufu’spyramid, and it is believed to have beenintended to carry pharaohs into theafterlife.

Khufu, also known as Cheops, wasthe second ruler of the 4th Dynastyaround 2680 B.C. and ruled Egypt for 23years.He is credited with building theGreat Pyramid of Giza, the largest of thepyramids.

Editorial

The Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri)

Both boats are made from Lebanesecedar and Egyptian acacia trees; one ofthe boats is on display at a museum nearthe pyramids.

The boat now undergoing restorationremained buried at the site it wasdiscovered. It is thought to be smallerthan its sister ship, which is about 43metres long.

The head of Egypt’s Supreme Councilof Antiquities,Mustafa Amin, said in aninterview:“The boat was found in acomplete shape, intact and in place’’adding that the focus now is on taking

Khufu’s solar boat


samples of the wood. In order to find themost sufficient and advanced way towork on the wood, scientists arestudying the different components andfungus present.

The team had initially thought thevessel would be safer left underground,but evidence showed that pollution,water and insects had invaded the boat’schamber making an interventionnecessary to prevent furtherdeterioration.

Source: Associated Press

Canova’s The Dancer ConservedA sculpture fromA.Canova called TheDancer is about to be exhibited at thePossagnoMuseum, Italy afterconservation works allowed it to bereunited with its arms that were lostafter damages suffered during the FirstWorldWar in 1918. The statue is theoriginal gesso version that Canova madeas a model for the other “Dancer” to besculpted in marble and which is now atthe Bode Museum in Berlin.

The“reverse engineering”intervention, involved the 3D scanningof the arms of the Berlin sculpture. Thescanning is performed in-situ and doesnot involve any other manipulation ofthe original object. Based on thescanned images, it was possible toproduce a replica of the arms toreintegrate on the gesso statue. Seen as acontroversial intervention by somecritics, the work is completely reversibleallowing for future rethinking and

different approaches, as explained by theproject manager IvanoAmbrosini.

The exhibition“Canova e la Danza.La danza nella scultura e nella pittura diAntonio Canova”will be open until 30September 2012 at the Museo GipsotecaAntonio Canova, Possagno, Italy.

Lux in Arcana – TheVaticanSecret Archives Revealed

It will be the first and possibly theonly time in history that a collection ofpriceless documents leaves the confinesof theVatican City walls to be displayedin the beautiful halls of the CapitolineMuseums in Rome.One hundredoriginal documents selected among thetreasures preserved and cherished by theVatican Secret Archives for centurieswill be part of the exhibition Lux inArcana, conceived for the 4th Centenaryof the foundation of theVatican SecretArchives. The aim of the event is toexplain and describe what the Pope’sarchives are and how they work. At thesame time, the exhibition aims atmaking the invisible visible, thusallowing access to some of the marvelsenshrined in theVatican Secret Archives’85 linear kilometers of shelving. Theserecords possess an extraordinaryhistorical value, covering a time-spanthat stretches from the 8th to the 20thcentury.

The exhibition is enriched bymultimedia installations, guided by anintriguing but rigorous historicalnarration, to allow the visitor to

experience some famous events fromthe past and to“re-live” the documents,that will come to life with tales of thecontext and the people involved.

The 100 documents, chosen amongmanuscript codices, parchments, stringsand registers, will remain at theCapitoline Museums for nearly sevenmonths until September 2012.

This memorable exhibition is alreadycreating great expectations, fuelled bythe mysterious fascination that theVatican Secret Archives generate in thecollective imagination.

Located in the City of Rome, theVatican Secret Archives was founded in1612 by Pope Paul V and represent acultural heritage of worldwide appealand relevance. The exhibition has beenconceived in cooperation with RomaCapitale,Assessorato alle PoliticheCulturali e Centro Storico –Sovraintendenza ai Beni Culturali diRoma and Zètema Progetto Cultura.

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Archives

In October 2011, NiC was invited on atour of the BT Archives located inHolborn Telephone Exchange Building,in the heart of London.We were met bySiânWynn-Jones, Heritage CollectionsManager and Scott Barlow, Archivist atBT Archives and discussed collectioncare, preventive conservation, andmore. The visit included the BT readingroom, the storage facilities and theconservation/preservation room,where we were fortunate to observesome of the work in action.

BackgroundBTArchives is in charge of overseeing thepreservation of the historical information of BritishTelecommunications plc and its predecessors, fromthe early part of the nineteenth century up to thepresent day.

BTArchives was originally established as thehistorical section of the BT Registry Service.Following BT’s privatisation in 1984, the newcompany felt that BT should be responsible for its ownarchives, which were then held by the Post OfficeArchives, the predecessor of the present British PostalMuseum &Archive (BPMA).Although existingtelecommunications archives were for the time beingretained by the Post Office Archives, it was agreed that

BT would continue to transfer only pre-1969 pre-corporation status records once their operational usehad ceased. BT would retain post-1969 records.

BTArchives moved to its current purpose builtrepository in Holborn Telephone Exchange in July1997. This facility reflects BT's commitment to

preserving and giving access to its unique andpriceless archival collections.

In 1987 BT appointed its first professionallyqualified archivist and, following a move to newLondon accommodation, core Post Officetelecommunications collections were transferred toBTArchives in 1991, now appointed a ‘place ofdeposit’ for public records approved by the PublicRecord Office.Other key collections still retainedelsewhere in BT (principally the photographic libraryand the research records collection) now were alsotransferred to the new repository. In 1997, BTArchives moved to its current accommodation in a £1million project.

In 2004, BT published its first Heritage Policy.Approved at Board level, it was confirmed and re-published in 2009 (www.bt.com/heritage), the onlysuch corporate heritage commitment.

Today, BT Heritage reports to GroupMarketingand Brand. This recent move from 1April 2011 is inrecognition of the value of BT’s heritage as a brandasset in encouraging a positive public perception ofthe company and its significance to the UK. Externally,BT Heritage is still positioned as part of BT’s CSRprogramme.

The BT Archive – An InterviewwithNiC! London

Collection items on open shelves


NiC - Can you tell us about the Collection?SiânWynn-Jones (SWJ) - This is a mixed media

collection comprising archival material, advertisingmaterial (posters, fliers), photographs, books, 3Dobjects and paraphernalia relating to the company’shistory. The key subject of the collections is science &technology, and specifically information

communications technology.However, because BT and its predecessors have had

such an influence on almost every area of society forover 165 years, the collections at BTArchives havesignificant research value in a wide spectrum of areasincluding:• Computing and Information Technology

• Marketing & advertising / Graphic design• Nationalisation, privatisation and regulation• Industrial relations and equal opportunities

NiC - Can you give us an idea of the extent of theCollection?

SWJ -We care for over 3.5 kilometres of historicmaterial comprising:

• Records of the UK domestic telegraph andtelephone companies (1837–1870)

• Records of Post Office telegraph and telephoneservices (1870–1981)

• Records created by British Telecommunicationspublic corporation (1981–1984)

• Records created by BT plc (1984–date)• British phone book collection (1880–date)• Photographs (c1860–date)• Posters and leaflets (1862–date)• Reference library including journals, periodicals,technical and historical works (1719–date)

• Film and audio (1930s–date)• Objects from BT’s corporate history (1858–date)• Personal papers (1850s–)

NiC - It appears that BT is unique in being a corporatecompany to have published a heritage policy.

SWJ – Looking after our heritage responsibly onbehalf of the nation supports the company’scommitment to Corporate Social Responsibility andas far as we know BT is the only company, andcertainly the only UK plc, to publicly acknowledge thevalue, and our commitment to, our heritage in aformal policy.

Not only is BT’s Heritage Policy about securing thecompany’s pedigree and leading role in thedevelopment of telecommunications technology butimportantly it’s about the impact of this on society

Collection items on open shelves

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over the last 165 years and society’s interaction withthis history is important too.Yes, the Heritage Policysets out our determination to preserve the fascinatingstories of BT’s proud history, but importantly it’sequally about access – we want to share that story withthe widest possible audience.

NiC - Can you tell us about your Collection Carepolicy?

SWJ – The care of our collections is informed byour Preservation Policy (part of the CollectionsManagement Policy), and our annual CollectionsManagement Plan. Policies for collectionsmanagement activities were unified into a singleCollections Management Policy, in accordance withBritish Standard Institute PAS 197 Code of Practice forCultural Collections Management, in June 2010 whichis endorsed by Larry Stone, BT Heritage’srepresentative on the Committee for Sustainabilityand Responsible Business. The CollectionsManagement Policy is reviewed every two years. TheCollections Management Plan reviews our activities ofthe previous year, our top-level priorities for the

coming year and sets out our goals for the next threeyears. These documents, along with other collectionscare measures such as Benchmarks in CollectionsCare (BCC) and The National Archives (TNA)Inspection Report highlight the standards wecurrently achieve, where we aspire to be, and what weneed to do to fulfil these aspirations. Professionally !

Early telephone directories form part of the collection

recognised standards including British Standard 5454Recommendations for Storage and Exhibition ofArchival Documents, 2000 and TNA Standard forRecord Repositories underpin our collections carepolicies and activities.

BTArchives last performed a full BCC survey in2006 (the next full survey is due for completion by the

A conservator working on the collection

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more digitisation of films, which we are unable to playon existing media formats for researchers.

We’re also hoping to expand our partnershipworking – digitising the British phone book collection(now online with Ancestry.co.uk) really improvedaccess to them as well as preserving the originals andwe have hopes for some more digitisationpartnerships too.

Shortly after NiC’s visit, it was announced thatCoventry University had secured £745,000 fundingfrom the Joint Information Systems Council (JISC) towork with BT Heritage and The Public Record Office todigitise 500,000 photographs and documents from BTArchives and create a ground-breaking digital portaland learning resources. For more information on NewConnections: the BT e-Archive visitwww.coventry.ac.uk/newconnections

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techniques across all forms of media.We hold bi-annual mini summits on both our photographic andfilm collections to discuss current standards andpractices for caring for these media and to highlighthow and where we must improve.We takeprofessional advice from conservators and specialist-media archivists on how best to care for thecollections.We set aside a proportion of our annualbudget specifically for preservation activities andsupplies so that we are able to carry out any advicegiven and to continue the work already being done.The archive sits on the third floor of HolbornTelephone Exchange and sits behind a number ofsecure doors including blast proof doors. The buildingalso has extensive CCTV coverage linked directly toBT Security.

In 2006 we successfully bid for £159,000 additionalfunding from the Committee for Sustainability andResponsible Business for a two year enhanced heritageprogramme, 2007–2009 including archival re-packaging supplies, preservation scanning of largeposters and digitisation of films on previouslyunplayable media to allow the public access for thefirst time.A further £25,000 was awarded in 2008 –2009.

We’re really fortunate that we can attract BT peoplebetween contracts on short term projects to assist ourpreservation re-repackaging and film audit work.They often work with people on work experienceplacements at BTArchives prior to their studying forthe archives post-graduate qualification.

NiC –What are the plans for the future?SWJ – In 2011/12 our collections care and

preservation priorities are to continue to work towardsa BCC good standard through addressing legacypackaging and box weight issues, production of morelocal practice notes on preservation packaging and "

end of this financial year). The 2006 BCC reportidentified that the archive did not meet basicstandards in all areas although good standard wasachieved in some.A BCCAction Plan wasimplemented immediately to address the areas forimprovement and mechanisms put in place to worktowards good standard in all areas. It is recognisedthat BTArchives will never be able to achieve beststandard in all areas with the current building andresource restrictions, but working towards bestremains our goal wherever it is within the control ofthe immediate team.

Scott Barlow –A review of the BCCAction Plan in2009 identified that BTArchives met all basicstandards as a minimum and achieved good standardsin many areas such as staff training and awareness andsecurity. We remain prohibited from achieving goodin all areas due to building constraints. This washighlighted in our latest TNA Inspection Report (July2010) which commended the work of the staff andarchive as a whole but noted the restrictions of the site.

BTArchives has been successful in bidding forgrant funding, primarily fromMLA London, for threePreservationAudit Visits (PAVs) for paper andphotographic materials (both December 2006) and forfilm (August 2010). Following the last PAV the BCCAction Plan was expanded to encompass areas ofimprovement highlighted within the conservators’reports. This consolidated PreservationAction Plan(PAP) informs the preservation and conservationactivities in the annual Collections Management Plan.

Our strengths in caring for our collections lie in thetraining of our staff, the continual monitoring andupdating of our preservation methods and thesecurity of our building.All BT Heritage staffcontinually receives training on the current bestpractices on preservation and collections care

SianWynn-Jones and Scott Barlow


How do you preserve an artwork that ismade of ephemeral materials such asfoodstuffs or animal matter? How doyou deal with the obsolescence ofvideo equipment or computersoftware used in installation artworks?How can you preserve a performancemade by an artist who insists that hiswork may not be documented in anyform whatsoever?Contemporary artists use all imaginable materials andtechniques in the production of their work which fordecades has been challenging the caretakers of ourfuture cultural heritage.Gathering knowledge andinformation of what these materials and workingpractices are, the significance they may possess, andhow artists view such issues as ageing, transience andinter-activity, is essential for developing the bestpreservation strategies for these increasingly complexworks of art. The diversity of conservation problemshave led to a more inclusive and collaborative researchapproach. Conservators and other museumprofessionals work in networks exchanging specialistknowledge and developing new knowledge togetherwhere there are gaps.

This working approach has flourished since theestablishment of the International Network for theConservation of Contemporary Art (INCCA) in 1999.

INCCAmembersare like-mindedmuseumprofessionals whoare committed toopenness and sharetheir knowledge andresearch results forthe collective good.The conservation ofcontemporary art iscomplex and coversmany areas ofprofessionalexpertise.Membersare aware that nosingle profession ororganisation can address all of the challenges aloneand strive to collaborate with others outside of theirprofessions. In addition,members of the networkshare an understanding that artists, custodians,professionals and the public all have stakes in theconservation of modern and contemporary art. Theystrive to incorporate the interests of all stakeholders intheir research and decision-making.

A good example of this collaborative approach wasthe project Inside Installations: Preservation andPresentation of InstallationArt. This European projectinto the management and conservation of installationart was carried out by INCCAmembers between 2004and 2007; a group of over 40 individuals from 25organisations (mainly museums). In the course of theproject thirty-three complex installations (manymultimedia) were re-installed, investigated anddocumented. The experience and knowledge gained

Revolution (amoment for the television revolution) (1990)Jeffrey Shaw & Tjebbe van Tijen.

Book cover, Inside Installations

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ANetwork of Networks. Collaborative Approaches in theConservation of Contemporary Artby Karen te Brake-Baldock

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through these casestudies were sharedand partners workedtogether to developgood practice underfive research themes:preservationstrategies, artists’participation,documentation andarchiving strategies,theory and semantics,knowledgemanagement andinformationexchange. Thisproject illustrates a‘network at work’ on a large scale; to carry out the casestudies, smaller networks were formed.

‘Revolution, a monument for the televisionrevolution’ (1990) by Jeffrey Shaw and Tjebbe vanTijen, was one of the Inside Installations case studiesand illustrates the need to bring people together fromvarious disciplines to conserve a complex work of art.In this interactive installation the spectator activates aseries of images on a monitor mounted in a steelcolumn by pushing or pulling a handle. Theinstallation presented some typical problems formedia installations. The work is technically complexand much of its technical components (the laser-disc,the monitor), despite being state-of-the-art in the1990’s, were in 2004 already obsolete. The work hadbeen put into storage at two different institutions;Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE)and the Netherlands Media Art Institute (NiMK). The‘sculptural’ elements of the work -the steel column andbar, the floor pieces – were put into storage at RCEand the electronic components at NiMK.

The first challenges for the researchers were todocument and register the installation properly and toascertain if it was indeed working.Once it wasestablished that the installation was functioning, it wasimperative to develop a long-term preservationstrategy including an emulation plan.A multi-disciplinary team with individuals from bothinstitutions and externally hired experts was puttogether to undertake this case. The results of thisresearch were shared during the project at a series ofseminars and can be accessed at the project websiteand through the book “Inside Installations. Theory andPractice in the Care of Complex Artworks”.All of the33 case studies carried out during Inside Installationswere carried out in this way by small networks ofprofessionals.

Another model of collaboration which has provedinspirational for INCCAmembers is the Foundationfor the Conservation of Contemporary Art (Dutchacronym: SBMK). Established 4 years before INCCAin 1995 the SBMK is a network of Dutch museumsthat pools together funds to hire a coordinator toorganise research projects and coordinate otheractivities such as study days. The foundation’smembers work in study groups such as the “Balance”group who discuss decision-making, and the “studygroup”who concerns itself with the maintenance andpreservation problems specific to film, photographyand newmedia. The latter, have produced goodpractice models such as a video artwork purchaseagreement.Artist interviews have also been the subjectof research for many years between the SBMK andnow, together with the RCE and have culminated in abrand new publication ‘The Artist Interview’.

Working in multi-disciplinary and (inter)nationalnetworks has proved extremely fruitful for thedevelopment of new knowledge in the field ofcontemporary art conservation. Creating research

projects with specific themes and clear goals makefinding funding somewhat easier and allow forpractical research results. This kind of collaborationwill most certainly not become obsolete in the nearfuture.

Many thanks to Tatja Scholte, senior researcher,Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE).

Author biographyKaren te Brake-Baldock is researcher at the CulturalHeritage Agency ofthe Netherlands(RCE). She obtaineda BA in Arts &MediaManagementfollowed by anMAin European ArtsManagement in2002 from theUtrecht School ofthe Arts. In 2004she started workingat the CulturalHeritage Agency ofthe Netherlands (RCE) as assistant project manager of theEU project ‘Inside Installations. Preservation andPresentation of Installation Art.’From 2005 Karen took onthe task of Central Coordinator for the InternationalNetwork for the Conservation of Contemporary Art(INCCA). She was recently project manager of PRACTICs(2009-2011) an EU project which included the internationalsymposium‘Contemporary Art:Who Cares?’and thepublication ‘Inside Installations. Theory and Practice in theCare of Complex Artworks.’For more information see:www.incca.org "

Book Cover, The Artist Interview

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ANNUAL GENERALMEETINGThe sixty-secondAnnual GeneralMeeting of The International Institutefor Conservation of Historic andArtisticWorks took place at 5:00 pm onWednesday 18th January 2012 at 106,Roberts Engineering Building,University College London, TorringtonPlace, LondonWC1Present:Jerry Podany, President, in the ChairSharon Cather,Vice-PresidentJo KirbyAtkinson, Secretary-GeneralVelson Horie, TreasurerJoyce Townsend, Director ofPublications

Tuulikki Kilpinen,Anne Rinuy,David Saunders,Mikkel Scharff,ValentineWalsh, CorneliaWeyer(members of IIC Council)

May Cassar, Janey Cronin,Dinah Eastop,William Lindsay,George Monger, Juanita Navarro,Hazel Newey,Alison Richmond,Catherine Rickman(Fellows)

Barbara Sommermeyer,Donald Sale,Cheryl Porter(Individual Members)

AdamKlup!, Nanke Schellmann(Student members)

In attendance:GrahamVoce, Executive SecretaryValerie Compton Taylor,MembershipSecretaryDavid Compton Taylor, IIC OfficeVolunteerHelen Griffiths (Slaughter andMay)StephenAxcell (Jacob Cavenagh &Skeet)AndrewHazeal (Jacob Cavenagh &Skeet)Richard Haffenden (Jacob Cavenagh &Skeet)Liz Rosindale (W. S.Maney & Son Ltd)

Jerry Podany, President in the Chair,extended a welcome to all those present,and especially to those who hadtravelled long distances.He alsowelcomed to the meeting Andrew CurryandWouter Gheyle, who would betaking part in the Round Table dialoguediscussion ‘Rising Tide,Melting Ice’, thatwould be held after this GeneralMeeting and was being organised jointlywith IIC’s hosts, the Centre forSustainable Heritage,University CollegeLondon.

The Minutes of the last Meeting,having been published inNews inConservation number 23 of April 2011and circulated to members, as well asbeing posted on the IIC web-site, weretaken as read and signed by theChairman.

The Notice calling the presentMeeting, having been published inNewsin Conservation number 27 of !

Studies in Conservation is progressing - from2012 both subscribers and IIC members canlook forward to the following:

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! New Online Submission and Peer Review system via www.sic.edmgr.com

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From 2012 both subscribers and IIC memberswill receive online access to the following:

! Current journal content

! The back archive of Studies in Conservationfrom 2000

! The complete back archive of Reviews in Conservation

! The 2006, 2008 and 2010 IIC conference volumes

www.maney.co.uk/journals/sic

For instructions on how to activate your online access to Studies inConservation please visit: www.maney.co.uk/web/online_instructions

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Studies in ConservationExciting developments for 2012

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December 2011 and posted to members,as well as being placed on the IIC web-site, was taken as read.

The Chairman noted that voting onthe Resolutions by members presentwho had not voted by post or appointeda proxy would be by show of hands forthe Ordinary and Special Resolutionsand would be by ballot paper for theelections to positions on Council. DavidSaunders andValerie Compton-Tayloragreed to act as tellers.

Resolution 1: To receive and consider theReports of the Council and the Auditorsand the Financial Statements for the yearended 30 June 2011

The Reports and FinancialStatements, having been sent tomembers in December 2011 by post andhaving been placed on the IIC web-site,were taken as read and the Chairmaninvited the Secretary-General, theTreasurer and the Director ofPublications to make their comments(see separate reports).

On completion of the presentation ofthese reports the resolution was dulyadopted.

Resolution 2: To re-appoint Jacob,Cavenagh & Skeet as Auditors to TheInstitute and to authorise the Council tofix their remuneration for the ensuingyear.

The resolution was duly adopted.

Resolution 3: Special Resolution THAT

the Articles of Association produced to themeeting and signed by the Chairman forthe purposes of identification be approvedand adopted as the new Articles ofAssociation of the Company insubstitution for, and to the exclusion of,the existing Articles of Association.

Jerry Podany, President in the Chair,explained that in summary, theproposed changes provided:(a) for the creation of the post of

“Director of Communications”;(b) terms on which a President Emeritus

may serve on the Council, removingthe right to automatic appointmentasVice-President for three years and;

(c) for altering the deadline fornominations for election from ninetydays before the relevant generalmeeting to sixty days before such ameeting.Other amendments were

consequential or clarificatory.On the basis of the total vote the

resolution was duly adopted.

Resolution 4: To elect a Director ofPublications

Joyce Townsend was standing for re-election for a second term.On the basisof the total vote, Joyce Townsend wasduly elected as Director of Publications.

Resolution 5: To elect Ordinary Membersof the Council

Jerry Podany informed the meetingthat Hans-Christoph von Imhoff wasretiring from Council and David

Saunders,Michael von der Goltz andDavidWatkinson were standing downas Ordinary members of Council,creating four vacancies. RichardKerschner was standing for re-electionas an Ordinary member of Council andAmber Kerr Allison was standing forCouncil as an Ordinary member for thefirst time.

On the basis of the total vote, RichardKerschner was re-elected andAmberKerr Allison was elected as OrdinaryMembers of Council. Jerry Podanycongratulated them and welcomed themback to, or onto, Council.

Resolution 6: To transact any ordinarybusiness of The Institute

Jerry Podany, President, read a reportfrom Julian Bickersteth, IICVice-President, on IIC’sWorld Membershipand the money that this made availableto the IIC Opportunities Fund:

“World Membership and the relatedOpportunities Fund have continued tobe a key initiative of IIC’s Councilduring 2011.World Membership is themembership category designated to IICmembers who choose to donate to theOpportunities Fund over and abovetheir membership fees. Sinceestablishment in 2010, in both 2010 and2011 about forty members have chosento donate over 1,000 pounds a year tothe Fund. These members have beenacknowledged according to the level oftheir donation (gold, silver and bronze)on the IIC web site, where there will

shortly be a permanent accruing recordof these donations.

“The Opportunities Fund is thedesignated account to whichWorldMembership donations are assigned.The Fund has been established tosupport institutions and individuals whowould not otherwise be able to affordIIC membership where, in Council’sview, there is an opportunity to build along term relationship with the localconservation profession.Assisted by thetransfer of monies from the ProfessionalDevelopment Fund,which it replaced,the Fund started the year with £8,273accrued to which was added £990 inWorld Membership donations.

“During the year the Fund paid forinstitutional membership for eleveninstitutions (from Bulgaria, Georgia,Cuba, the Ukraine, Colombia, Peru,Argentina, Bosnia,Vietnam,Mexico andTurkey) and has currently offeredmembership to institutions in Romaniaand Chile.Whilst the focus of the Fundhas been on institutions, support hasalso been provided to individuals by wayof membership fees from Turkey,Palestine and Zimbabwe,where Councildeemed these individuals to fit the Fundcriteria. In addition to free membership,all institutional members have been senta package of IIC Publications and alsooffered one free registration for the 2012IICVienna Congress.

“The costs of membership andpostage of publications (no value wasassigned to the publications themselves)


was £2,731, leaving the fund with an endof year value of £6,532. Costs for 2012are estimated at 2,960 pounds based on13 institutional members and 3individuals, plus up to £3,850 forCongress registration support(depending on howmany Fundmembers take up the offer – it is notexpected that all will).

“Membership of the Fund provides agreat opportunity for dialogue withconservators in the relevant institutions,which has been ongoing during the year.Particular thanks must be made to IICmember Juana Segura Escobar for herwork with SouthAmerican institutions.All Fund members have beenapproached to assist with translation ofIIC abstracts and dialogues into theirlocal language and a number havealready agreed to do this. In addition,Barbara Borghese, editor of News inConservation, is planning to intervieweach institution over the next feweditions.A meeting will be held at the2012Vienna Congress for OpportunitiesFund members to identify how IIC canbuild on the relationships alreadyestablished.

“During 2012 the first fourinstitutional members of theOpportunities Fund (from Bulgaria,Georgia, Cuba and the Ukraine) willcomplete their initial two years ofsupported membership. Council willneed to resolve whether to extend theirmembership for another two years. Toassist this process we have sought feed-

back from these members as to thebenefit of IIC membership to them.They have highlighted the great value ofbeing part of a professional body in thisspecialist area, particularly throughreceiving IIC publications, thus limitingtheir professional isolation, and allowingfor dialogue and providing thegroundwork for local development.”

Jerry Podany added that JulianBickersteth would also be interviewedfor the published series that wasmentioned above and added that muchof the impetus behind this initiative hadbeen initially provided by SharonCather.

Turning to Project Lingua, JerryPodany noted that this was developingwell, with a number of additionaltranslations of transcriptions havingbeen made available for download fromthe IIC web-site, bringing the currenttotal number of languages representedto fourteen and the current total ofdownloadable translations to 24.

Sharon Cather wished to record herthanks to the volunteer Officers of IICand its staff; in what was a difficult timefor IIC the organisation’s survivaldepended on their work andenthusiasm.

Jerry Podany informed the meetingthat a notice would be sent out soon,advertising for an IIC member to chair amembership committee, as well as for aDirector of Communications. He alsoreminded the meeting that in less thantwelve moths IIC will need to be !

thinking about a new President, as theend of his term would be at the 2013Annual General Meeting.

Jerry Podany, President in the chairthen thanked Helen Griffiths of IIC’slegal advisors,messrs Slaughter andMay,StephenAxcell,Andrew Hazeal andRichard Haffenden of messrs JacobCavenagh and Skeet, IIC’s auditors, andLiz Rosindale ofW. S.Maney & Son Ltdfor attending. There being no furtherordinary business, the Chairmandeclared the meeting closed at 6.40 pm.

Time toRenew yourCommitment!IICMembership feesmembership year 2012–2013

The levels of IICMembershipfees for each membership yearare determined by the runningcosts of IIC and it is the case thatfor the 2012–2013 membershipyear fees have to be increased tomeet the costs of providing anextensive range of benefits tomembers.

The figures for the membershipyear 2012–2013 have beenagreed by IIC Council as follows:

Individual £58Fellow £84Student £21Institutional £215

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Call for papersMETAL 2013: International Conference onMetal Conservation (InterimMeeting of theICOM-CCMetalWorking Group)16–20 September 2013Surgeons’Hall, Edinburgh, ScotlandAuthors interested in presenting a paper shouldsubmit an extended abstract (400–600 words) by1st June 2012.Please submit abstracts via email [email protected] closing date for poster abstracts is1 November 2012.Recent Advances in Glass, Stained Glass, andCeramics ConservationICOM-CC Glass and CeramicsWorking GroupInterimMeeting7–10 October 2013Amsterdam,The NetherlandsSubmissions of abstracts: June 15, 2012For further details about the conference and todownload the abstract template, go tohttp://www.icomcorpus2013.nu2nd International Conference on Chemistryfor Cultural Heritage9–12 July 2012Istanbul, TurkeyThe deadline for submitting abstracts has beenextended to May 1 2012.For more information about this event pleasevisit:http://www.chemch2012.orgCopying, Replicating and EmulatingPaintings in the 15th–18th Century21–22 May 2012National Gallery,DenmarkSubmission deadline: 1 October 2011For further information about this event and onabstract submission please visit:www.smk.dk

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Call for Applications CXDNicholas HadgraftScholarshipConservation by Design Limited (CXD) isinviting applications for the 8thAnnual NicholasHadgraft Memorial Scholarship.The 2012 award,which covers the cost ofattending the world renowned BookConservation Summer School inMontefiascone,Italy, is open to students, skilled conservators andbook binders interested in honing their skills in anumber of historically sympathetic bookbindingconservation techniques.Running throughout themonthAugust 2012, each week of the summerschool features a different specialised course andtutor.This year’s class schedule will include thedirector of theMontefiascone Project,CherylPorter, studying natural materials and processesto re-create theMedieval colour palette, andfreelance conservator and consultant,Ana Beny,exploring the history of Spanish gothic woodenbinding structures in the“Mudejar” style. Bench-trained conservator JuliaMiller,who teacheshistorical binding structures,will be lecturing onthe Glazier Codex, a 5th and 6th Century Copticbinding system,while owner of a NewYork Citybased studio Jeffrey S. Peachey,will be takeparticipants through the construction of a typicalfull calf late eighteenth century French binding.Application forms are now available from theCXD website at:http://www.conservation-by-design.co.ukand must be completed and returned by the30April 2012.

Conferences/SeminarsHistoric Structures Conference: TheProtection of Historic Load-bearingStructures and the Society20–22 September 2012Cluj, RomaniaThe Deadline for registration is 30 August 2012For further information about this event pleasevisit the website at:http://www.transsylvanianostra.eu/conferinta-en-home.html

Every two years an award is offered tothe individual or group who, in theopinion of IIC Council, has done mostto further the public appreciation of thework of the conservation profession.The award consists of a certificate and acash prize of £1000, presented at thebiennial IIC Congress. Details ofprevious award winners can be found onthe Awards page of this website:http://www.iiconservation.org/about/awards-grants.

We are now seeking nominations forthe 2012 award. If you would like topropose yourself, or a colleague, pleasesend your nomination to the IIC office(preferably by email) to arrive by 20thApril 2012.You should send a statementof between 500 and 1000 wordsdescribing the nominee’s public outreachactivities and outlining what supportingmaterial, such as publications,websites,videos, or evidence of media coverage isavailable.You may be asked to supplythese at a later date. The applicationshould include the name, job title andprofessional address of the individual(or of all the partners in a groupproject). Send your proposal [email protected] with the words‘KeckAward’ in the subject line, or bypost to IIC, 3, BirdcageWalk, LondonSW1H 9JJ,UK

Deadline: Friday, 20April, 2012

IIC Keck Award 2012 – Call forapplicants

11th International Symposium forWood andFurniture Conservation1 November 2012Amsterdam, the NetherlandsAll abstracts should be 250–300 words, includethe title, the authors' names, professional titlesand affiliations and submitted for considerationto: [email protected] for abstracts and posters 1 May 2012.For further information please contact:[email protected] of Materials in Modern andContemporary Art: 2012 AICCM PaintingsGroup + 20th Century in Paint Symposium10–11 December 2012QueenslandArt Gallery / Gallery of ModernArt,Brisbane,AustraliaDownload and complete a proposal form fromthe meeting website at:http://www.20thcpaint.org/data/2012AICCM_Abstract_Proposal.docSubmit a completed abstract proposal by Friday11 May 2012 via email to Anne [email protected] information on the event and key datescan be found on the symposium websitehttp://www.20thcpaint.org/event-2012AICCM.jspWAACAnnual Meeting22–25 October, 2012Palm Springs, CaliforniaTheWesternAssociation for Art Conservation(WAAC) is acceptingproposals for talks to be presented at the AnnualMeetingPlease see the Annual Meeting website for moreinfo:http://cool.conservation-us.org/waac/meetingFor general queries regarding the Annualmeeting please contact:[email protected]


International Conference on the Study andConservation of Architectural Heritage,TERRA 2012 // The Ibero-American Seminaron Earthen Architecture and Construction(XII SIACOT) // SismoAdobe 201222–27April 2012,Lima, PeruRegistration deadline: contact organizers or visitwebsite at:http://congreso.pucp.edu.pe/terra2012/index.htmModern and Contemporary Mural Paintings:Technique, Conservation andAccess4–5 May 2012,Universidad Politécnica deValenciaValencia, SpainFor booking information about this event pleasevisit: http://www.mcmp2011.webs.upv.es/Polychrome Sculpture: Artistic Tradition andConstruction TechniquesICOM-CCWorking Group Sculpture,Polychromy, andArchitectural Decorations13–14April 2012,Glasgow, ScotlandRegistration deadline: 10 April 2012For booking information about this event pleasevisit:http://www.iccrom.org/eng/news_en/2011_en/field_en/12_20ICOM-CCGlasgow_en.pdf?id=1865APTCCARN: The Conservation of MaterialCulture in Tropical Climates23–25April 2012Silpakorn Unviversity,Nakornpathom,ThailandOrganization:Asia Pacific Twentieth CenturyConservationArt NetworkFor further information and booking pleasevisit: www.20thcpaint.org

The Third Dimension, 3rd European StudentConference on Objects Conservation4–5 May 2012Vienna,AustriaInstitutes for Conservation and Restoration ofthe Academy of Fine Arts and the University ofApplied Arts ViennaFor further information please visit:http://www.studentconference.at/Adventures in Preservation: Saving aWorldHeritage Site - One Tower House at a Time13–26 May 2012Gjirokasta,AlbaniaFor more information, visitwww.adventuresinpreservation.org/ws-albania-volunteer-vacation-2012.htmSynchrotron Radiation in Art andArchaeology5–8 June 2012,NewYork,United StatesEvent organizers: Metropolitan Museum of Art;Conservation Center, Institute of Fine Arts ofNewYork University;Winterthur Museum;Cornell University; and Brookhaven NationalLaboratoryRegistration deadline: 1 June 2012For further information about this event pleasesee:https://www.bnl.gov/sr2a/12th International Docomomo Conference:The Survival of Modern - From Coffee Cup toPlan7–10August 2012,Helsinki, FinlandRegistration deadline: 31 May 2012 (earlyregistration)For further information about this event pleasevisit:http://www.docomomo-fi.com/conference2012/cfp

Risk Assessment of Cultural and NaturalHeritage in the Region of South East Europe.ICOM SEE, REGIONALALLIANCEOFICOM FOR SOUTH EAST EUROPE22–26 May 2012Nis, SerbiaFor further information about this event pleasecontact [email protected] visit: http://www.icom-see.org/European Painted Cloths C14th – C21st:Pageantry, Ceremony, Theatre and theDomestic Interior15-16 June 2012The Courtauld Institute of Art,London,UKTo book online please visit:http://courtauld-institute.digitalmuseum.co.ukFor further information email:[email protected]

Workshops/Courses18th International Course on StoneConservation - SC1310April to 28 June, 2013Rome, ItalyICCROM and the Getty Conservation Instituteare pleased to announce the 18th InternationalCourse on Stone Conservation – SC13 that willbe held in Rome from 10April to 28 June 2013.Applications should reach ICCROM by24August 2012 to ensure inclusion in ourselection process.For further information about this course pleasevisit: http://www.iiconservation.org/node/2942Tape Removal7–9 May 2012Ascona, SwitzerlandCentro del bel libro AsconaVia Collegio 6, CH 6612Ascona, Switzerland,Tel: +41 91 791 81 56For further information about this event pleasecontact www.cbl-ascona.ch

Cleaning Acrylic Emulsion Paints15–16 May 2012Institut National du Patrimoine,Departementdes RestaurateursSaint Denis, FranceA 2-Day seminar and workshop with Dr.Bronwyn Ormsby, Senior Conservation Scientistat Tate, LondonFor further information on this event andbooking please contact:[email protected] of the Parchment in MedievalManuscripts21–26 May 2012Horn,AustriaOrganization: European Research Centre forBook and Paper Conservation-RestorationFor further information about this event pleasecontact www.buchstadt.atInternational Course onWood ConservationTechnology (ICCROM)23 May–29 June 2012Riksantikvaren,Oslo,NorwayFor more information, visitwww.iccrom.org.MCRI: Applied Polarized Light Microscopy4–8 June 2012McCrone Research Institute,Chicago, Illinois,USAFor further information about this event pleasecontact [email protected] visit: www.mcri.org

For more information aboutthese conferences and courses,see the IIC website:www.iiconservation.org.


NEWS BULLETIN….NEWS BULLETIN….NEWS BULLETIN…..Leather Forever – a new Hermès exhibition to open in London

8th May – 27th May 2012.Hermès is delighted to announce in its 175th year, the opening of a major newexhibition in London. This exhibition, which will run until 27th of May will takeplace at the galleries at 6 Burlington Gardens, London W1. Open to the public,it will celebrate Hermès’ relationship with leather, the first material tamed byHermès.

Hermès was founded by Thierry Hermès in Paris in 1837, as a house of masterharness-making and later saddle-making. Six generations of enterprisingartisans have explored new markets and new skills and the company has grownwhilst still remaining true to its founding values. This exhibition takes the visitoron a poetic journey exploring Hermès’ love of this fine material, presentingitems from Hermès’ past, such as those commissioned by the Duke of Windsorfor his Duchess as well as some of its latest creations,.

Craftspeople from the Hermès workshops in Paris will be present at theexhibition demonstrating the art of leather working by creating some of its iconicbags in situ.

As Pierre-Alexis Dumas, Artistic Director and sixth generation family memberexplains: ‘Sometimes I picture my ancestor Thierry Hermès back in 1837, hiseyes lighting up as he breathes in and feels the leathers of the saddle andharness workshop he has just set up in Paris…the same olfactory joy thrills metoday’

To celebrate this exhibition, Hermès has created four very unique bagsrepresenting: England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales that will be auctioned withall proceeds being donated to a charity.

IIC Congress 2012 The Decorative - International Institute for ...

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