| CODE | BLH5507 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Conservation Materials and Methods 1 | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Conservation and Built Heritage | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit will give an introduction to the conservation approach, its rationale and the different steps involved. This is going to be explained in theory and with examples, for a wide range of historic artefacts, including decorative architectural surfaces and building/archaeological sites, easel paintings and historic stone surfaces/artefacts. The study-unit will then give in-depth information on conservation materials and methods for cultural heritage objects, stressing on the effects on the whole porous stratigraphy and considering environmental conditions the objects are exposed to. It will include an overview of the theory of specific treatments. The scientific foundations of such conservation materials and methods will be studied in depth, in order to understand how and why they work. Materials and methods will include both traditional and up-to-date modern methods. The evaluation of different materials and methods, advantages and disadvantages, and the applicability to specific situations and case studies, will also be covered e discussed. Students will also critically learn if and when to introduce appropriate modifications which will improve the effectiveness of the treatments - these will generally be based on laboratory-based research and experimentation before work on real cultural heritage objects is carried out. This unit common to all the streams (Decorative Architectural Surfaces / Stone / Easel Paintings) will tackle conservation materials and methods common to the different groups of works of art, such as (but not limited to) certain types of consolidation, flake re-adhesion, cleaning, auxiliary materials. Case studies, both successful and otherwise, will be introduced and discussed. Practical demonstrations/applications will be included on laboratory replicas. Study-unit Aims: - Provide a comprehensive introduction to the use of conservation materials and methods; - Develop a scientific approach towards the choice, application, and adaptation of the best possible treatment(s) for a specific situation; - Develop critical thinking on the applicability of the methods learnt. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Explain the advantages and disadvantages of different conservation treatments used over time on cultural heritage objects; - Demonstrate technical and scientific understanding of key processes, materials and concepts encountered in the conservation of cultural heritage objects; - Demonstrate ethical awareness and critical reflection in relation to conservation practice; - Explain how a suitable conservation treatment can be chosen for a specific problem. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Apply in practice problem solving skills related to the condition and potential treatments of selected cultural heritage objects; - Design a conservation treatment taking into consideration specific original materials and techniques, condition of the object, external parameters affecting the intervention / the results potentially obtained, weighing advantages and potential disadvantages; - Implement conservation treatments with good manual skills. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Essential readings: - Caple, C. 2001. Conservation skills: judgement, method and decision making. London: Routledge - Ashurst J. and Dimes, F. G. 1990. Conservation of Building and Decorative Stone. Butterworth-Heinemann - Doehne E., and Price C. 2010. Stone Conservation: An Overview of Current Research, 2nd Edition, Getty Publication - Hill Stoner, J. and Rushfield, R. (Eds) 2012. Conservation of Easel Paintings. Routledge - Horie, C.V. 1987. Materials for conservation, London: Butterworth-Heinemann - Torraca G. 2009. Lectures on Materials Science for Architectural Conservation. The Getty Conservation Institute - Cather, S. (Ed.) 1991. The conservation of wall paintings, proceedings of a symposium organized by the Courtauld Institute of Art and the Getty Conservation Institute, London, July 13-16, 1987. Getty Conservation Institute. Further readings: - Gowing, R. and Heritage, A. 2003. Conserving the Painted Past: Developing Approaches to Wall Painting Conservation (Post-prints of an English Heritage Conference, 1999), London: James & James. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Practicum | ||||||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Damian Lizun Stefan Laue Sophie Briffa Jo Ann Cassar Roberta De Angelis Chiara Pasian Andrzej Podgorski Jennifer Porter Stephanie Sammut |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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