Paper, Book and Photograph Conservation
Hamburg, November 2016 – This week I went to Hamburg, Germany, at the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures where I had the pleasure to meet again passionate scholars and researchers who investigate on Himalayan papers, their hand making process and their trading routes across the highest region on Earth.
Such a wonderful workshop!
In the pictures: presentations during the workshops; the harbour of Hamburg.
Brussels, October 2016 – Brussels is not far from Amsterdam so I decided to take the chance to attend the RE-ORG seminar on the 29th and the 30th of September.
Lots of ideas and enthusiasm after the final brain-storming!
To know more about the ICCROM RE-ORG project, please visit the following websites:
In the picture: the group of participants.
Amsterdam, September 2016 – Last week I was in Amsterdam for the ICOM-CC Photographic Materials Working Group Triennal Conference 2016 at the Rijksmuseum.
In the poster session of the conference my colleague Barbara Cattaneo and I presented our reasearch on the physical and aesthetic properties of Hanji and its usefulness in the field of the conservation of photographic prints.
To download a copy of the poster just click here.
Also, a few days before the event we could visit the wonderful Impossible Project factory in Eschede (Netherlands), where instant photography is still alive…
In the pictures: the group of participants; my conference pass; the beginning of the conference; visit to the Impossible Project factory.
Rome, September 2016 – In occasion of the IX edition of the Festival of Travel Writing to be held from the 22nd to the 25th of September at the Italian Geographical Society in Villa Celimontana in Rome, I am helping in the installation and mounting of several exhibitions.
The Festival has a rich program of events and is usually attended by a vast audience of travelers, writers, journalists and curious enthusiasts.
In the pictures: visitors at the entrance of the exhibition in 2015; visitors in the reading room of the Italian Geographical Society; Elizabeth Chatwin looking at Antonio Politano’s photographs.
Istanbul, August 2016 – Last week I could visit the paper conservation lab of Serendip Restorasyon in Istanbul and discuss with them about paper and photograph conservation, sharing our knowledge and skills at international level. Indeed a great experience, thank you!
I really hope that we will have the opportunity to meet again soon…
Stay tuned for updates on the topic!
In the pictures: Sükrü Oral and me evaluating some tools; me looking at a photograph; a nice group of people from Italy, Turkey and Pakistan at dinner; the city of Istanbul.
Muscat, March 2016 – Last month I could spend three weeks in the Sultanate of Oman working as a conservator for the National Museum of Oman in Muscat.
Me and other three Italian colleagues have been part of a mission lead by the Italian company Regoli & Radiciotti for the conservation and preservation of Western and Islamic volumes, printed books (XIX-XX cent.) and manuscripts (XVII cent.), belonging to the Museum collection.
In the pictures: Abdullah and a group of colleagues; Wadi Shab; Seifa Lagoon; the Grand Mosque of Muscat.
Rome, January 2015 – In Asia, Hanji has been used in book and paper conservation since ever but its use amongst European conservators is scarcely documented. The present work will contribute toward a better comprehension of this material, of its mechanical features, its durability and possible applications in the conservation of paper based items.
Within the Group 130, composed by ten paper, book and photo mid-career professional conservators winners of the Hanji Award, my colleagues and I will investigate the particular features of Hanji paper and will evaluate its applicability in the conservation of a range of historical and artistic items in the form of book, graphic art and photograph. Mechanical reaction of Hanji paper to stress and its resistance to wear & tear will be evaluated through its use in conjunction with different materials, e.g. baritate photographic supports, vellum, tanned leather book structures.
Until now presentations of the work took place at the ICON Conference Adapt&Evolve in London in April 2015, at the Vatican Museums in Rome in May 2015, in Milan in June 2015 and in Turin in December 2015.
We will present the results of Hanji application in photograph conservation at the ICOM-CC Photographic Materials Working Group Interim Meeting to be held at Rijksmuseum Amsterdam in September 2016.
London, January 2015 – Today along with my colleague Barbara Cattaneo I could attend a conference on Julia Margaret Cameron and visit the beautiful exhibitions at the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Science Museum in London.
She was a pioneer in photography, the first woman in the field. Certainly her character, her art and her skills in the wet collodion process are an inspiration for everyone who attempts reproducing this technique nowadays!
In the pictures: Julia, Barbara and me; the Millennium Bridge; the river Thames.
Berlin, December 2014 – This December I could attend two workshops on Japanese Paper Conservation Tradition organized by the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo, with the support of the Museum für Asiatische Kunst, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin and Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin.
The workshops on Japanese Paper Conservation are:
In the pictures: moments of the workshops.