New data about Brazilian Indigenous Peoples

The Brazilian Digital Atlas 2016 has a thematic section ("Caderno Temático: Populações Indígenas) focused on Indigenous Peoples. The study is based on the 2010 Census and reveals Brazil as one of the countries with the highest socio-cultural diversity of the planet: 900,000 people, 305 ethnic groups and at least 274 languages. 57,7% of of them live in Indigenous Lands, the rest are in urban areas.
However, the study shows the strong trend of 'retomadas', when people return to their regions of origin and claim the demarcation of these territories - many come back to lands that are in the crux of conflicts or in the process of being regularized (such as in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul).
http://www.ibge.gov.br/apps/atlas_nacional/

Petition against the imminent appointment of general Roberto Peternelli to president of FUNAI

Do you work in the educational or cultural sector? Then please sign this petition against the imminent appointment of general Roberto Peternelli to president of FUNAI (National Foundation for the Brazilian Indian, a governmental institution that is supposed to protect the interests of Brazilian Indigenous peoples).
The general is affiliated to the Social Christian Party (PSC), part of the evangelical bench of the Brazilian Congress and explicit representative of anti-indigenous parliamentarians who praise the period of the civil- military dictatorship (1964 to 1985).
During this period, at least 8,350 Brazilian Indians were killed as a result of direct action or omission of government agents. However, the National Truth Commission Report (CNV) indicates that the death toll may have been much higher.
General Peternelli represents the interests of the evangelical and ruralist (read powerful landowners and agribusinesses) benches that work against the rights of indigenous peoples and are trying to change the Brazilian constitution so as to be able to have more control over Indigenous groups, their culture and their lands.
Click here to sign the petition or copy and paste the link below:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ihQKAKhP1MBT83LgN6b2Mgp16MvrXqrotlzr3FNSN4I/viewform?c=0&w=1

Conservation of Basketry Masterclass

University of Cambridge Museums is organising a two-day course in the care and conservation of objects made from basketry materials taught by Barbara Wills.
Dates: 22 & 23 June 2016
Venue: The Fitzwilliam Museum and the Brighton Building Conservation Lab, Cambridge
Cost: £240 for both days, or £120 for Day 1 only

The course will cover the care of basketry and related materials, including practical hands-on sessions. 
On the first day participants will look at different types of baskets and their preventive care. This workshop is aimed at conservators, curators, museum assistants and technicians.
The second day will offer more specialist information, concentrating on mechanisms of deterioration and object treatment, with a focus on ancient Egyptian basketry. This day will be more suited to practical conservators. 

For the course programme and to book please visit:
http://onlinesales.admin.cam.ac.uk/browse/extra_info.asp…
For further information about the course please contact Joy Martin at jlm53@cam.ac.uk.

The Challenges of Preserving 20th Century Military Remains

Littered with the remains of defensive 20^th Century military sites, the UK faces the dilemma of allocating precious conservation resources. Focusing on physical remnants fails to recognize that the true value resides in the people who used those sites, why and how they used them, and the people visiting today. By creating a conservation environment to engage people in those narratives, we can offer a resource for learning and informing our decisions in relation to future potential military conflicts.

This post refers to coursework done for ARCLG141 (2015-16), one of the core courses of the UCL MA  Principles of Conservation. As part of their assessed work for this course, students were asked to design and produce a poster communicating specific aspects of conservation. We hope you enjoy our work! Comments are most welcome.

"Why can't anything be easy": The Conservation of Complex Sites

Conservation of cultural heritage requires sensitivity to a number of complex and sometimes contradicting values. Conservation is not passive but active and involves alteration. Balancing the material and immaterial needs of sites and objects with long and complex layers of history present a particular challenge to the conservator. Contemporary conservators will have to become increasingly flexible and observant with regard to issues of authenticity and aesthetics in what is becoming a dynamic and complex discipline.    

This post refers to coursework done for ARCLG141 (2015-16), one of the core courses of the UCL MA  Principles of Conservation. As part of their assessed work for this course, students were asked to design and produce a poster communicating specific aspects of conservation. We hope you enjoy our work! Comments are most welcome.

Artist Intent and the Interview in Practice

One challenge in conserving contemporary works, with their ephemeral nature and use of unprecedented materials, is defining artist intent. Interviews are conducted with living artists to pinpoint this issue. However, artist intent is sometimes too intangible a concept to be defined in this manner.  I argue that the focus of the interview should shift to more concrete facts about materials and processes, and in doing so, information regarding intent can be gained subsequently. An interview with Robert Gober is discussed in this poster as an example.   

                          

                        

Communicating Conservation: Conserving Iconoclasm

In this poster I articulate what considerations a conservator must take into account before conserving an object affected by iconoclasm. Considerations include the motivations behind such attacks, as well as how these motivations change the value of the work of art. I use a case study on the use of iconoclasm by the Suffragettes and the conservation of the paintings involved to demonstrate the decisions made during the conservation of iconoclasm.

This post refers to coursework done for ARCLG141 (2015-16), one of the core courses of the UCL MA  Principles of Conservation.

As part of their assessed work for this course, students were asked to design and produce a poster communicating specific aspects of conservation. We hope you enjoy our work! Comments are most welcome. 

To Treat or Not to Treat? The role of the conservator in the illicit trade of antiquities

This poster addresses the ethical conflict faced by archaeological conservators in dealing with illicit objects. The issue is explored through the case study of the Crosby Garrett helmet. While there is still no comprehensive set of guidelines, the poster discusses future steps to amend codes and work towards restricting the illicit trade of antiquities.

This post refers to coursework done for ARCLG141 (2015-16), one of the core courses of the UCL MA  Principles of Conservation.

As part of their assessed work for this course, students were asked to design and produce a poster communicating specific aspects of conservation. We hope you enjoy our work! Comments are most welcome. 

Conservation in Conflict Areas: the Imprisoned Apollo of Gaza

Conservation of archaeological history in conflict-ridden Gaza is an extreme challenge. What happens in cases where the finding is extremely rare and vital in understanding the region’s history, such as the Apollo of Gaza? This poster answers five main questions on the Apollo of Gaza, thus highlighting the importance of this monumental discovery and the importance of conserving it, if possible.

This post refers to coursework done for ARCLG141 (2015-16), one of the core courses of the UCL MA  Principles of Conservation.

As part of their assessed work for this course, students were asked to design and produce a poster communicating specific aspects of conservation. We hope you enjoy our work! Comments are most welcome. 

Conservators Think Before You Touch!

The aim of this poster is to emphasize the complexity of authenticity in relation to heritage objects and monuments. It demonstrates a dynamic range of historic objects that conservators will be faced with during their careers. It emphasizes that heritage objects are not singular (all about artistic creativity) but are charged with layers of tangible and intangible meanings which are connected to the history and traditions of various communities.

This post refers to coursework done for ARCLG141 (2015-16), one of the core courses of the UCL MA  Principles of Conservation. As part of their assessed work for this course, students were asked to design and produce a poster communicating specific aspects of conservation. We hope you enjoy our work! Comments are most welcome.