image for illustration: Fiona Newton
Among those exploring the ICOMOS-CIF 2024 Symposium on 4-6 November, on ‘… Educating for Conservation…’, led by Cristina González-Longo, ICOMOS CIF President, and celebrating its 40th anniversary with the RIBA, will be IHBC Director Séan O’Reilly on IHBC conservation awards, celebrations, competency and more.
… All reconstruction work should however be ruled out ‘a priori’…
ICOMOS-CIF writes:
‘All reconstruction work should however be ruled out ‘a priori’. Only anastylosis, that is to say, the reassembling of existing but dismembered parts can be permitted. The material used for integration should always be recognizable and its use should be the least that will ensure the conservation of a monument and the reinstatement of its form.’ (Venice Charter, 1964)
‘Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed’ (UNESCO Constitution, 1945)
….. ICOMOS-CIF Mission and Symposium Structure
The ICOMOS-CIF 2024 Symposium, celebrating its 40th anniversary, will take place in Venice. It aims to reflect on ICOMOS CIF work so far, to critically review current practices and theories of conservation of built heritage around the world, and to create a competency matrix for informing appropriate education and training curricula and methodologies.
The Symposium is under the Patronage of Ca’ Foscari, University of Venice and organised in collaboration with ICOMOS-Italia, and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The results will be presented at the RIBA Conservation Forum on 27th November 2024 and the proceedings published in an edited book, which will aim to be a reference for the conservation of built heritage.
ICOMOS CIF has contributed to the development of the new UNESCO Framework for Culture and Arts Education (2024). This event is our first contribution to the implementation of the Framework, which promotes intercultural dialogue and linguistic diversity, highlighting the need for placing culture and the arts at the heart of education and lifelong learning policies, strategies, curricula and programmes, within all types of educational settings….
…. ICOMOS-CIF researches and promotes international cooperation in the field of education and training for the understanding, protection, conservation and management of built heritage, historic sites and cultural landscapes. It works on the advancement of greater understanding of such heritage, and the appropriate approaches, intervention criteria, technologies and management for its conservation, and to advise on the development of ICOMOS programs in this field, and at all levels of education and training. The ICOMOS-CIF Annual Symposium is designed to engage with ICOMOS members and a wider audience in a global dialogue about conservation education and training, in order to share good practice and plan future work.
The Goals and Programme of the ICOMOS-CIF 40th Anniversary Symposium in Venice
The ICOMOS-CIF 40th Anniversary Symposium will take place at the Aula Mario Baratto, one of the most beautiful rooms of Ca’ Foscari, with an intervention by Carlo Scarpa and a panoramic view of the Grand Canal. The Symposium day will be followed by a Study tour and a Research day, which will allow for an understanding of recent experiences, in Venice and globally, and a reflection on the current needs in conservation education and training.
We have an exceptional list of speakers who will present and discuss current architectural and archaeological conservation and reconstruction theories and practices around the world, which will be further discussed with the panellists and the audience. ICOMOS-CIF strives to make our activities inclusive for everyone and we would like to enhance the intergenerational exchanges. We particularly encourage the participation of emerging professionals, who will have a very active part in the Symposium.
The aim is to establish how current practices relate to the theoretical state of the art in architectural, archaeological and urban conservation. This will allow to define in detail the competences required and thereafter to identify specific needs in education and training and, importantly, the legislation, policies and funding required to develop and implement them.
The Symposium on 4th November is structured in three distinctive sessions:
ICOMOS-CIF at 40: Presentation on CIF history, the outcomes from previous Symposia (ICOMOS-CIF Decalogue for Education in Architectural Conservation) and two ongoing projects: ICOMOS-CIF GACETS (Global Architectural Conservation Education and Training Survey) and the CIF Glossary (multilingual). We have identified the lack of clarity of terminology within the field of the conservation of built heritage as a barrier for good practice and the development of the field.
CASE STUDIES: Selected examples of current practice concerning architectural and archaeological conservation and reconstruction interventions around the world. They will be presented by the authors and experts with an in-depth knowledge of the specific region, so to place the intervention in context, from the legislation and regulatory framework to the cultural and technological aspects, including the digital transformation and AI. Considering the time constraint, only a selection the representative projects will be presented during the project and a larger number of projects will be featured in the ICOMOS-CIF website as references. The case studies will be also discussed in relation to the Venice Charter to establish how it is used today and address further needs.
COMPETENCY MATRIX: We will use the evidence provided in the previous session, existing literature and other experiences of the speakers and participants to discuss and conclude the competences (knowledge, skills and experience) needed today to carry out archaeological and architectural conservation. This is a complex discussion, considering the different situation in different countries and regions. The purpose is to produce an international ‘CIF Competency Matrix’, noting also national difference, in order to clarify the specific educational and training needs to achieve such competences.
