About this lecture
The theme of the 11th ICCM Conference was “Managing archaeological sites with mosaics: from real problems to practical solutions”. The conservation of mosaics on archaeological sites can appear to be an impossible task. Poor understanding of the causes of deterioration and ineffective responses result in on-going loss of these irreplaceable assets of our ancient heritage. Problems can be resolved through the conservation process, which consists of practical, complementary measures.
Understanding and implementing these measures were the primary theme of the Conference. Topic addressed were: Articulating conservation problems of mosaics through condition survey and risk assessment – Prioritization of interventions in mosaics and selection of practical and sustainable responses, both preventive and remedial – Implementation of interventions, maintenance and monitoring (including personal experiences, both negative and positive; and cost analysis) – Archaeological evaluation of real problems and practical solutions. Secondary themes discussed were: Site personnel: roles and responsibilities in management of mosaics – Training in conservation (technicians, conservators, site managers and archaeologists) – Preservation of the evidential value of mosaics: documentation, interpretation and presentation to the public. The conference was organized under the auspices of the Secretary General and the Director of Cultural Heritage of The Moroccan Ministry of Culture.
Roberto Nardi gave a speech in honor of Antonio Cassio, mosaicist, restorer and teacher for the service rendered to the conservation of the mosaic during his long career.
The Conference Proceedings are available for free download here
Speaker(s): Roberto Nardi
Date: October 24th to 27th, 2011
Location(s): Meknes, Marocco
Organizing Institution(s): International Committee for the Conservation of Mosaics (ICCM) / Ministry of Culture Of Morocco / The Getty Foundation / University of Cyprus