Heritage Conservation 0.2. Workshop Edition: 2023
Crafting, Sculpting and Restoring Wood
ASTRA Museum, an institution whose actions are made possible by funding from Sibiu County Council, is organising the 2nd edition of the International Heritage Conservation Workshop : Crafting, Sculpting and Restoring Wood, which will take place from 10-15 July 2023, in the Open Air Museum in Dumbrava Sibiu. The event is organised by the Centre for the Training of Conservators and Restorers (CePCoR) and is part of the development and training mission for students and specialists in the field of cultural heritage, in addition to the desire to strengthen the network and the conservation-restoration profession. Thirty specialists in the field will participate, and the workshop will have an academic contribution through the collaboration between the Institute for Conservation - Restoration - Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, with the Department of History, Heritage and Protestant Theology, Specialization Conservation-Restoration - "Lucian Blaga" Universityof Sibiu, and the Faculty of Conservation and Restoration of Architecture, Sibiu - University of Architecture and Urbanism "Ion Mincu" Bucharest / Sibiu.
A one-day conference will communicate research and interventions on wooden monuments, but will also discuss hands-on teaching opportunities from the universities already mentioned, plus an online presentation by the Department of Conservation, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, on traditional crafts in heritage practice and academic studies. This component of our event is open to the interested public, who can take part in the conference on Tuesday 11 July at the ASTRA Heritage Centre, Gate 3, Open Air Museum, starting at 09:00. In order to make the models as interactive and attractive as possible, as well as the exchange of knowledge between young people entering the field and institutional or independent experts, the professional involvement of appreciated specialists, such as the wood craftsman Neluțu Cioară, as well as organizations dedicated to the protection and rescue of the built heritage, such as the Association of Solemn Churches, was sought. Vernacular architecture often incorporates building techniques that highlight the skills of local craftsmen who have been working with wood for generations. One notable aspect is the use of ingenious construction joints that allow the efficient combination of wooden elements. Varying according to local traditions, available resources and environmental factors, these joints not only ensure structural stability but also reflect the cultural and regional context in which the architecture is located. Examples of joints will be executed by the invited craftsmen, who will reveal to participants some of their skills and methods. On the other hand, the conservation and restoration of wood requires not only an understanding of the characteristics of wood, but also a good knowledge of the interventions specific to this professional field. One of the most important operations is structural strengthening and filling in losses suffered by objects made of wood. The variety of techniques and methods, as well as traditional and modern materials, obtained as a result of the evolution in the practice of conservation-restoration, is explained by the specialists invited to perform demonstrations in this regard", said PhD Andrea Bernath-Doncuțiu, Preventive Conservation Expert, Head of Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage, ASTRA Museum.
Over two days, on 12 and 13 July, visitors to the Open Air Museum will be able to interact with the participants in these workshops, organised within the Calinesti-Berbesti ethnographic complex of the Museum of Traditional Folk Civilisation.
