|
COST Action G7 “Artwork Conservation by
Laser”:
Paradigm of an integrated multinational
and multidisciplinary field of research on the Conservation of European
Cultural Heritage
Objectives
The investigation
and preservation of Cultural Heritage are topics of continuous European
concern and, besides the scientific interest; they have social,
political and economic implications. Various
Natural Sciences
including
Conservation
are disciplines covering the area, and
although their integration would seem crucial, it is usually lacking.
Recently, a multidisciplinary approach of study and preservation aspects
of Cultural Heritage has created the new Interdisciplinary field of
Artwork Conservation by Laser. By combining the advances of laser
technology - science and applications – with the modern conservation
science, the field aims at scientific and technological benefits. COST
Action G7 has been initiated for addressing challenges in three main
directions: Laser and Optical systems in Analysis and Diagnostics;
Real-time Optical equipment for Monitoring both Artworks and
Environment, therefore uncovering their complex relations;
Laser-assisted Divestment applications.
Description of the work
COST Action G7
“Artwork Conservation by Laser” started mid 1999 and includes delegates
from 20 countries. The main goal is to maintain an active Scientific
Network amongst the different disciplines – laser scientists, engineers,
physicists, chemists, conservators and art historians – and the
different European countries sensitized in the field. For management
reasons it has been divided in three working groups with evident or
latent interlinks. These working groups are: (1) Laser Systems for
Cleaning applications, (2) Laser & Optical Systems in Analysis and
Diagnostics and (3) Real-time Optical Systems for Environmental aspects
and the Response of Artworks.
The first working
group embraces research, training aspects and other activities related
to laser cleaning, the most widely known application in the field.
It is
composed of representatives of
41 Institutions. The
members have several backgrounds: (i)
Physicists, Chemists, Biologists
and
Engineers performing
fundamental and applied research on laser cleaning systems and
laser-matter interactions on diverse substrates: paper, parchment,
stone, canvas and mural paintings, glass, ceramics and metals; (ii)
Conservation scientist &
Conservators specialized in the pre-quated materials;
(iii) Laser Manufacture &
Equipment companies.
The second working group (33
Institutions from 19 COST Countries) perform both fundamental and
applied research on Laser and Optical techniques, systems and protocols
for analysis and diagnostics of works of art and related activities
(conservation, display, cataloguing). Fundamental research is largely
devoted to the investigation of the potential of laser spectroscopic
techniques (laser-induced fluorescence, LIF; laser-induced-breakdown
spectroscopy, LIBS; Raman and Infrared spectroscopy) as tools for the
characterisation of materials (e.g. LIF for pigments, binding media,
varnishes; LIBS for pigments, stratigraphic analysis, on-line
monitoring). Other laser-based techniques (3-D scanning, holography,
holographic interferometry, Doppler vibrometry, fluorescence imaging
either spectrum- or time-resolved or both), non-laser related optical
techniques (diffuse-reflectance spectroscopy, colorimetry), and
techniques borrowed from other fields, such as nuclear physics, are the
subject of basic research investigating their potential for the
characterisation of processes (ageing, restoration, ablation,
weathering, structural alteration etc.). The most developed applied
research activities are related to the monitoring of various
conservation procedures including laser-assisted and traditional
cleaning applications. Early detection of defects and damage is also
carried out by a number of groups. These applications already concern
real artefacts and valuable objects. Nevertheless the WG2 members have
agreed to undertake a specific task on development and validation of
protocols for structural defect diagnosis, for in situ chemical
analysis and for analytical methodology before any intervention on
artworks, facades and buildings.
Finally, the third
working group covers the existing gaps in research on environmental
aspects (e.g. continuous monitoring of pollution and/or light levels) in
relation to their specific effects on the art pieces. The significance
of the action lies on the unique multidisciplinary approach towards the
common goal of the preservation of Cultural heritage. Therefore, it can
be used as a successful paradigm for other actions where different
disciplines must cooperate.
The remit of this
working group includes the evaluation of current measurement techniques
available for the monitoring/characterization of an artwork and its
environment. Such techniques have many applications
including: (i)
characterization of the state of an artwork prior to intervention
(thereby allowing choice of the most appropriate form of treatment),
(ii) characterization of the response of an artwork to its environment
under different weathering conditions and (iii) on-line process
(cleaning) control.
The main focus of
WG3 is exploitation of advances in laser and electro-optic technologies
for development of cost-effective and non-invasive in situ environmental
monitoring instruments. These will allow
fast,
accurate monitoring of the local environment to which an artwork is
exposed, thereby enabling detailed study of the effect of various
environmental parameters on the artwork and the causes of deterioration.
Research and technological innovations are needed to address this issue
as the detection sensitivities required for artwork environmental
monitoring are orders of magnitude lower than those required for outdoor
pollution monitoring. WG3 will address this challenge through
collaborative research and development.
Dr. Vassilis
Zafiropulos
President COST G7
31.05.2000 - 05.06.2003
|