ICOMOS-CIF 40th Anniversary Symposium and Study Tour in Venice 4th – 6th November 2024
Under the Patronage of Ca’ Foscari, University of Venice
P e a c e a n d W a r: Educating for Conservation or for Reconstruction?
REGISTRATION HERE until 29th October
“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)
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.
You can see below all the information, also in PDF format. If you have any questions, please contact us via email to cif@icomos.org
9.00 Registration
9.15 Welcome and Opening Remarks
Cristina González-Longo RIBA SCA RIAS FHEA FRSA. Director: MSc in Architectural Design for the Conservation of Built Heritage, University of Strathclyde and ICOMOS-CIF President
Simone Piazza, Professor in Art History, Ca’ Foscari and Rector’s Delegate for the Management of Cultural Heritage Elisabetta Zendri, Professor in Heritage Science, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice ICOMOS-CIF and Convenor of ICOMOS-Italy Education Committee
Session I: ICOMOS-CIF at 40
9.30 ICOMOS-CIF History in Conversation
Carlo Cesari, former Architect of the City of Ferrara and previous ICOMOS-CIF President and Mehr Azar Soheil, Conservation Architect and previous ICOMOS-CIF Secretary General
10.00 ICOMOS-CIF Global Architectural Conservation Education and Training Survey (GACETS)
Vaishali Latkar, Professor at Dr. Bhanuben Nanavati College of Architecture for Women, Pune
10.15 Dynamic ICOMOS-CIF Glossary (multilingual): reconstruction & anastylosis
Hossam Mahdy ICOMOS-CIAV President and Estefania Macchi, ICOMOS-CIF
10.30 Discussion
Session II: Case Studies (Conservation, Anastylosis and Reconstruction) Moderator: Anneli Randla, Head of Department, Head of the PhD curriculum in Cultural Heritage and Conservation, Estonian Academy of Arts
10.45 A Global Approach for Preserving the Past: from recovering the Buddhas in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, to the rock-hewn churches of Ethiopia and the Machu Picchu, Peru
Claudio Margottini, UNESCO Chair, Florence University
11.15 Learning from reconstruction after earthquakes: Abruzzo, Italy
Claudio Varagnoli, Professor in Architectural Conservation, Sapienza University of Rome
11.45 Coffee Break
12.00 Masked utopia. The hybrid nature of the reconstruction in Gdańsk between 1945-1960
Zachariasz Czerwinski, MArch, University of Strathclyde
12.15 Reconstructing the past – Rise, fall and rise of the Berliner Stadtschloss
Samuel Billaud Feragen, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
12.30 Mahmut Muhtar Pasha Mansion in Kadikoy: History and Conservation
Selcen Cesur,Conservation Architect, Governorate of Istanbul
12.45 Disuse, deterioration, conservation, and revitalization of churches in Serbia
Dubravka Đukanović, Professor at the Academy of Arts University of Novi Sad
Discussion
13.15 LUNCH
Session III: ICOMOS-CIF Global Competency Matrix
14.30 IHBC Awards: Celebrating and advancing conservation learning, practice, and knowledge. Séan O’Reilly, IHBC Director and ICOMOS-UK Education Committee 14.45 ICOMOS-ICCROM Guidance on Post-Disaster and Post-Conflict Recovery and Reconstruction Luisa De Marco, ICOMOS 15.00 CHARTER Project: A heritage skills alliance for Europe Bo Anders Lagerqvist, University of Gothenburg, ICOMOS-CIF 15.15 The Competence Matrix of the Office of Public Works, Canada Lyse Blanchet, retired from the Government in Canada and former ICOMOS-CIF President 15.30 Architectural Conservation Education in China Chen Xi, Soochow University School of Architecture 15.45 Coffee Break
16.00 ROUND TABLE With the participation of all the speakers and attendees. Moderated by Conservation Architects and ICOMOS-CIF Vice Presidents Maria Teresa Iaquinta and Jan K. Anderson and Nurdan Kuban, ICOMOS- CIF Secretary General 17.30 Summary of the Day, Conclusions and Future Work Cristina González-Longo, ICOMOS-CIF President 20.00 ICOMOS-CIF 40th Anniversary Dinner Ristorante La Caravella, San Marco, Via XXII Marzo 2397, 30124 Venezia
Emerging professionals will document and produce a final report on the outcomes. Please note that times may change, subject to finalising arrangements.
9.30 San Marco The Patriarchal Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of San Marco Evangelista, more commonly called the Basilica of San Marco, is the cathedral of the city and seat of the patriarchate. The original 9th century church was burnt and built again in the 10th and 11th centuries, burnt again in 13th century and restored. Its history reflects that of the city, as well as the international conservation debate, famously lead by John Ruskin and the SPAB at the end of 19th century.
11.30 Doge’s Palace The Doge’s Palace was the heart of the political life and public administration of the Venetian Republic. The construction of this iconic building, started in the 14th century and it has developed since, incorporating previous buildings. There are ongoing conservation projects, funded thanks to the contribution of SAVE VENICE and partly financed with Art Bonus, and a special laboratory area has been set up for the conservation of paintings.
13.00 Free time
14.30 Teatrino di Palazzo Grassi – Pinault Collection After Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana, in 2011 François Pinault became interested in the recovery and transformation of this space, entrusting Tadao Ando with the third project of the Pinault Collection in Italy. Following the minimalist approach and the architectural continuity consolidated during the previous interventions, the architect did not make any changes to the plan of the existing building, developing a project that would allow the historical external appearance to be preserved unchanged, except for the addition of the orthogonal steel grids, already tested at Punta della Dogana, in correspondence with the openings.
16.45 Fondaco dei Tedeschi We will start the visit in the rooftop, please be there at 15.45. One of the oldest building in Venice, rebuilt over the centuries. OMA’s conversion of the 16th-century building into a department store was commissioned by the Benetton family in 2009 and is now under a leasing agreement with Hong Kong-based DFS.
The MOSE project is a system of mobile barriers designed to protect Venice and its Lagoon from flooding
10.00 Venice Sustainability Foundation, Procuratie Nuove, San Marco 176. Calle del Capello Nero 30124
The MOSE and the Scientific Research activities in the Lagoon of Venice Pierpaolo Campostrini, Managing Director of CORILA
12.00 UNESCO Venice Office, Palazzo Zorzi
The activities of the UNESCO Culture and Education Units. Frédérique Aubert, Head, Culture unit, UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe
15.00 Scientific Campus of Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
Aula Epsilon 3, Campus Scientifico, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, Mestre
(Take urban bus 43 from piazzale, travel time 15 minutes)
Visit to Ca’Foscari research laboratories presentations on ongoing research:
Coastal areas and sea floods. The case of Venice in a historical perspective. Francesco Trovò, Higher School of Architecture of Venice (IUAV)
Strengthening Cultural Heritage resilience for climate changes: the Venice Lab. Elisabetta Zendri, Ca’ Foscari University Venice
17:00 ICOMOS-CIF AGM
Aula Epsilon 3, Campus Scientifico, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, Mestre (online access to be provided to ICOMOS-CIF members)
Online event in which the results of the ICOMOS-CIF Symposium will be presented. Registration HERE Discount code for ICOMOS members who are not RIBA members: CF24ICOMOSNON
ICOMOS-CIF has selected Venice for its 40th Anniversary Symposium not just because its beauty and its many innovations concerning urban and architectural conservation, but also for historical reasons. The Second International Congress of Architects and Technicians of Historic Monuments took place in Venice in 1964 and adopted 13 resolutions. The first one was the International Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites, known today as the Venice Charter. The Charter was a response to the extensive interventions in buildings, towns and cities in Europe after the destruction of the war. Since, the Charter has been used, misused, and re-considered in the view of new definitions of heritage, but it remains a key reference for architectural conservation. It is however time to reflect on its implementation over the last 60 years, in education and in practice, as well as on its relevance today.
The second resolution of the Congress in Venice, put forward by UNESCO, provided for the creation of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). During the first ICOMOS Assembly the following year in Poland, it was proposed the creation of five International Specialist Committees, one of them concerned the ‘Training of Architects and qualified personnel’. In 1984 Professor Andrzej Tomaszewski created the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Education and Training – CIF (Comité International d’ICOMOS pour la Formation) and became its first CIF President. Sir Bernard Fielden was invited in 1989 to prepare the first draft for the Guidelines on Education and Training in the Conservation of Monuments, Ensembles and Sites, adopted by the ICOMOS General Assembly in Colombo in 1993, where Dr Jukka Jokilehto was elected as second CIF President. These Guidelines are used around the world as criteria for education, training and accreditation of architects in conservation, including the RIBA Conservation Register.
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.
Elisabetta Zendri (ICOMOS-CIF, Italy), Cristina Gonzalez-Longo (ICOMOS-CIF, UK), Maria Mehr Azar Soheil (ICOMOS-CIF, Italy), Carlo Cesari (ICOMOS-CIF, Italy), Teresa Iaquinta (ICOMOS-CIF, Italy), Jan C. K. Anderson (ICOMOS-CIF, US), Vaishali Prasad Latkar (ICOMOS-CIF, India), Tan Chin Ling (ICOMOS-CIF, Malaysia), Nurdan Kuban (ICOMOS-CIF, Turkey), Claudio Varagnoli (ICOMOS, Italy), Claudio Margottini (ICOMOS, Italy), Estefania Macchi (ICOMOS-CIF, UK)
Conservation Research at the Scientific Campus of Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
Take the ultimate Carlo Scarpa tour of Venice– by Wallpaper* [Including the Aula Mario Baratto, where the Symposium takes place, transformed by Carlo Scarpa]