Welcome to the Institute of Conservation
of the University of Applied Arts Vienna

1st STECCI Conference: Preserving Cultural Heritage in Times of Climate Change

Register NOW

25th – 27th September 2025

University of Applied Arts Vienna

steccihorizoneu.com

Stone monument ensembles and the climate change impact – STECCI

ID: 101094822 HORIZON-CL2-2022-HERITAGE-01

Full programme with link to register, available here:

https://steccihorizoneu.com/1st-stecci-conference/

No registration fees; seats are limited

Online registrations end on 21.09.2025

Conference Format: Hybrid (on-site in Vienna and online)

Exhibition READY TO BE COMPLETED in Loosdorf Castle

The FWF PEEK project “Broken Collection” invites you to the exhibition opening

On 31 May 2025, the third exhibition as part of the Broken Collection research project will open at Loosdorf Castle in Lower Austria. Lectures by Prof Marija Wakounig, University of Vienna, and Konstanze Pfeffer, graduate of the Institute of Conservation, will accompany the opening.

31.05.2025, from 15:00

Loosdorf Castle, 2133 Loosdorf

Registration is requested (paul.schubert@uni-ak.ac.at).

Conservation students at the re:pair Festival 2025

With ‘Paradise lost’ and ‘Our second skin’, the re:pair Festival from 13 to 31 October 2025 is dedicated to our relationship with nature and the topic of fashion.

As in previous years, the conservation department of the Angewandte is once again taking part. Students from the department will be demonstrating and explaining the techniques used to preserve and restore historical textiles at the festival centre Atelier Augarten.

Live conservation on 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 and 31 October 2025!

The exact times can be found in the festival programme:

Photo © Lea Fabienne Dörl

A Conservation Management Plan for the large cashier’s hall in the PSK

Starting this spring, an interdisciplinary team involving the Institute of Conservation and the Angewandte Interdisciplinary Lab will be working on a conservation management plan for the large cashier’s hall in the listed Postsparkasse. The plan is intended to help make decisions for the space and its forms of use. The needs of the users and the building fabric will be considered equally. In preparation, teachers and conservation students are currently working on a comprehensive inventory and condition survey and are conducting interviews and surveys with users.

Photo © Christoph Schlessmann

The call for abstracts has been extended till 31 May 2025!

1st STECCI Conference: Preserving Cultural Heritage in Times of Climate Change

to be held on 25th – 27th September 2025, at the University of Applied Arts Vienna

Please help us spread the word!

STECCI Condition Assessment in Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina

In September 2024, an eight-member team from WP3 conducted condition assessments at four Stećci sites across Bosnia & Herzegovina and Croatia. The team included Katharina Fuchs, Marija Milchin, Gabriela Krist and Farkas Pintér (from UAA), along with Siniša Bizjak, Krešimir Bosnić, and Miona Miliša (UMAS), and Migueli Chedrewih (IMT). This was the second site assessment trip carried out under Task 3.3 of the project, focused on evaluating monuments in Stećci countries.

During the trip, four distinct sites were evaluated. The first day was dedicated to assessing displaced Stećci currently displayed in front of the Museum of Croatian Archaeological Monuments in Split. In the following days, the team examined the sites at Cista Velika (HR), Radimlja (BiH), and Ravanjska Vrata (BiH). Each of these sites is situated in a fairly remote area with unique environmental conditions, contributing to distinctive decay patterns and deterioration mechanisms. To better understand the decay processes, the team employed various methods, including visual inspections, in-situ testing, and detailed mapping of decay and damage patterns, which helped to capture and analyze the on-site conditions.

The trip was organized with the support of colleagues from the University of Split, Arts Academy (UMAS) and University of Sarajevo (UNSA). Special thanks to Siniša Bizjak, Krešimir Bosnić, Miona Miliša, and Nusret Drešković for their local insights, hospitality, and assistance with transportation, food, and refreshments.

STECCI Condition Assessment on Site Caen, France

A five-member team from WP3, including Katharina Fuchs (UAA), Marija Milchin (UAA), Farkas Pintér (UAA), Abdelrhman Fahmy (SPK), and Vincent Thiery (IMT), conducted the final condition assessment for Task 3.1 at the Cimetière Saint Jean in Caen in July/August 2024.

The Cimetière Saint Jean is a small historical cemetery with a few dozen 19th-century graves and crypts, primarily made of porous Caen stone. Now a park in the city center, it has been neglected for a century, resulting in poor preservation of most graves.

The assessment focused on two objects—a small crypt and a gravestone—both made of Caen stone. The team conducted visual inspections and a range of in-situ tests, including contact sponge, Karsten tube, brush test, gloss and color measurements, and ultrasonic velocity. Digital mapping and RTI photography were used to capture the on-site conditions. With Vincent Thiery’s assistance, the team also explored the Normandy region (Caen, Arromanches-les-Bains, Rouen) to gain further insights into the historical use and weathering of Caen stone.

The Institute of Conservation invites you to Monument Day!

Conservation and exhibition in the Votive Church

The Votive Church, an early masterpiece of architect Heinrich Ferstel, is considered the initial building of the Vienna Ring Road and a total work of art in neogothic style. The architecture as well as the liturgical equipment of the church display the excellence of craftmanship in the second half of the 19th century and give many examples of the virtuous handling of different materials and techniques.
In the course of separate tours participants have the chance to get an insight into the conservation and restoration of selected objects conducted by the institute. There will also be the possibility of visiting the museum as well as the newly established depots, both curated and planned by the institute.

All tours are fully booked.

When: Monument Day, September 29, 2024
Where: Votive Church, 1090 Vienna

For further information on the program and admission to the tours check this link:
tagdesdenkmals.at

Open House 2024

We invite you to the Open House on Tuesday, 5 November 2024!

Programme:
Expositur Salzgries 14/ 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th floor, 1010 Vienna
Painting / object / textile conservation

10.00-18.00:
Open studios – tour of the Institute of Conservation and the departments of painting, object and textile conservation as well as the natural science laboratory

10.00-10.30 and 14.00-14.30 (3rd floor lecture theatre)
Diploma Programme Conservation
Presentation of the study programme, entrance examination, general questions

10.30-11.00 and 14.30-15.00 (3rd floor lecture theatre)
Joint Master Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management
Presentation of the study programme, entrance examination, general questions

Portfolio reviews are possible during the Open House at Salzgries 14.
Appointments will be made directly on site (between 11:00 and 13:00).

Arsenal, 1030 Vienna
Stone conservation

10.00 and 14.00
Stone conservation at the Angewandte
Presentation of the stone restoration department and guided tour of the studio
Meeting point: in front of the entrance to the Museum of Military History (Arsenal 1, 1030 Vienna) Please arrive on time!

Online via ZOOM (ENG)

10.00-11.00
Joint Master Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management
Introduction to the study programme, admission, general questions and Q&A
LINK: https://dieangewandte-at.zoom.us/j/61359985690
Meeting ID: 613 5998 5690

We look forward to see you!

Martina Griesser-Stermscheg becomes the new Professor of Conservation and Restoration and takes over as Head of the Institute on 1 October 2024

The Institute of Conservation connects past, present and future and links knowledge and practices and practices from the arts and sciences. “I am looking forward to the collaboration with students, lecturers, graduates and many project partners project partners in a field of work that I can’t imagine being more exciting, more exciting, fascinating and diverse,” says the future Professor in her first statement.

Photo: ©Lorenz Seidler, eSeL.at

STECCI Condition Assessment on Site Kleinbardorf and Unsleben, Germany

In the frame of Task 3.1 the third condition assessment was carried out by a five-member team from WP3 at the Jewish cemeteries in Kleinbardorf and Unsleben in Franconia, Germany, in June 2024. The team consisted of Katharina Fuchs (UAA), Marija Milchin (UAA), Farkas Pintér (UAA), Stefan Simon (SPK), and Abdelrhman Fahmy (SPK).
The cemetery in Kleinbardorf contains of around 3,500 graves and gravestones, some dating back to the 16th century; the last funeral dated to 1938. The cemetery in Unsleben is much smaller and also presents a more compact history of use, with most of the graves originating from the 19th century. The predominant stone used was a local siliceous sandstone, however, a few limestone and marble objects were also identified and used for the detailed condition assessment for the STECCI Project.The condition assessment included visual inspection and a range of in-situ tests, such as contact sponge and Karsten tube tests for water absorption, brush test for surface material loss, gloss and color measurements, ultrasonic velocity, etc. Digital mapping of decay and damage patterns, as well as RTI photography, were used to visually capture the situation on-site.

International Conservation Summer School in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Hosted by Mongolian National University of Art and Culture from July 4–14, 2024, the International Conservation Summer School in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia was joined by students and teaching staff from IoC and partner universities – Angewandte, Northwest University, China, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, India and Silpakorn University International College, Thailand. Supported by Eurasia Pacific Uninet, the summer school has given an insight into cultural heritage, technology and conservation in Mongolia.

Institute of Conservation supports Museums in Albania

The Ethnographic Museum in Kruja was recently reopened by the Albanian Minister of Culture. IoC has worked there on the preparation of objects for the new display for 2 years. Another ongoing project in Albania under the umbrella of the EU4Culture Project is the Ethnographic Museums in Kavaja: this July and August a team of senior conservators and students of IoC is preparing the collection for the new exhibition in the renovated building.

(Photo © Gabriela Krist)

BEYOND FRAGMENTATIONS

Exhibition Opening: 20. July 2024

STECCI Condition Assessment on Site Domus Romana, Malta

A seven-member team from WP3 visited the so-called “Domus Romana” in Malta in May 2024 for the second condition assessment within the STECCI Project. The team consisted of Katharina Fuchs (UAA), Marija Milchin (UAA), Farkas Pintér (UAA), Siniša Bizjak (UMAS), Krešimir Bosnić (UMAS), Samir Đug (UNSA), and Abdelrhman Fahmy (SPK).

The site “Domus Romana” in Rabat, Malta, consists of archaeological remains of a rich residential building from the Roman period (built in the 1st century BC) and a later layer from the 11th century AD consisting of Muslim graves; the site was reused as a cemetery during the time of the Fatimid Caliphate. The monuments are made of highly porous local limestone(s), most of which are identified as different qualities of Globigerina limestone.

The condition assessment included visual inspection and a range of in-situ tests, such as contact sponge and Karsten tube tests for the water absorption, the so-called brush test for the surface material loss, gloss and color measurements, ultrasonic velocity, etc. Digital mapping of decay and damage patterns as well as RTI photography were used to visually capture the situation on-site.

Contrary to the cold and snowy experience in Carinthia in April this year, the assessment in Malta was conducted in fairly warm, sometimes quite hot weather. Despite some minor problems resulting from the heat, all the necessary work could be completed on site in the planned time frame. Thanks to the friendly organization by our colleagues from Heritage Malta, the team also attended a conference of ICOM Malta and could have a glimpse of the digitization work at the freshly re-opened Maritime Museum of Malta.

In memoriam Sabine Ladstätter

The Institute of Conservation mourns the loss of Sabine Ladstätter! She made great projects possible for our team, students and graduates, not only at the archaeological site of Ephesus.

With gratitude,
Gabriela Krist

SAVE THE DATE:

17 June 2024 / 14.00
Conservation Science Colloquium

Hybrid (Auditiorium 3rd floor, Salzgries 14, 1010 Vienna and ZOOM)

STECCI Condition Assessment on Site Hundskirche

A four-member team from WP3 visited the so-called “Hundskirche” in Carinthia on April 18th and 19th, 2024, for the first condition assessment within the STECCI Project. The team consisted of Abdelrhman Fahmy (SPK), Katharina Fuchs (UAA), Marija Milchin (UAA), and Farkas Pinter (UAA). In the course of the STECCI Project, condition assessments on 14 sites in 8 countries are planned and divided into 2 Tasks (3.1. and 3.3).

The four condition assessments of Task 3.1 concern so-called reference sites situated outside the STECCI-regions. These sites are located in Malta, Germany, France, and the here-discussed “Hundskirche” in Austria. The “Hundskirche” is a rock formation in Carinthia (AT) that carries historically important carvings witnessing the spread of early Protestantism in the 16th century in Austria. The asset is connected to the bedrock and consists of compact dolomite.

The condition assessment encompassed visual inspection and a range of in-situ tests, such as gloss and color measurements, ultrasonic velocity, contact sponge, and Karsten tube tests. Additionally, RTI photography was used to capture detailed images of selected carvings, alongside brush-off tests. The team conducted decay and damage mapping and comprehensive mapping of all tests and analytical methods employed. Two samples were collected for further microscopical analyses.

Despite Carinthia showcasing its alpine character and greeting the team with a 15cm (!) snow cover, the condition assessment was very successful. Currently, the information gathered from the “Hundskirche” is being post-processed, and we are eagerly looking forward to the next condition assessment on Malta, where the team will be larger and the weather hopefully warmer!

Visit to the World Heritage GREAT SPA TOWN Baden bei Wien

A one-day excursion took students and employees of the institute to Baden at the end of April. Together with ten other spa towns in Europe, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2021. Together with World Heritage Site Manager Alexandra Harrer and City Councillor Hans Hornyik, the attributes that make up the Outstanding Universal Value of this site were explored during the city walk and the challenges of preserving, managing and communicating this serial transnational heritage, the Great Spa Towns of Europe, were discussed. The excursion participants learnt more about the essential spa culture in Baden during a visit to the “freshly filled” exhibition in the Kaiserhaus.

We celebrate World Heritage Day on 18 April 2024

The day of action is intended to draw attention to the UNESCO World Heritage in Austria and create more awareness for it.

This year, our Institute and UNESCO Chair are also taking part in the varied programme at the twelve Austrian World Heritage Sites!

On the one hand with a guided tour of the sculptures in the gardens of Schönbrunn Palace and on the other with a guided tour of the outside of the Parliament building (register via kons-rest@uni-ak.ac.at).

Further information can be found at www.welterbetag.at.

Job Announcement: Conservator at SUIC / Bangkok

We are presently searching a successor of our colleague Paul Schubert! Paul will leave Bangkok end of June 2024 and we are collecting applicants for this position. The position is at the Silpakorn University International College (SUIC) and includes teaching for our joint master students (Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management).

Interested colleagues are invited so send a motivation letter and short CV to chcm@uni-ak.ac.at.

The 2nd batch of our Joint Master programme starts!

On 1 March, 13 international students will start the Joint Master Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management! The students at Silpakorn University International College have already completed their first foundation courses. In February, the focus was on conservation practice and collection care on site.

In memoriam Götz Hagmüller

We mourn the loss of our colleague Götz Hagmüller, who did so much for Nepal in his lifetime. His legacy includes numerous restoration projects in Bhaktapur, the city where he spent most of his life. He was also responsible for the revitalisation of the Garden of Dreams in Kathmandu and the transformation of the Royal Palace into the outstanding Patan Museum. Our sincere condolences go out to his family!

Are you interested in our Diploma Programme for Conservation?

You will find all information regarding the admission requirements and the detailed procedure of the admission process HERE

Application

Obligatory online registration and portfolio submission
Online-Registration

Portfolio delivery at the institute possible every Tuesday and Wednesday from 9-12:oo:
6. & 17.01.2024 and 23. & 24.01.2024

Online submission of the allplication files:
10 January 2024, 12 AM – 26 January 2024, 12 AM

Announcement regarding admission to exam
02.02.204

Applicants who have not been admitted to the examination in presence can pick up their portfolio at the institute.
(date to be announced)

19. – 23.02.2024:
Entrance exam (at the Institute)

Networking Meeting of the Austrian UNESCO Chairs

Shortly before the end of the year, the chairs met at the Josephinum at the invitation of the UNESCO Commission. Following reports on recent activities, ideas for future joint projects were exchanged and opportunities for co-operation explored. There are currently 10 UNESCO Chairs in Austria and more are in preparation. Our Chair for the Conservation Preservation of Tangible Cultural Heritage has been established at the Angewandte since 2019.

19 December 2023, Josephinum Vienna

Conservator Talk

23. November 2023

“Beyond University … Professional life and projects from life after universityl”

16.00 Welcome
Gabriela Krist, Head of IoC

16.05 Dealing with oil-soaked sculptures of princes and saints from St. Stephen’s. From the cleaning concept to practical application
Anna-Maria Tupy, Senior Conservator | Graduate IoC

16.35 17th century ceremonial riding equipment from the Marstallmuseum in Nymphenburg Palace, Munich. Study and conservation
Katharina Mendl, Senior Conservator | Graduate IoC

17.05 From Walde to flea market. About the diversity of everyday life in a studio for painting conservation
Andrea Schrenk-Prandstätter, Senior Conservator | Graduate IoC

17.35 130 years of restoration of flags at the museum of military history
Nina Zangerl, Senior Conservator HGM | Graduate IoC

18.05 Natural sciences in stone conservation – The visual detection of consolidants in porous building materials and the problem of implementation in practice
Elisabeth Mascha, Senior Conservator | Graduate IoC

Conservator Talk

16. November 2023

“The Heritage of the World and UNESCO World Heritage – Conservation goes International”

16.00 Welcome
Gabriela Krist,
UNESCO Chair on Conservation and Preservation of Tangible Cultural Heritage | Head of IoC

16.05 Welcome
Florian Meixner,
Programme Specialist for World Heritage and Protection of Cultural Property, Austrian Commission for UNESCO

16.15 Introduction
Bruno Maldoner,
Honorary Professor IoC

16.25 Conservation practice within a living World Heritage site: The Patan Durbar Square in Nepal
Martina Haselberger, Research Associate IoC | Doctoral Student IoC

16.50 Conservation science research at the archaeological site of Ephesus (Turkey)
Barbara Rankl, Conservator | Doctoral Student IoC

17.15 UNOPS-led projects in Albania. Evacuation and conservation of cultural heritage
Meral Hietz, Senior Conservator IoC

17.40 Austria and Thailand: Together for ‘Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management’
Tanushree Gupta, Research Associate IoC

Conservator Talk

9. November 2023

“Investigation of Art and Cultural Objects … Why?”

16.00 Welcome,
Gabriela Krist, Head of IoC

16.05 The role and task of the natural sciences in the conservation of works of art,
Tatjana Bayerova, Senior Scientist IoC

16.35 Application of different analytical methods for the identification of the materials used on the Imperial Crown,
Teresa Lamers, Research Associate KHM | Doctoral Student IoC

17.05 Microscopy of mineral artefacts in conservation and archaeology,
Johannes Weber, Professor IoC | Petrologist

17.33 Live-Demonstration „X-ray fluorescence analysis for cultural heritage research”,
Alexandra Rodler-Rørbo, Senior Lecturer IoC

Dear prospective student of the Diploma Programme “Conservation and Restoration” and the Joint Master’s Programme “Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management,” we friendly invite you to our

OPEN HOUSE

November 7th, 2023
at Salzgries and the AIL (Postsparkasse)

Join us to learn about the two study programs, the admission process, meet the faculty and students, and visit the current exhibition!

Conservation studios, Salzgries 14/1, 3rd, 4th, 5th floor, 1010 Vienna:

• 10 AM – 6 PM
  Open Studios – Tour through the Institute of Conservation and the departments of Paintings-, Objects- and Textiles Conservation, as well as the scientific Labs.
• 10 – 10:30 AM and 2 – 2:30 PM
  Diploma Programme „Conservation“, Lecture Hall 3rd floor, Introduction to the study programme, admission process, general questions. You can already visit our virtual tour.
• 10:30 – 11 AM and 2:30 – 3 PM
  Joint Master Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management, Lecture Hall 3rd floor, Introduction to the study programme, admission process, general questions. Get first impressions here.

Exhibition „Conservator at work“, AIL, Postsparkasse, Georg-Coch-Platz 2, 1010 Wien:

• 10 AM – 6 PM
  Demonstration of restoration work and guided tours through the exhibition. Information about the field of stone restoration, admission process, and portfolio reviews available on-site. 
• 12 AM
  Guided tour through the exhibition with assistents.
• 4 PM
  Guided tour through the exhibition with students.

Follow us on Instagram angewandte.conservation and feel free to contact us at kons-rest@uni-ak.ac.at for any questions.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Conservation Talks

19 October 2023

“Today for Tomorrow – Tasks and Challenges of Conservation Science”

16.00 Welcome Gabriela Krist, Head of IoC
16.05 Climate change and outdoor stone monuments Marija Milchin, Senior Conservator IoC | Doctoral Student IoC
16.35 Game changer: CO2 balancing in museums? Tanja Kimmel, Senior Conservator IoC| Doctoral Student IoC
17.05 Enjoying cultural heritage sustainably: How can the awareness of tourists at Schönbrunn Palace be influenced towards responsible behaviour in its historical state rooms? Marie-Christine Pachler, Senior Conservator Schönbrunn Palace | Doctoral Student IoC

Habilitation of Dr. Tatjana Bayerova

It is a pleasure to announce the habilitation talk of our colleague Dipl.-Ing. Dr.rer.nat. Tatjana Bayerova, Institute of Conservation (head o.Univ.-Prof. Mag.Dr. Gabriela Krist).

The habilitation thesis entitled Natural sciences in conservation-restoration / Naturwissenschaften in der Konservierung und Restaurierung.

Date and venue:
14 November 2023, 10 AM, lecture hall at Salzgries 14, 1st floor.

Abstract:
This cumulative habilitation thesis provides an overview of the history, development, and use of natural sciences in the investigation, research, conservation-restoration, and education in the field of cultural heritage from the beginning till now.
Various aspects of the technical study of paintings, polychromy and coatings are discussed in more detail.

The thesis can be found at the following link:
base.uni-ak.ac.at

Conservator at Work

13 Oct 2023-23 Nov 2023

Lectures: 19 Oct 2023, 09 Nov 2023, 16 Nov 2023, 23 Nov 2023

World Heritage in Focus

UNESCO Chair on Conservation and Preservation of Tangible Cultural Heritage guest at the 18th Austrian World Heritage Conference

18th Austrian World Heritage Sites Conference
12-13 October 2023, Hallstatt

Managing and conserving our UNESCO World Heritage in a sustainable way – this complex topic is the focus of the 18th Austrian World Heritage Conference, which will take place this year from 12-13 October in Hallstatt. The Institute of Conservation, to which the UNESCO Chair has been affiliated since 2019, will participate again as in previous years in order to bring the perspective of conservation into the discussion and to further intensify the exchange with representatives and managers of the Austrian World Heritage Sites.

Applications are now OPEN!

MA Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management (CHCM)

The Institute of Conservation, University of Applied Arts Vienna, Austria now invites applications for the batch 2024/25 of joint master programme MA CHCM, co-organized with Silpakorn University International College, Silpakorn University, Thailand.

Here is your chance to be part of MA CHCM – a uniquely blended study programme for future global leaders in conservation of cultural heritage.

Applications: Online submission from 01 September 2023, 12:00 pm (noon, CEST) – 15 September 2023, 12:00 pm (noon, CEST)
Interviews: 02 – 03 October 2023
Announcement of the results: 06 October 2023
Start of studies: 01 March 2024

Visit www.dieangewandte.at/ikr_chcm for details on the programme and the admission process, and write to chcm@uni-ak.ac.at for any questions.

13 years of conservation commitment in Nepal

… and it goes on!

The Institute of Conservation looks back on a busy August. For one month, a 17-member team was once again active in the UNESCO World Heritage Site Patan Durbar Square and Royal Palace. Under the direction of Prof. Krist and teachers from the Institute, students of conservation and the CHCM Joint Masters worked together with Nepalese students and local museum staff on terracotta reliefs of the Narashima Temple, the fire-gilded metal decorative elements of the Degutaleju Temple and a wall painting in Bhaktapur. At the same time, the collection care at the Patan Museum was successfully completed. After more than 13 years of engagement in Nepal, it is far from over and the Institute is working with its long-time partner, the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust, to continue the campaigns in 2024!

The Open House will take place on Tuesday, November 7, 2023.

More information will follow. 

IN DETAIL. CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION.

EXHIBITION PROLONGED until 27.08.2023

Due to the large number of visitors, the special exhibition of the Tyrolean State Museums, realised in cooperation with the Institute for Conservation, will be prolonged until 27 August 2023.

On an area of over 800 m², visitors can gain a comprehensive insight into the diverse fields of activity of conservation. The exhibition spans an arc from the origins of conservation science to the numerous disciplines and fields of activity of the profession to a multitude of case studies from practice.

Figures: © Gabriela Krist

SAVE THE DATE!

19 June 2023 / 14.00
Conservation Science Colloquium – Hybrid
auditorium 3rd floor, Salzgries 14, 1010 Vienna

BETWEEN ASIA AND EUROPE –
A TRANSCULTURAL APPROACH TO CONSERVATION

Students of the new Joint Master Programme Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management (CHCM) at the University of Applied Arts Vienna share why it is worthwhile to participate.

Career ahead in Conservation –
MA Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management
(CHCM)

04 May 2023, 09:00 am CET – open end

Want to be part of MA CHCM?

Join us as we dedicate an online seminar on the MA CHCM – a joint collaboration between the Institute of Conservation, University of Applied Arts Vienna, Austria and the Silpakorn University International College, Silpakorn University, Thailand. The team of the Institute will present the highlights of the programme, and the current students will share their learning journey through this course (∼30 minutes), leading to discussions and answering your questions – open end.

Cultural Heritage Protection in Climate Change online project

(CHePiCC online)

As part of the CHePiCC online project, the Institute of Conservation at the University of Applied Arts Vienna is currently producing educational videos on the topic of cultural heritage conservation and climate change. In addition, the IoC participated in other activities of the project, such as a Summer University in Trondheim, Norway in June 2022.

CHePiCC online is an EU-funded project (Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership, duration 06/2021 to 05/2023) in which six institutions from all over Europe are working together in an interdisciplinary way (Project responsibility University of Continuing Education Krems).

Climate change and the resulting natural disasters represent one of the main threats to cultural heritage and landscapes in the 21st century. The project aims to create a freely accessible e-learning module focusing on the threats to movable and immovable cultural heritage caused by climate change, as well as on sustainable preparedness measures for the protection of cultural landscapes.

COMEBACK – FOR MORE

OPENING
20/05/23
3 PM
LOOSDORF CASTLE

The shard collection of Loosdorf Castle with porcelain pieces from Europe and Asia is getting into motion: 2023 is not only the year of the return of objects after an exhibition tour through Japan, but also the start of the artistic research project “Broken Collection” of the Institute of Conservation of the University of Applied Arts Vienna (Head: Gabriela Krist).
Additional to the broken pieces, the exhibition shows “reassembled” objects restored in Japan and provides insight into the research in the field of tension between the broken and the complete, preservation and destruction.

Registration is requested until 17.05. via email to kons-rest@uni-ak.ac.at.

Conservation Day

The Institute of Conservation, University of Applied Arts Vienna, Austria and the Silpakorn University International College, Silpakorn University, Thailand cordially invite you to attend the Conservation Day on 16 February 2023, from 09:00 – 11:00 am CET, online.

The currently enrolled students of ‘Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management’, an advanced joint master degree programme of the two universities, will showcase the international conservation campaigns they have been part of during their study phase in Austria, Albania, Nepal and Thailand. As well, they will take the opportunity to share with you their journey in growing professionally through the intercultural diversity offered within this course.

Please follow the QR code on the enclosed invitation letter, and register through the google form to receive the zoom link!

We look forward to meeting you online!

Workshop on
‘Storing Textiles – A Practical Approach’

21–25 November 2022

After the success of first workshop on preventive conservation of textiles in pre-COVID times in 2020, the Institute of Conservation, University of Applied Arts Vienna, Austria and the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), India are now resuming the much-awaited follow-up. Textile conservators from the Institute of Conservation will conduct the workshop on ‘Storing Textiles – A Practical Approach’ with colleagues from IGNCA at the National Crafts Museum, New Delhi, where the focus is on evaluating the condition and requirements of various textiles, and thereby making improvements for a safe long-term storage – merging skills, knowledge and experience – from the east and the west!

Live conservation in the RE:PAIR LAB

15.10. to 6.11.2022

From 15.10. to 6.11.2022 the re:pair FESTIVAL with live conservation will take place! Manfred Trummer, former head conservator of the MAK and lecturer at the IoC, will restore a tiled stove of the collection live together with students and staff of the Volkskundemuseum.

Festival headquarters: Volkskundemuseum Wien
Program: www.repair-festival.wien

Figure: © Christa Knott, Volkskundemuseum Wien

OPEN HOUSE

09 November 2022
DIGITAL and ON SITE

Get informed about our study programmes and the entrance exam, pose questions live and meet the staff of the Institute of Conservation.

10:00-17:00: Open studios – Tour of the Institute of Conservation

10:00-11:00: Videocall on the Diploma Degree Programme Conservation and Restoration
10:00-10:30 Introduction of the study programme, general questions
10:30-11:00 entrance exam, specific questions

11:00-12:00: Videocall on the Joint Master Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management
11:00-11:30 Introduction of the study programme, general questions
11:30-12:00 entrance exam, specific questions

Reflection on Summer Programme of the Joint Master Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management

[…]These two months are a vibrantly colored collage of varied experiences of art, cultural, conservation, history, science, and people. I felt tremendously ecstatic at opportunity to visit museums and sites and to learn and understand more about top to bottom how things work.[…] Prerana

[…]This program gave me chance to meet and learn from students of different nationalities such as Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Turkey, Iran, Austria and Germany. Although we were from different countries and cultures, the favourable environment and infrastructure of the institution ensured that we could work well together and exchange ideas and our culture. Being in Vienna for this program was a great privilege.[…] Prathamesh Pawar

IIC Congress 2022 – in New Zealand and remotely

At the renowned international conference in the second week of September, the Institute was represented by three contributions from PhD students – one paper and two posters.

• Tanja Kimmel – Calculating the greenhouse gas emissions of the Central Depot of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
• Marija Milchin, Johannes Weber, Gabriela Krist – Sensor Materials for the Deterioration of Carbonates in a Changing Outdoor Environment
• Martina Haselberger, Gabriela Krist – Applied Conservation Practice within a Living Heritage Site

#IICCongress

Visit the Votivkirche Museum on Tag des Denkmals

As part of Tag des Denkmals on 25 September, the Institute of Conservation at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, together with Reverend Joe Farrugia, invites you to an exclusive guided tour of the newly installed museum in the Votivkirche in Vienna.

In addition to magnificent liturgical utensils, stained glass designs and the late Gothic Antwerp Passion altar, which was examined and conserved as part of a diploma thesis, can be admired. The guided tour provides unique insights into the exhibition planning, conservation of the objects as well as ongoing conservation projects of the Institute in the Votivkirche.

Guided tour: 25.09.2022, 14:00,
registration by 16.09. at

Conservation campaign in Patan

The Institute of Conservation back in Nepal

A 14-member team of students, teachers and graduates is working with the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust, the Patan Museum and students from the Lumbini Buddhist University to conserve fire-gilded temple roofs, wooden shrines and museum objects, and together they are moving a large part of the museum collection into recently renovated galleries. In addition, after a break due to the pandemic, important maintenance work is also being carried out on stone fountains and metal sculptures. The Austrian Development Agency continues to be the most important funding partner for the Nepal projects.

Collection Care and Conservation Workshop in Albania

Together with the University of Tirana and UNOPS

This September, teachers, students and graduates of conservation and the University of Tirana will be working in Albania for three weeks: In the ethnographic museum in Krujë, the extensive collection of costumes, textile accessories and various decorative and everyday objects will be prepared for the newly conceived exhibition and storage in the depot. In a parallel workshop in the Bashtovë fortress, basic knowledge of stone conservation and lime mortar processing is being taught to local craftsmen and specialists.

Start of the Joint Master’s Summer Programme

On 4 July, the summer programme started for the 13 students of the Joint Master Programme Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management! For the first time the two students groups from SUIC and Angewandte come together in Vienna! Two months of intensive programme follow combining conservation practice with excursion, lectures and guided tours.

Summer University in Trondheim

Climate Change and Cultural Landscapes was the topic of the Summer University, held from 30 May to 3 June 2022 in the pittoresque city of Trondheim in Norway. Threats and damage potentials related to climate change for wooden warehouses, large-scale concrete bunkers from WWII and stone cathedral were discussed as well as sustainable conservation strategies.

Staff and students of the Institute of Conservation participated in this interdisciplinary, international format organized in the framework of the Erasmus+ funded project CHePiCC, in which the Institute collaborates with five other universities and research institutions all over Europe.

Austrian Majolica Project –
Conservation of Majolica Objects

During the winter term 2021/22, the Institute participated within the “Austrian Majolica Project” which was implemented by the MAK (Museum for Applied Arts Vienna). As part of this cooperation, seven students of the object class conserved eleven Majolica objects. In this blog article, the students tell about their discoveries, challenges and conservation measures during the restoration process.

SAVE THE DATE!

20 June 2022 / 14.00
Conservation Science Colloquium
Hybrid (auditorium 3rd floor, Salzgries 14, 1010 Vienna and ZOOM)

Elias CAMPIDELL:
The “Joseph Altar” (1879) in the Votivkirche, Vienna.
Investigation and concept for conservation

Pia MADLENER:
Two Turkmen Tent Band Fragments
Inventory and preparation of a concept for measures and presentation as well as conservation of one of the fragments

Paul SCHUBERT:
Archaeological objects from Malzgasse 16 in Vienna: Conservation of Jewish-Austrian cultural property

UNESCO World Heritage is more … We celebrate World Heritage Day!

18.04.2022, 14:00

As part of World Heritage Day on 18 April, the Institute of Conservation together with Reverend Joe Farrugia, invites you to an exclusive guided tour of the newly installed museum in the Votivkirche in Vienna. Further information (link to: https://konservierung-restaurierung.uni-ak.ac.at/institut/unesco-lehrstuhl/unesco-aktivitaeten/)

OPEN HOUSE

15 December 2021
DIGITAL

Get informed about our study programmes and the entrance exam, pose questions live and meet the staff of the Institute of Conservation.

10:00-12:00: Videocall on the Diploma Degree Programme Conservation and Restoration
10:00-11:00 Introduction of the study programme, general questions
11:00-12:00 entrance exam, specific questions

10:00-12:00: Videocall on the Joint Master Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management
10:00-11:00 Introduction of the study programme, general questions
11:00-12:00 entrance exam, specific questions

Understanding Bashtova Castle in Albania

A better understanding of the history and construction phases as well as materials and technologies used is a precondition for the conservation of Bashtova Castle. The Institute of Conservation surveyed and assessed the site in Albania in November in the framework of the #EU4Culture.

In cooperation with Ministria e Kultures, European Delegation in Albania, UNOPS, UN in Albania

Workshop in Kavaja Ethnographic Museum

In the framework of #EU4Culture the Institute of Conservation collaborated in the evacuation of museum objects from the Ethnographic Museum of Kavaja in Albania from 15 to 20 November.

In cooperation with Ministria e Kultures, European Delegation in Albania, UNOPS, UN in Albania and Universiteti i Tiranes

INVITATION TO THE CONSERVATION DAY 2021!

9 November 2021
at the Institute of Conservation

Visit our workshops!
Find out about our study programmes!

We cordially invite you to visit the workshops of the Institute of Conservation as part of our Conservation Day on Tuesday, 9.11.2021.
Learn more about our two study programmes – Diploma Degree Programme Conservation and Restoration / Joint Master Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management!

The institute’s head, staff and students will be available on site to answer any questions.

We look forward to your visit!
The team of the Institute of Conservation

Admission is only possible with a valid 2.5G certificate (vaccinated, recovered, PCR-tested).
An FFP2 mask must be worn in the building.

Programme:

9.00-12.00
What is Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management? Presentation of our new study programme! Q&A!
Where: hybrid, lecture hall 3rd floor, Salzgries 14, 1010, and ZOOM (registration chcm@uni-ak.ac.at)

9.00-16.30
Learn more about the diploma programme Conservation-Restoration and visit the workshops for painting, object and textile conservation as well as the natural science laboratory at Salzgries and the workshop for stone conservation at Arsenal.
Where: 1st, 3rd-5th floor, Salzgries 14, 1010 and Arsenal Object 15/Gate 4, 1030
For visits to the stone restoration workshop and for groups of 10 or more, please make an appointment in advance at kons-rest@uni-ak.ac.at.

Consultation hours and portfolio consultations are subject to availability.

Art Conservation Day

Tuesday, 6 July 2021 via Zoom
09:00 – 10:40 (Vienna Time)
14:00 – 15:40 (Bangkok Time)

Together with Silpakorn University International College we present our new Joint Master Programme Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management!

We look forward to your participation!

SPUREN.WORK IN PROGRESS

29 June – 2 July 2021
open 11-20 h each day

Angewandte Festival 2021
OKP, 1st floor connecting corridor SR9,10
with contributions by students and staff of the Institute