from Channel News Asia
Singapore's Heritage Conservation Centre carving a niche for itself

For those who missed the news section on Channel News Asia, here is the transcript (in PDF format).

from BBC News
Bone return consultation launched
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An update on the Working Group on Human Remains in the UK which has been tasked to scrutinise the legality of human parts being kept in public museums and collections in England and Wales. There is a strong lobby for the return of such human remians on the one hand, but also strong reasons for not returning on the other from the scientific and museum community. This debate has often times generated extremely heated and polarised arguments (see an earlier post here).

Reading this together with the previous stories on the clamour for the return of heritage artefacts to their (rightful) country of origin, it appears that even with the best standards of stewardship in caring for these historic and cultural items, it is still not enough justification for keeping something in a museum collection. How would this impact on the work of conservation and collections care? Is doing one's work to one's best ability and matching high standards enough, then? Or does one need to be doing right, as well?

from BBC News
UK exhibits seized in Australia
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Aboriginal artefacts, including two early bark etchings, have been seized in Australia while on loan from two British museums. The members of the Dja Dja Wurrung tribe have secured an emergency order preventing the items being returned to the British Museum and the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Gary Murray, of the Dja Dja, said:

It's not British culture we are talking about here, we are talking about our rights as a first nation... We believe strongly that they connect us to our country, our culture and ancestry...If you haven't got a past then you haven't got a future and it is our future at stake here."

How about the view point of the lenders? The Royal Botanic Gardens and the British Museum definitely want their artefacts back and reiterate the importance of continuing to lend objects to exhibitions around the world.

"Exhibitions of this kind, bringing rare material from collections throughout the world, provide invaluable opportunities to make available to the world public the latest research and interpretations of the objects and the human cultures that produced them...The Emergency Declaration puts at risk the very legal framework that allows such exhibitions to take place drawing on loans from Europe and America."

BBC is doing an opinions poll on this issue "Who should own historic artefacts?"and the comments posted so far are very interesting!

from Xinhua Online
HK to air new radio program on heritage
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What started out as a public consultation exercise in Hong Kong on urban heritage preservation policy evolved into an on-air collaborative oral history project. One cannot help but draw the conclusion that this is what community relevance and public outreach in heritage preservation is positively about.

This project will enjoy joint-support from government agencies as well as a non-government organisation, The Conservancy Association. Interestingly, The Conservancy Association, has as its mission to preserve both the natural environment, as well as the cultural heritage of Hong Kong.

from National Heritage Board
The Heritage Journal
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The Inaugural Issue of the Heritage Journal (published by the National Heritage Board, Singapore) has been launched, featuring "research articles on the history, culture and the art practices of Asia, with an emphasis on material culture, cultural resource management and museum practice". Happy reading!

from The New York Times
Shift at Historical Society Raises Concerns
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A significant historical document collection was "deposited" with the New York Historical Society along with its lenders joining the board of the society. A concern arise: Would the society henceforth be subjected to the influence of its two wealthy and powerful members? Already, some members within the society who refuse to give their names seems to hint at a "shady" decision process as to the society's exhibition focus and directions. On the other hand, the influx of these new members and the collection has also pushed the society beyond its usual scope, facilitate academic pursuits and sparked off other positive developments.

The same concern arised last year which lead to Catherine B. Reynolds' eventual withdrawal of her $38 million gift to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History when loads of criticisms poured in. The concern according to "The Times": "What was controversial were the terms of the plan which would have granted her [Reynolds] and her foundation inappropriate influence over curatorial decisions."

Looks like there is really a potential conflict of interest over the influence of powerful donors/lenders. Well, with regards to the NYHS, time will tell...

from Getty Conservation Institute Newsletter
Preventive Conservation
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The focus of the latest issue of the GCI Newsletter is on preventive conservation - tracing the inter-disciplinary development of the field, the challenges of application and featuring 2 specific areas in lighting and climate controls in historic buildings.

from The New York Times
Along the Silk Road, China Begins to Guard Its Heritage
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As China ascends in terms of economic wealth, its heritage wealth becomes even more of a touristic draw and reaching potentially unsustainable (and self-destructive) levels. Hence, the efforts of the Getty Conservation Institute to put in place a set of China Principles.

"The China Principles, which generally update existing international conventions, enshrine conservation principles and mandate an interdisciplinary management process. They require a master plan that, for example, researches and sets visitor capacity limits. These guidelines have now largely been disseminated to the provinces, which are responsible for most heritage sites."

from BBC News
Museum has flush of inspiration
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This is a funny one. London's Science Museum is thinking of recycling toilet waste to generate power so as to help in the upkeep of the museum. Jon Tucker, the museum's owner, made this comment "Poo power is certainly something I would consider if it were practical." Mm...poo power, any other takers?

from BBC Radio 4 - Connect
Dust to dust
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listen to programme (Real Player needed)

It boggles the mind to think of something as unassuming and ubiquitous as dust could contain information (when properly analysed) which can yield traces of history spanning many decades or even centuries. But, the question remains: "To clean or not to clean?"

from ST Recruit
For art's sake
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An earlier article focusing on two jobs, amongst others, at the Heritage Conservation Centre. And for the record:

"Every day is exciting. Every problem is different. The approach and decision-making process are different. That is what keeps us going. It can be quite laborious but we are not doing this for ourselves, or even for the museums. It's for future generations."

from New York Times
Where Pagodas Draw Tourists, Concrete Is Unwelcome
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A curious development in heritage preservation in Luang Prabang - the former royal capital of Laos - whereby the traditional is associated with being poor. Hence, as the economical situation improves, the demand for new architectural materials (especially concrete building) increases, which is at odds with the stipulations for maintaining the site on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Site. It also points to a larger problem of misaligned perspectives:

"For many residents, the outsiders' passion for the old is misplaced, a cultural misunderstanding that refuses to respect their desire to spend a newfound wealth that has been a long time coming."

And especially problematic when the dichotomy is drawn between locals and foreigners - with the latter seen as "impeding" the material progress of the local community in the name of heritage preservation (and probably with good intentions).

from BBC Radio 4 - Material World
Painting Conservation
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A quick auditory "glimpse" into the work at the Conservation Department of the National Gallery in London. In particular, the discussion on the rise of de rigueur scientific analysis of materials in the conservation profession and the increasing interest in technical art history, much served by the former.

from The New York Times
New York's Bizarre Museum Moment
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An interesting update to what's happening in the museum scene in New York. The author of the article has brought out certain interesting points for pondering in a honest and humorous way. In view of the changes that some museums initiate to stay current or to reach out to the masses, he observed "that museums don't all still trust art to excite people on its own; they increasingly think it needs to be packaged, marketed and diluted. Does the public also think so?"

from The Observer
Mummy's mystery unravels in 3D
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from The Telegraph
Dodgy embalming in ancient Egypt
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Another example of how advance imaging technologies are helping towards a better understanding of heritage artefacts without causing further material damage. As the primary use of such technologies are not specifically geared towards use in heritage preservation, hence, it is necessary to actively seek out and be informed of new technological advances in imaging technology. And on the horizon, there is the next generation technology using tetrahertz radiation for detecting hidden objects.

from BBC News
World heritage sites 'threatened'
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from The Guardian
Cologne cathedral threatened by tower blocks
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Man builds; man destroys (intentional or otherwise). Perhaps the destructive nature of human endeavours should be listed prominently as a factor of deterioration of cultural heritage materials - in addition to light, humidity, pest, careless mishandling etc.

from The Straits Times
Past It Forward
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go to article (with images; in pdf format)

An article featuring fellow colleagues at the National Heritage Board and their work.