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8/3/2019 Sammut, N. Sustainability in Preservation Cultural Heritgae Through Education. 2011
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e-conservationthe online magazine No. 21, September 2011
8/3/2019 Sammut, N. Sustainability in Preservation Cultural Heritgae Through Education. 2011
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education
SUSTAINABILITY IN THE PRESERVATION
OF CULTURAL HERITAGE THROUGH
EDUCATION
Training in Wood Conservation andRestoration in Malta
By
Ninette Sammut
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Introduction
The type of objects that need to be safeguarded
range from organic to inorganic, from natural to
manmade and from a single material to compos
ite materials. Furthermore, the object materials
could have been sourced within the country or
imported.
Natural resources in Malta are limited to stone,
sun and sea. Wood was also one of its natural re
sources but through its extensive use through the
ages to make way primarily for agriculture and
grazing of animals [1] and then for structural,
technologic, storage and decorative purposes [2],
it became a treasured material. Cultural identity
is kneaded within such purposes and hence theimportance to preserve, conserve and restore
wood objects/structures. Yet, the lack of know
ledge about how to cherish this material, the per
formance of interventions within the considera
tion of conservationrestoration ethics and the
desire to avoid maintenance in a fast moving world
are main issues that are leading to the destruction
of this local patrimony.
The need to preserve wood objects/structures
brought about the need to educate and train
people in conservation and restoration, hence
the design and implementation of this project co
funded by the European Union, European Social
Funding (ESF). The title of this project is Wood
CPR: Education and Training in Wood Conservation
and Restoration.
The courses in this project were developed to giveits participants the opportunity to realise that
one is living in a global society where everybody
is a citizen of the world, according to Whitheads
philosophy of education [3]. This approach seeks
to link new and past knowledge acquired in diffe
rent ways and from different contexts to different
forms of knowledge within the established disci
plines. That is linking competences, skills and
knowledge acquired throughout ones life whilebringing people together.
Wood as material heritage in Malta
Although wood is not considered one of Maltas
natural resources, the existence of objects made
from this material indicates its extensive use
through time. The species of such wood is not
limited to one but to a variety of species which
could be found locally or imported. The uses of
the various types of wood depended on its
81econservation
Sustainability in the preservation of cultural heritage is multifaceted. Education is one of the facets.
Courses in conservation, restoration and conservation science help reach this aim by bringing together
policy makers, enforcement units, educational institutions, the employment sector and people with
different backgrounds of knowledge, skills and competences. This is the outcome of a three year project
cofunded by the European Union that Heritage Malta has conducted as the lead partner. Through this
project four accredited courses were designed within the European Qualifications Framework (EQF),
namely at EQF levels 1, 3, 6 and 7. The courses at EQF levels 1, 3 and 7 have been implemented
throughout the period of this project with the courses at EQF levels 1 and 3 to be established as part of
the prospectus of two of the national educational institutions, namely the Lifelong Learning Directorate
in the former case and the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST) which is mainly
responsible for vocational education and training in the latter.
TRAINING IN WOOD CONSERVATION IN MALTA
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physical properties, morphology and anatomy.
Such characteristics determined whether the par
ticular type of wood would be used to construct orembellish an object/structure, to manufacture a
piece of fine or utilitarian furniture, to seal or
supporta building structure, and as a means of
transport.
The concept of reuse was more practised in the
past. This can be observed through scientific in
vestigations of panel paintings which have shown
evidence of overpainted surfaces, and through
research in notarial documents, specifically those
related to dowry or wills, which refer to pieces
of furniture inherited from one generation to
another. Past craftsmen utilised wood as beams
to support limestone slabs in ceiling structures
and to be able to span large areas.
Other uses in buildings include apertures such as
window frames and balconies (gallarija in Maltese)
which became more elaborate during the Baroqueperiod [4] complete with shutters to redirect or
block natural light, and solid wood doors with lock
systems to divide spaces and safeguard what is
behind them. Such apertures characterise street
scapes in Maltas capital city, Valletta, which is
considered a world heritage site by UNESCO, and
in Birgu, one of the three cities characterising
the waterfront of the Grand Harbour (Figure 1).
Extensive use of wood has also always made forthe internal decoration of churches.
Other uses of wood include its utilisation to pro
duce tools used in quarrying and wood working
as well as machinery such as windmills and wax
candle factories. Wood was also used for the
manufacture of traditional fishing and passenger
boats an integral part of Maltas heritage.
As in other countries, there are hazards in Malta
that threaten the survival of this material result
ing from natural and/or anthropogenic factors.
Such factors include mishandling, lack of know
ledge or maintenance, unnecessary or wrong
interventions, exposure to the surrounding envi
ronment and biological infestations, vandalism,
fires and floods. The combination of the nature of
artefacts, the relative scarcity of such material onthe island, and the hazards to which it is exposed,
led to the necessity to create courses that address
such matters and disseminate knowledge, skills
and competences.
Sustainability through an integrated approach
to conservation practice
Huge strides ahead with respect to sustainability
in wood preservation have been made at first
through the grant offered by Malta Environment
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Figure 1. Wooden balconies at Birgu as par t of the streetscape.
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Planning Authority (MEPA) [5] and through this
European Union funded project where the founda
tions to sustain the preservation of wood objects/
structures were built upon training. This project
started during the f irst quarter of 2009 and last
until the end of 2011.
The importance of wood as material heritage in
Malta should be considered as an essential part
of the local heritage and also as part of the world
heritage. The importance to preserve wood
through education resulted from the fact that:
grants given in a local scheme to restore wooden
balconies were offering the opportunity to skilled
craftsmen to diversify their dying business to the
field of conservationrestoration without any
consideration being given to ethics related to
this specialised field because the skilled crafts
men were not trained according to international
ethics existing in conservationrestoration;
there has been a general increase in apprecia
tion of cultural heritage in the last decade, whichhas led to an increase in demand for conservation
restoration;
the amateur woodworker was increasingly at
tracted to the restoration practice by taking it up
as a hobby;
there was lack of awareness on preservation of
material heritage irrespective of a high interest
in antiques;
anyone going through vocational educationtraining could not specialise in wood conservation
restoration;
training in conservationrestoration of wood at
bachelor level was being taught as a small com
ponent in comparison to other materials;
training of scientists supporting conservator
restorers did not have the necessary background
knowledge related to conservation science.
These considerations brought about the need for
such a project. The main aims were: (a) to increase
awareness in preservation of material heritage;
(b) to train people coming from different educa
tional backgrounds; (c) to give equal gender
opportunities; (d) to address skills mismatches;
and (e) to propose a strategy for future grant
schemes in relation to restoration of wooden bal
conies. This brought the need to design courses
at different EQF levels within the frameworks of
the Copenhagen and Bologna Processes, namely
the following courses:
Preservation of Material Cultural Heritage at
EQF level 1;
Wood and Furniture Heritage Skills at EQF level 3;
ConservationRestoration of Wood at EQF level 6;
Conservation Science applied to Wood at EQF
level 7;
The courses were designed from a lifelong lear
ning perspective where irrespective of age,
whether active or inactive and irrespective of ones
level of education, the person wishing to engage
in such courses could progress accordingly. Suchan exercise brought together various other local
state entities: the Malta Qualifications Council
(MQC); the Institute of Building Construction &
Engineering within MCAST; the Employment &
Training Centre; the Malta Environment & Plan
ning Authority; the National Womens Council
and the Federation of Womens Council; and the
Commission for People with Disabilities (KNPD).
Participants who showed difficulty in providingan accredited certificate to be able to follow the
courses at EQF level 3 and EQF level 7 were given
the opportunity to get it accredited to the right
EQF level through the Malta Qualifications Re
cognition Information Centre (MQRIC), which is
part of MQC.
Three out of the four designed courses were im
plemented. Ten editions of the same course with
a maximum of one hundred and fifty participants
were delivered in the case of the course at EQF
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level 1 in both Maltese and English languages.
The course at EQF level 3 was open for a maximum
of fifteen participants while the course at EQFlevel 7 was open for a maximum of eight partici
pants. The language in this case was English. The
course at EQF level 6 was intended to run at a later
stage, which is after there are specialists trained
in wood conservation science at EQF level 7 to be
able to support EQF level 6 students in their
studies. The lecturers were all Maltese or foreign
qualified professionals. The ratio of theory versus
practical of each course varied according to the
needs within the course content. The assessment
methods of the courses in levels 1, 3 and 7 include
the preparation of assignments, reports, exami
nations and presentations to the public depend
ing on the course level. In all cases a certificate
is awarded. The same assessment methods are
proposed in the course at level 6 but in this case
a degree is awarded.
The EQF level 1 course treated basic conservationskills. It addressed all materials, namely ceramics,
glass, metal, stone, wood, canvas, textile and
paper. Such materials can be found either singu
larly or assembled together composing objects.
The properties of each material were initially
tackled on their own and then in combination
with each other. The effect that such materials
can have on wood and vice versa was discussed
through practical exercises and on site visits tomuseums. Through this course participants were
made aware of the vulnerability of such cultural
heritage objects. They were also taught how to
reduce this vulnerability from a preventive con
servation perspective. The pedagogic role of the
lecturer was primarily to provide opportunities
for participants to develop and demonstrate
skills which allow them to pursue a career as mu
seum attendants, housekeepers, cleaners, hand
lers, maintenance personnel, and antique dealers
within an ethical framework. The teaching was
also aimed at avoiding damage by thinking be
fore acting and knowing when one needs to
consult a professional in the field (Figure 2).
The EQF Level 3 course aimed towards a more
practical background and therefore prospective
students had to have sound knowledge of woodand good hands skills in woodwork. These prospec
tive students included either those who have ac
quired a certificate at EQF level 2 by MCAST (the
maximum qualification which could be acquired
at the beginning of the project) or those who were
already practising wood restoration. In both cases,
the certificate at EQF Level 1 course was a pre
requisite. Throughout the EQF level 3 course the
participants have put into practice the conservationrestoration ethics acquired through the EQF
level 1 course under the vigilant eyes of the quali
fied conservatorrestorer. Documentation meth
ods and ethics were largely discussed as well as
the nonexistence of recipes applied in conser
vationrestoration practice was made very clear
to the participants especially during their prac
tical sessions (Figure 3). It was imperative to
pass clearly the message, especially to students
at this level, that evidence is lost with every
single restoration intervention that is taken.
84 econservation
Figure 2. People attending level 1 course.
NINETTE SAMMUT
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The participants were instructed on historical
manufacturing techniques. Towards the end of
their course they were capable to reproduce part
of a traditional wooden balcony (Figure 4). This
will allow them to become part of the list of
skilled carpenters recognised to undertake bal
cony restoration projects such as the one promo
ted by MEPA.
The course at EQF Level 6 was designed in the
framework of the current course content being
offered at bachelors level by the University of
Malta. This is a 4year degree which currently
trains conservatorrestorers in the following
areas: paintings, objects (ceramics, glass, metals,
and stone), textiles and paper. The first year is
considered a foundation year across all areas of
study and streaming together with handson
practice which starts from the second year on
wards. The course designed in this project focuses
on wood. The area of study in wood conservation
restoration as part of the degree course was not
offered at this stage: professionals in conserva
tion science related to wood needed to be trained
beforehand to be able to support students in their
conservation projects. The studyunits covered
in the course content include the use of woodthroughout the ages, stylistic analysis, manufac
turing techniques, scientific analysis of wood,
past interventions/restoration and evaluation of
conservation treatments.
The EQF Level 7 course in conservation science
aimed to promote research and innovation in
conservation science education in relation to
conservationrestoration of wood and wooden
structures and artworks. The aims of this course
were to strengthen the human resource capacity
85econservation
Figure 3. Students undertaking restoration work on a 16th century sacristy.
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to aid in training of future conservatorrestorers
and create a common language to ease communication between the persons trained through
this course and the conservatorrestorer. Lectur
ers from the Department of Agricultural and
Forest Economy, Engineering, Sciences and Tech
nologies of the University of Florence (DEISTAF)
delivered this 9week long certificate course.
Lectures were delivered 4 weeks in Florence and
5 weeks in Malta. The course content included
studyunits of applied physics and chemistry related to the morphology of wood at micro and macro
levels, the deterioration process influenced by
physical and chemical reactions, and practical
sessions in analytical techniques using different
instrumentation including sample preparation
within the ethical and legal framework related to
conservationrestoration. This course brought
together a multidisciplinary team of profession
als specialised in their own field without having
much in common, yet finding common grounds
through the analysis of wood objects (Figure 5).
86 econservation
Figure 4. Reproduction of part of the traditional balcony.
Conclusion
The appreciation of cultural heritage should be
communicated through an integrated education
approach in this global society. Sustainability in
the preservation of cultural heritage through
education should be encouraged. It is a way of
how tangible and intangible cultural heritage
can be safeguarded.
This Europeanfunded project presented various
challenges throughout the various stages of re
search, design and implementation of the
courses. The fact that the courses had to be de
signed around needs in conservationrestoration
in the local context posed a further challenge
than just designing and implementing general
courses in preservation, conservationrestoration
and conservation science. Yet this challenge is
what will make it sustainable in the long run:
offering new opportunities to all those already
involved in wood working by providing furthertraining and increasing awareness on the need
to preserve wood objects in their current envir
onment. It should be pointed out that in this
case two of the four courses, namely those at
EQF level 1 and 3, are already featuring in the
prospectus of two educational institutions for
the next academic programmes.
The course created at EQF level 1 will help a person, irrespective of his background, to appreciate
cultural heritage through the use of materials.
This will increase the interest and transform
such awareness to further training in the fields
of conservationrestoration and conservation
science. Through this approach, other professions
and existing courses would be directed to sustain
directly the preservation of cultural heritage.
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87econservation
References
[1] P. J. Schembri, "Physical Geography and Eco
logy of the Maltese Islands: A Brief Overview",
Options Meditrranennes 7, 1993, URL
[2] L. J. Saliba, "Education and Afforestation in
Malta", Options Mditerranennes 9, 1971, URL
[3] A. N. Whitehead, The Aims of Education and
Other Essays, Free Press, New York, 1967
[4] G. Bonello, "Mysteries of the Maltese Gallar
ija in Treasures of Malta", Progress Press, Vol. IX
No. 2, Malta, 2003
[5] Traditional Maltese Wooden Balcony Restora
tion Grant Scheme, http://www.mepa.org.mt
[accessed on 31stJuly 2011]
Figure 5. Laboratory work by the participants on microCT.
NINETTE SAMMUTConservation Manager
Contact: [email protected]
Ninette Sammut is the manager leading the edu
cation arm of Heritage Malta. Her qualifica
tions and experience as a conservatorrestorer
and her involvement in education in the past 10
years, including vocational and tertiary educa
tion and training on national and European
levels, led to her choice in this leading position
and as project leader of this EUfunded project.
TRAINING IN WOOD CONSERVATION IN MALTA
http://www.mepa.org.mt/wooden-balconieshttp://ressources.ciheam.org/om/pdf/r09/CI010435.pdfhttp://ressources.ciheam.org/om/pdf/b07/93400018.pdfhttp://www.e-conservationline.com/