Held over two days, on November 7th and 8th, 2024 in Paris, the “Vibration and Conservation” international symposium will feature a first day dedicated to talks divided into three sessions, and a second day devoted to practical workshops on vibration measurement and interpretation.
Symposium organized by the Vibration & Conservation Consortium, coordinated by Institut national du patrimoine (French National Institute for Heritage).
Cultural heritage objects are likely to be subjected to vibrations on numerous occasions. When moving, either internally to a workspace from a reserve area, or externally for a loan, for example. Vibrations can originate either inside the museum, as in the case of visitors’ footsteps or air conditioning systems, or from external sources such as construction work or public transport passing close to the museum. Nowadays, more and more sound events are taking place in museums, from fashion shows to concerts to sound and light shows. As a result, the high acoustic levels produced regularly cause objects and their supports to vibrate.
Among the various factors known to alter cultural property (climatic variations, light, contaminants, microbiology, etc.), shocks and vibrations are the ones most rarely considered by heritage professionals.
However, repeated or occasional vibrations, even of low amplitude, can lead to cracking and fracturing. Cultural heritage objects must therefore be protected against this source of deterioration.
The aim of this two-day symposium is to give a voice to the various stakeholders in the heritage sector ―preventists, conservator, curators and conservation scientists― to discuss practical solutions for protecting objects against vibrations, as well as problems that have been encountered so far but for which solutions have not yet been found.
Programme
November the 7th / Interventions
9:00–9:30 AM
Welcome for participants
9:30–9:45 AM
Introduction and workshop presentation
Session 1 : vibration and transport
9:45–10:15 AM
Experience-based vibration risk management,
Keynote speaker : W. (Bill) WEI, Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, Amsterdam (The Netherlands).
10:15–10:35 AM
Long distance transportation in Japan: continuous vibration measurement and analysis,
Hiroshi WADA, Curatorial Research Dept., Tokyo National Museum (Japan).
10:35–10:55 AM
Investigating the efficiency of custom-made backing board systems in mitigating vibrations on canvas,
Franziska LIPP, Stiftung Jüdisches Museum Berlin (Germany).
10:55–11:10 AM
Questions and discussions
11:10–11:30 AM Break.
Session 2 : vibration and events
11:30 AM–12 :00 PM
On shaky ground: rethinking vibration monitoring of artworks and museum objects,
Keynote : Tom GALIKOWSKI, Bickerdike Allen Partners LLP et Dr. Catherine HIGGITT, National Gallery, Londres (Royaume-Uni).
12:00–12:15 PM
Flash talks
Caroline BIRO, musées de Rouen Métropole (France).
Catherine DIDELOT, musée des Arts décoratifs, Paris (France).
Arne JOHNSON, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates (USA).
Joelle LE ROUX, musée du Louvre, Paris (France).
12:15–12:30 PM
Questions and discussions
12:30–14:00 PM Lunch.
Session 3 : vibration and environment of the collection
14:00–14:30 PM
Active control as a solution to vibration attenuation,
Keynote : Henri BOUTIN, Institut de recherche et coordination acoustique/musique (Ircam) / Sorbonne Université (France).
14:30–14:50 PM
Assessing the vibration sensitivity of naturalized pinned insects and establishing safety limits,
Marion BILLOT, Muséum d’histoire naturelle de Genève (Switzerland).
14:50–15:10 PM
Experimental evaluation of the vibration behaviour of museum collections using an electrodynamic exciter,
Alexis DRON, , Acoustique Vibrations Logiciel Scientifique (AVLS), Orsay (France).
15:10–15:30 PM
Questions and discussions
15:30–15:50 PM Break.
15:50–16:10 PM
Modelling, monitoring and mitigation: investigating the impact of structure-borne vibration on canvas paintings,
Jorge G. GARCIA, University of Oxford (United Kingdom).
16:10–16:30 PM
Vibration analysis for paintings in museums and the causes of vibrations due to mechanical loads,
Eva HARTLIEB, University of Stuttgart (Germany).
16 :50–17:20 PM
Flash talks
Hélène BOUDIN, musée d’Archéologie nationale – Domaine de Saint-Germain-en-Laye (France).
Amandine HÉLÈNE, conservatrice-restauratrice indépendante (France).
Aimée SIMS, Heritage and Collections Conservation manager, The Palace of Westminster, House of Commons, London (United Kingdom).
Claire GUERIN, independent restorer (France) and Marina BIRON, independent restorer (France)
Questions and discussions
November the 8th / Workshops
Workshops will be organized according to the problems encountered by heritage professionals.
Scientific Commitee
C. BIRO, musées de Rouen Métropole,
H. BOUTIN and F. OLLIVIER, Sorbonne Université,
C. DIDELOT, musée des Arts décoratifs, Paris,
E. KISSEL and F. SAUVAGNARGUES, musée du quai Branly – Jacques-Chirac,
S. LE CONTE &and É. MAUME, Institut national du patrimoine,
J. LE ROUX and S. ISAKOVITCH, musée du Louvre,
N. WILKIE-CHANCELLIER, Cergy Paris Université.
Sponsors
Fondation des sciences du patrimoine (FSP)
Musée du Louvre
Musée du quai Branly – Jacques-Chirac
Musée des Arts décoratifs, Paris
Laboratoire STMS, SU-Ircam
Musées de Rouen Métropole
Cergy Paris Université
Practical information
Free registration here.
The conference will be in INP (2 rue Vivienne, at the center of Paris). Registration is free but required.
Translation will be offered the first day.
The whole day will be broadcast on INP’s digital mediatheque.
