Sammut, N. Sustainability in Preservation Cultural Heritgae Through Education. 2011

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


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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

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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
http://www.e-conservationline.com/


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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.

NINETTE SAMMUT


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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.

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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

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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).

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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.

NINETTE SAMMUT


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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.

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/

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Sammut, N. Sustainability in Preservation Cultural Heritgae Through Education. 2011