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This section was set
up to address the preservation concerns of the vast amount
of material cultural heritage under the care of Heritage Malta.
As part of a new strategy of sustainability introduced by
Heritage Malta since 2003, the Agency has sought to introduce
this relatively new discipline of preventive conservation
in order to mitigate the real risks to the material content
of our cultural treasures.
The Preventive Conservation Section procures
and seeks to find the most cost-effective means and instrumentation
for the monitoring of environmental parameters in order to
be in a position to plan and reduce risks of deterioration
to our material cultural heritage. It is currently responsible
for monitoring important archaeological World
Heritage Sites, such as the prehistoric temples of Ħagar
Qim, Mnajdra and the
Ħal-Saflieni Hypogeum,
as well as museums and palaces, where various collections
are displayed and stored. The Preventive Conservation staff
proposes and plans strategies for the care of particularly
delicate artefacts and collections, and is also approached
for advice on the proper use of new materials for display
and storage of artefacts and collections.
This section contributes to short- and long-term
planning, together with other sections of Heritage Malta,
in order to minimize the risks involved when collections and
individual objects need to be moved for exhibition and other
purposes. Relevant to this activity, this section has been
an active contributor in the designing of documentation and
policy making for the terms and conditions for the travelling
of artefacts. It has also introduced a condition assessment
process that ultimately aids in the determination of whether
an artefact is fit to travel, a shared, accountable and informed
decision.
Some of the major projects this section has
coordinated and is currently involved in include the environmental
monitoring of Ħagar Qim and Mnajdra; environmental
monitoring of the Ħal-Saflieni Hypogeum, the BOV Tarxien
Temples Project and Abatija tad-Dejr.
The Preventive Conservation Section continually
carries out research in an effort to ensure the protection
of Heritage Malta's collections through the application
of recent scientific knowledge and in accordance with international
practices.
- Environmental Monitoring of Ħagar Qim and Mnajdra:
Acting as a key contributor, the Preventive Conservation
Section participates in major decisions taken by the Scientific
Committee on the Conservation of Megalithic Temples, appointed
by the Minister for Tourism and Culture, for the temporary
sheltering of these two very important World
Heritage Sites. The Scientific Committee consists
of a group of specialists among whom are: a preventive
conservation officer, a conservation scientist, archaeologists,
an architect and civil engineer, a conservation architect,
and a biologist who together oversee the sustainable conservation
management of named archaeological sites which fall under
its remit. The main aim is to analyse, discuss, share
decisions, suggest and manage the complex, including and
the often delicate material conservation, as well as considering
ethical issues, within an interdisciplinary team of experts.
- Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum environmental monitoring:
This underground site is also inscribed as a unique monument
on the UNESCO
World Heritage Sites List. The Preventive Conservation
Section continually monitors this site's delicate
climatic conditions. In this way the sustainable conservation
management of the site is ensured by the collation and
analysis of scientific data, while at the same time helping
to make the site accessible for the enjoyment of present
and future generations.
- BOV Tarxien Project:
Bank of Valletta p.l.c. (BOV) and Heritage Malta signed
an agreement in September 2003 whereby the former committed
itself to providing funds for the conservation and presentation
of the Tarxien Temples, which are also inscribed on the
UNESCO World Heritage List. The Preventive Conservation
Section is currently extensively monitoring the environment
of this complex site in an effort to understand the effect
of the urban contextual impact, as well as the climatic
impact, on the material content of the site.
- Abatija Tad-Dejr,
Rabat (Malta): An agreement between Heritage Malta and
Din
l-Art Helwa (a local non-governmental organisation
(NGO) committed to the preservation of cultural heritage)
was the outcome of a commonly felt need to join forces
for the long-term preservation of this important site
that had been subject to much neglect, and hence damage,
over the years. Heritage Malta's Preventive Conservation
Section and Diagnostic Science Laboratories have drawn
up a condition assessment report which includes recommendations
for the sustainable conservation management of the site
in the short, medium, and long term.
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