Silpakorn University recently hosted the 3rd APTCCARN (Asia Pacific Twentieth Century Conservation Art Research Network) Meeting in Nakhon Pathom at the end of April 2012. The conference covered a broad range of topics relevant to the conservation of material culture in tropical climates. Talks were given on three main topics: artists’ materials and materiality, conservation practice and communicating conservation.
Some of the presentations dealt with issues relating to preventive conservation, conservation case studies, textile conservation, wallpainting conservation, manuscript conservation and paint production, among others. I presented a paper together with Michael Schilling on Vietnamese lacquer painting, which provided the audience with an overview of the production of Vietnamese lacquer paintings, followed by a description of the first analytical results of our collaborative research project on Vietnamese lacquer painting with the Getty Conservation Institute. Feedback and interest in the talk was very positive.
Paint-outs in the paint production laboratory
The conference also included a panel discussion by Thai artists on materials and materiality, as well as several site visits. It was fascinating to obtain a behind-the-scenes view of paint production at the Material Research Centre for Art and Design at Silpakorn University. Here, they have conducted extensive research into, and are producing paints specifically for use in tropical climates. The conference was a great opportunity to hear more about what other conservators in the Asia Pacific region are working on. We are looking forward to the postprints, which will be published in a peer-reviewed book.