Diagnosis and Conservation of Photography Material and other records
Objectives
The main objective of this course is to provide students with the knowledge and tools necessary for them to be able to identify, assess and diagnose the conservation condition of photographs: identifying the pathologies that affect them, proposing sets of preventive conservation measures and eventually outlining a conservation and restoration proposal for these materials. This CU is part of a set of CUs of diagnosis and conservation of various materials (stone, painting, metals, ceramics and glass, graphic documents) offered by the 1st study cycle of the DCR within the scope of the complete training and of an extended offer.
In order to achieve the objectives proposed for the UC, the students must learn about the different types of photographs, as well as their chemical, optical and mechanical properties, learning also about the various methodologies to characterise, recognise and distinguish the different photographic processes and their materials. Students will also learn about the degradation mechanisms of these materials and the analytical techniques that can be used to better understand them.
In addition to the essential practical skills training, an integral and fundamental part of the academic training is the research component. It is one of the Professor''s fundamental roles to encourage participation in conservation projects, symposia, and lectures given by professors and/or invited experts. Scientific research is a vital part of the training concept, which, together with the fact that this is a Faculty of Science and Technology, makes it necessary to make the student aware of the possibility of pursuing a scientific career dedicated to research.
At the end of this course, students should be able to:
- Understand the transdisciplinary nature of the knowledge acquired in the discipline of diagnosis and conservation of photographic materials and conservation and restoration in general;
- Distinguish and know the different types of photographic species and other records
- Know the different production techniques of photographic processes
- Know and recognize the pathologies that can affect photographic objects
- Elaborate and complete a diagnosis file for different types of photographic species
- Elaborate a proposal for intervention and/or preventive conservation based on the diagnosis previously proposed.
The students'' training is not only based on the proposed programme, but also on the development of other competences, the so-called soft skills, such as
- Ability to work in a team, but also the ability to work and make decisions individually;
- Ability to structure work, organising and managing time to meet deadlines;
- Ability to structure written communications as well as oral communications;
General characterization
Code
10926
Credits
6.0
Responsible teacher
Élia Catarina Tavares Costa Roldão
Hours
Weekly - 8
Total - 84
Teaching language
Português
Prerequisites
Available soon
Bibliography
- Lavédrine, B., La Conservation des Photographies, Presses du CNRS, Paris, 1990.
- Norris, D. H., Gutierrez, J. J., Issues in the Conservation of Photographs, Getty Publications, 2010.
- Pavão, L., Conservação de Colecções de Fotografia, Dinalivro, Lisboa, 1997..
- Pénichon, S., Twentieth-Century Colour Photographs: The Complete Guide to Processes, Identification and Preservation, Thames and Hudson, London, 2013.
- Lavédrine, B., Fournier, A., Martin, G. (eds). POPART: Preservation of Plastic Artefacts in Museum Collections. Paris: Comité Des Travaux Historiques Et Scientifiques (CTHS), 2012.
- Down, J., Adhesive Compendium for Conservation. Canada: Canadian Conservation Institute, 2015.
- Shashoua, Y., Inhibiting the inevitable; current approaches to slowing the deterioration of plastics. In Macromolecular symposia, 238 (1) 2006, 67-77.
- Thomson, G., The Museum Environment, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, 1986.
Teaching method
The proposed methodology aims to lead the students to integrate and relate the knowledge acquired in other subjects of the Degree in Conservation-Restoration and also to introduce concepts and knowledge that will be deepened in other CUs, namely in those that are part of the plans of the Masters in Conservation and Restoration and in Conservation Sciences. In this way, students develop critical thinking and exercise the transdisciplinary, fundamentals in C&R.
In lecture classes, the course contents will be presented and knowledge about photographic materials will be provided, starting with the concept of diagnosis concerning these materials, then addressing the chemical composition of the constituent materials of photographs, as well as associated degradation mechanisms and common signs of degradation. All lectures will be accompanied by an article, book chapter or text that must be read and whose content will be discussed between students and teacher at the beginning of each class (the article, book chapter or text will be handed in the class before its discussion), thus promoting a more direct interaction with students. Reading fundamental articles/essays is promoted and intended to stimulate students to search for more information about the topics covered in class. The articles/texts selected are considered reference works (regardless of the year of publication) that indicate relevant research lines, focusing on concerns and updates in the area.
The organization of seminars arises with the aim of having a class taught by a specialist in a certain topic sharing their experience and knowledge with the students. One to two seminars are foreseen within the class period, one dedicated to photography at the molecular level (given by the DQ Professor) and another dedicated to cinematographic/sound materials (given by an expert from an archive/museum). Other seminars will be proposed that may cover the theme of diagnosis and conservation problems in specific photographic materials (colour, film, video) or methodologies of examination, analysis or preservation. To teach the extra seminars we can count on the presence of several national and international conservators, historians, and scientists.
Evaluation method
The assessment method will include the theoretical component, the practical component and the theoretical-practical component.
This course has frequency, that is, a set of conditions to be met by the student to have access to the exam;
- The student will have access to the Exam of Appeal provided that he doesn''t miss more than 1/3 of the practical lessons.
- The mark obtained in the Exam of Appeal only substitutes the mark of the Theoretical Component (T).
- The mark of the Practical Component (P) is valid for 2 academic years.
The theoretical component aims to evaluate the knowledge that students have acquired about the composition and degradation mechanisms of photographic materials. The theoretical component can be done through the completion of the two tests along the semester or, alternatively, through the exam at the end of the class period. A pass mark is required for the theoretical component.
The practical component will be assessed through the performance in the practical classes and will evaluate the quality of the diagnostic report, taking into account aspects such as the correct identification of the photographic processes and identification of all the pathologies of the objects studied in class, among others. A pass in the practical component is compulsory.
Finally, the theoretical-practical component aims to assess the active participation in class through answering to questions posed, the quality of comments on the various topics and the participation and preparation of the texts that are required reading for each class and which are discussed, as a seminar at the beginning of each class. The quality of the oral presentation of the work is also an evaluation factor of this component.
This course has 3 continuous assessment components: 2 tests of theoretical evaluation (T), one of practical evaluation (P, exercises to consolidate knowledge on practical work/quizzes) and 2 components of theoretical-practical evaluation (the oral presentation and discussion of the report and the evaluation of participation in the discussions of the compulsory reading texts for each class). To pass the course it is necessary to have a minimum mark of 9.5 in both components, Theoretical and Practical. Each component is assessed on a scale of 0 to 20.
The final mark of the curricular unit is obtained by the average of the three components:
Theoretical component is worth 50% (each test has an equal weight of 25% with a minimum of 7.5 marks for approval in the 1st test to access the 2nd test),
Practical component is worth 25% (the report is worth 20%), exercises to consolidate knowledge (quizzes), handling and organisation of the workstation (5%)
Theoretical-Practical component is worth 25% (the oral presentation and discussion of the report is worth 15% and the participation in the discussions of the compulsory reading texts for each class has a weight of 10% in the final mark).
Final mark = (0.5*T) + (0.25*P) + (0.25*TP)
T= average of the 2 Theoretical Tests or the grade of the supplementary exam.
P= Diagnostic Report (developed over the semester in group), Quizzes, Workplace organisation and handling.
TP= oral presentation and discussion of the report is worth 15% and participation in the discussions of the compulsory reading texts for each class is worth 10%.
ATTENTION: The ORAL presentation of the Diagnosis Report developed during the semester will be done INDIVIDUALLY (10 min. presentations + 5 min. discussion)
Factors such as problem-solving skills, attendance and punctuality will be assessed continuously throughout the semester and in all components.
All elements of the assessment, barring any imponderables, will be face-to-face.
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ATTENTION: When taking any examination, you must also take into consideration the provisions of article 10, no. 3 of the FCT NOVA Evaluation Regulations, "When the existence of fraud or plagiarism is proven, in any of the elements of evaluation of a CU, the students directly involved will be immediately reproved in the CU, (...)".
Subject matter
The proposed programme to be taught per class in the DCFOR UC can be found in the "others" field. The theoretical and practical components will be presented together in order to demonstrate the symbiosis between the parts.
For each theoretical class bibliography will be suggested, being one of the references compulsory reading for class discussion. When books are referenced as compulsory reading it means that only one or two chapters of the book will be compulsory reading. This bibliography will be changed and updated whenever possible and justified.