Introductory course to Med. cultural heritage

The Institute for Conservation and Restoration Studies (ICRS) at the Malta Centre for Restoration is giving an Introductory Course to Mediterranean Cultural Heritage, spanning 14 sessions, between March 13 and July 3.

The sessions will be held on Saturdays and are intended to be a balanced delivery of theoretical subjects and practical sessions. These will ultimately provide the student with a foretaste of the Bachelor of Conservation and Restoration Studies (Honours) degree course, also offered by ICRS and conferred by the University of Malta.

The course also aims to prepare the student for the entrance examination, which is a special entry requirement for entry to the B.Cons. (Hons) course. Other entry requirements are the University general entry requirements and chemistry at A level (at a minimum grade D).

Another primary goal of the course is to create a public awareness of our common cultural heritage and its conservation-restoration. To meet this objective the course has been designed specifically to accommodate the general public, thus allowing anyone with an interest in cultural heritage to attend.

The Introductory Course to Mediterranean Cultural Heritage covers the following topics: Introduction to Conservation and Restoration, Introduction to Conservation Science, History of Art, History of Architecture and Archaeology for Conservation, Artistic techniques: Painting, Sculpture, Textiles, Paper and Books, Line Drawing and Documentation, Subject Area practicals.

The introductory course parted from the traditional teaching method when it was integrated with the EU-funded IKONOS project. This project is an eight-country consortium, led by MCR, that aims to create a network of institutions, which can share teaching-learning demands and needs in the Euro-Med region.

As part of the IKONOS project, the MCR currently transmits lectures in conservation and restoration studies to institutions in Morocco, Jordan, Algeria and Greece, where students are offered the opportunity to attend the course from the comfort of their own country.

All lectures are transmitted using latest satellite-enabled video conferencing (SEVC) technology allowing the transmission and reception of real time video and audio. This system allows students and lecturers alike to experience interactivity between people in the culturally diverse region of the Mediterranean, further encouraging the exchange of ideas and knowledge.

The normal fee for course attendance is Lm60, reduced to Lm30 for students. Application forms for the introductory course can be collected from, and should be delivered directly to, the secretariat at the Malta Centre for Restoration, Bighi, Kalkara CSP 12, by not later than noon tomorrow.

For more details contact Sean Pollacco on tel: 2180-7675/6, fax 2167-4457, e-mail: spollacco@mcr.edu.mt or visit www.mcr.edu.mt and www.ikonosheritage.org.