Cultural Heritage Protection in the Asia – Pacific Region 2015: Preservation and Restoration of wooden structures
Place: Cultural Heritage Protection Cooperation Office, Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (Nara Pref. Nara Branch Office, 757 Horen-cho, Nara, Japan) and related research institutions, etc
Organizers (tentative)
This course is jointly organised by Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan (Bunkacho); the Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU); ICCROM; and the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties [Tokyo and Nara], in cooperation with Japanese Association for Conservation of Architectural Monuments (JACAM); Japan Consortium for International Cooperation in Cultural Heritage (JCIC-Heritage); Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan; the Japanese National Commission for UNESCO; Nara Prefectural Government; and Nara Municipal Government.
Background
In Asia and the Pacific region, there are various forms of cultural heritage including those made of wooden structures which are of great value from a global point of view. In order to safeguard this important cultural heritage for future generations, it is necessary to train heritage professionals for proper investigation, analysis and preservation. ACCU Nara Office in partnership with ICCROM and Bunkacho has been organizing courses since 2000 on this topic with a view of building the capacities of professionals who have been working on cultural heritage protection in the region. This course aims to provide participants with the latest methods and techniques for investigation, analysis, preservation, restoration and management of wooden structures.
Objectives
The objectives of the course are to:
- provide participants with a knowledge of recording/documentation and analytical methods for wooden structures;
- provide participants with a practical knowledge of technology/techniques and hands-on training for preservation and restoration of wooden structures;
- provide participants with a knowledge of principles and methodologies for preservation of wooden structures;
- provide participants with a knowledge of maintenance, utilization, and risk management of wooden structures;
- to provide participants with an opportunity to network with colleagues from the region and share experiences.
Training Curriculum
Lectures:
- Introduction to Asian and Pacific wooden structures
- Theory and practice of conservation of cultural heritage
- Protection system of cultural heritage in Japan
- Policies on restoration of wooden structures in Japan
- Surveying wooden structures
- Surveying painting and plans for painting restoration
- Management and utilisation of wooden structures
Practical training and on-site lectures:
- Practical training on documentation, damage/deterioration survey and restoration of wooden structures
- On-site lectures at the restoration sites of wooden structures
- Fieldwork: case study of conservation/restoration and management/utilisation of wooden structures
Presentation and discussion:
- Presentations on the present status of preservation and restoration of wooden structures in each country followed by exchange of views
- Future issues and views on preservation and restoration of wooden structures
- Recapitulation of the training session
Participants
Application procedure and content:
The training course is offered to participants from the following 40 signatory countries of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention (see below). The application form should be submitted no later than 12 June 2015 along with the endorsement of the UNESCO National Commission. The documents necessary for application are the following.
- Application Form (Form 1). Please attach a copy of the passport, if the applicant has a valid passport as of 1 September 2015. This is not necessary if he/she does not currently have a passport.
- Report relating to the applicant’s achievements/involvements in conservation of wooden structures.This achievement report should be written by the applicant and should be a brief summary of present and previous work related to the theme of preservation and restoration of wooden structures (2-3 pages). This report should be no longer than 5 pages and will be weighted heavily in selection of the participants.
- Letter of Recommendation by NATCOM.
- Letter of recommendation by the head of the organization to which the applicant belongs (Annex 1)
- Documentation indicating English proficiency (if obtained). There is no need to attach this if he/she does not have one at present.
Completed applications should be sent to the Secretariat of the ACCU Nara Office at the address below. Only completed applications with all necessary documents will be considered.
The following are the 40 signatories of the World Heritage Convention from Asia and the Pacific: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kyrgyz, Lao P.D.R., Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Rep. of Korea, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tonga ,Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, and Viet Nam.
Qualification Requirements
Applicants should be:
- those who are professionals, 45 years old or younger on 1 September 2015, who are engaged in the preservation and restoration of wooden structures and who can make effective use of the results of the training course upon returning to his/her home country;
- those who have a good command of English, the working language for all lectures, so that they can deliver presentations and write reports from the training sessions (ACCU Nara Office and ICCROM shall be allowed to utilize all contents of presentations and reports, including drawings and photographs, for future publication and cultural heritage protection programmes);
- those who can attend the entire training programme;
- those who submit all of the required documents (listed above) within the stated deadline;
- those who will most likely continue exchanging information and interacting with ACCU after returning to their home countries;
- those who were not previous participants in training courses on Cultural Heritage Protection in the Asia-Pacific Region: Preservation and Restoration of Wooden Structures organized by ACCU Nara Office;
- those who are in good health and able to participate in the training programme.
Notification of screening results
After consideration with other organizers, ACCU Nara will select 16 people (one participant per nation, in principle) from among all applicants in late July. Successful applications will be informed of the results along with each National Commission for UNESCO.
Certificate of completion
Each participant will be awarded a certificate upon completion of the course.
Working language
English will be the working language throughout the course
Expenses
Expenses during the Course shall be borne by ACCU Nara, as follows:
- Travelling expenses: each of the participants (except those from Australia, Brunei, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, and Singapore) shall be provided with an economy class return air ticket from the nearest international airport from their residence to Kansai International Airport, and transportation fees between Kansai International Airport and Nara. Expenses for visa application shall be the responsibility of the participants.
- Living expenses: participants shall be provided the basic living expenses incurred during the training course from 31 August (Mon.) to 2 October (Fri.) 2015 according to ACCU Nara’s regulations. Arrangements for accommodations (a room for single occupancy) during the training course will be made by ACCU Nara. In case a participant needs to stay at a hotel on the way to and/or from Japan for any unavoidable reason (such as for a visa application and the limited connection of flights), ACCU Nara will cover the accommodation expenses.
Secretariat
Cultural Heritage Protection Cooperation Office,
Asia/Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU Nara)
Nara Pref. Nara Branch Office,
757 Horen-cho, Nara 630-8113 JAPAN
Tel: +81-(0)742-20-5001
Fax: +81-(0)742-20-5701
E-mail: nara (at) accu.or.jp