Dates: 19 November - 14 December 2007

Place: Vientiane, Lao PDR

Partners

• ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property)
• SEAMEO-SPAFA (SEAMEO Regional Centre for Archaeology and Fine Arts)
• UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)
• Department of Museums and Archaeology, Ministry of Information and Culture, Lao PDR
• Lao National Museum (Vientiane), Lao PDR                            

Aim

The purpose of this course is to improve scientific literacy and establish a common language for sharing conservation knowledge among professionals caring for Southeast Asian heritage collections. The course will review, discuss and compare living cultural practices and current conservation principles and approaches. It will focus on the scientific principles underlying the manufacture, use and conservation of collections. Participants will be encouraged to share the traditional collections conservation practices in their countries and institutions while scientific aspects of those practices will be discussed and explored. South East Asian traditional conservation solutions will be used to understand, evaluate and further develop different approaches which are cost-effective and sustainable using locally-available materials. These will include materials and strategies relevant for:

• pest management
• handling practices 
• storage of objects and collections
• cleaning of objects and spaces (ritual as well as material maintenance practices)

Methodology
The course will consist of interactive, participatory sessions, both theoretical and practical. Study visits to heritage institutions in Laos will include joint working sessions with the relevant staff and working sessions with local community representatives. Selected results of the activity will be made available as resource materials for the wider Southeast Asian professional community through the programme website.

Participants
Up to 22 professionals working in heritage institutions in Southeast Asia (directors, curators, conservators, conservation scientists, collections care staff), directly involved with the daily care and management of collections. Participants will be from CollAsia 2010 participating countries: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. At least 3 years of working experience will be required. Former participants in CollAsia 2010 international courses are encouraged to apply, especially persons having worked or intending to work with local communities.

Teaching team
Senior professionals drawn from the CollAsia 2010 network and with previous experience in CollAsia 2010 international courses.

Working language: English.

Scholarship
Scholarships covering round-trip travel, accommodation and meals in Vientiane during the project will be available. 

Application
Please use the specific CollAsia 2010 application form and submit it to the following address:

CollAsia2010
SPAFA
81/1 Sri-Ayutthaya Road
Samsen, Dusit
Bangkok 10300 Thailand
Tel: +66 2 2804022-9
Fax: +66 2 2804030
Email: collasia2010 (at) seameo-spafa . org

Application deadline: 15 September 2007