Stop Press

A compilation of media articles on heritage topics. Obviously, these all reflect the viewpoints of the authors.

27 July

• New heritage preservation institute
  The Art Newspaper
  A former 212,000 sq. ft pharmaceutical manufacturing plant is to be the home of Yale’s newly established Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage which unites the Connecticut university’s resources, specifically its academic departments and the collections of its three museums, to “advance conservation science and its practice around the world”.

21 July

• Iraq harnesses technology to protect ancient treasures
  CNN, United States
  International calls for the safeguarding of Iraq's ancient sites have resulted in the development of a sophisticated geodatabase record of ancient sites and monuments, which it is hoped will allow them to be better monitored and protected.

• What Was Machu Picchu For? Top Five Theories Explained
  National Geographic, United States
  Nestled atop a mountain ridge in Peru, the 15th-century Inca city of Machu Picchu had sat largely forgotten for centuries—until archaeologist Hiram Bingham began excavations of the ruins a hundred years ago this week.

19 July

• Poussin vandalism sparks museum fee debate
  The Telegraph, United Kingdom
  During National Gallery visiting hours, somebody was able to brazenly walk up to a masterpiece and spray it with red aerosol paint - twice.

18 July

• Poussin paintings vandalised at National Gallery
  BBC, United Kingdom
  Two paintings by Nicholas Poussin have been sprayed with red paint by a vandal at the National Gallery in London.

17 July

• Cultural Exchange: Preserving the relics of Shanghai's vanished Jewish population
  Los Angeles Times, United States
  Gravestones, many plundered or built over, are symbols of a forgotten group. Dvir Bar-Gal, an Israeli expatriate, works to preserve them.

• The stolen Turners, the Serbian underworld, and a £24m insurance job
  The Independent, United Kingdom
  The Tate's extraordinary coup in securing both a massive payout and the return of the masterpieces can be told at last.

• Making ‘Herakles’ whole after all these years
  Boston Globe, United States
  "Florence has changed," my friend Alessandra told me on the phone. "There's a new spirit here."

• Florence, Italy, undergoes a new Renaissance
  Los Angeles Times, United States
  "Florence has changed," my friend Alessandra told me on the phone. "There's a new spirit here."

• History gets a facelift in Tamil Nadu’s city of ruins
  Times of India
  Tranquebar is a city of ruins. Wherever you look in this erstwhile Danish colony, you see dilapidated buildings and deserted houses.

• Arthur Fromme: Rebuilding Warsaw a 50-year journey
  Wichita Eagle, United States
  I have just completed a visit to Warsaw, which is a large and dynamic world capital that few Americans visit. With its 43 theaters with live productions, its 32 museums, its palaces, castles, resplendent squares and countless architectural highlights, it reflects the remarkable cultural heritage and history of Europe.

9 July

• Hands on Traditional skills and where to learn them
  Irish Times, Ireland
  Decorative painting is the application of paint to a surface to add coloured detail and form.

8 July

• A Palestinian architect designs the foundation for a state
  The Jerusalem Post, Israel
  RIWAQ (Arabic for gallery) is a nonprofit organization that renovates, restores old buildings, heritage sites in the Palestinian territories.

6 July

• Jordan gets a “mega” archaeological database
  The Art Newspaper
  Detailed catalogue of over 12,000 sites is now online, and Iraq is next.

5 July

• Peru to sue Swedish city for theft of ancient textiles
  AFP, France
  Peru will sue the Swedish city of Gothenburg on charges of being accomplices in the theft of ancient pre-Columbian textiles on exhibit in their museum, President Alan Garcia said.

4 July

• We should love these Eighties architectural stars
  The Independent, United Kingdom
  The refusal to list London's Broadgate spells its demise. The buildings of the excess era must be saved, argues Jack Watkins

• Pourquoi la Joconde ne peut plus quitter le Louvre
  Le Figaro, France
  Une pétition circule sur Internet pour que le tableau soit prêté à Florence. «Trop fragile, il ne peut plus bouger», répond le directeur du département des peintures, habitué à ce type de pression.

• Who, What, Why: How do you graffiti-proof public art?
  BBC, United Kingdom
  A landmark sculpture project is at risk because of spiralling costs - including the budget for keeping it graffiti-free. How do you protect public artworks from vandals?

3 July

• Cambodia completes Angkor temple renovation 'puzzle'
  BBC, United Kingdom
  An ancient Angkor temple has re-opened in Cambodia following decades of reconstruction work - a task described as the world's largest puzzle.

updated on: 29 July, 2011