On February 8th the CollAsia course on Conservation and Use of Southeast Asian Collections began in Bandung, Indonesia. The training activity, organized in collaboration with the Bandung Geological Museum and the Geological Agency of Indonesia, Ministry for Energy and Mineral Resources, with the support of the Korean Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA), brought together 34 conservation professionals from 18 countries. They will spend three weeks exploring the challenges of conserving and using collections.
The activity was inaugurated at the Geological Agency Auditorium, with a grand traditional Indonesian ceremony offered by the Geological Agency and presented by the Head of Bandung Geological Museum, Mr Oman Abdurahman, the Vice Minister of Tourism and the Indonesian National Commission for UNESCO.
“The main objective and function of a museum is to preserve the collections and communicate with various target audiences within the museums’ context,” said Mr Abdurahman in his inaugural speech. “In order to effectively carry out its duties and mandates, various national governments and international agencies have come forward to support activities aimed at improving the capabilities and expertise of museum workers, as well as to raise public awareness of the preservation of the nation’s heritage, whether stored in a museum or within a region.”
During the first week of the course the participants addressed documentation issues as well as institutional mandates, and explored questions and challenges of intangible heritage. A combination of interactive lectures and practical exercises ensured a balance between theory and practice. A study visit to the Saung Angklung Udyo Centre stimulated discussion on the link between conservation and use through traditional Indonesian musical instruments. A visit to the Stone Garden Geopark Citatah opened new questions for the team along with a visit to a traditional Batik Komar Centre, which took place on 14 February. The second week of the course will explore the relationship between the materiality of heritage and conservation decision-making.
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Member States represented (course participants and resource persons): Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Guatemala, Korea, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand, Tunisia, Viet Nam, United Kingdom.