The Interviews of Heritage 2023
Organized by the Ministry of Culture, the Heritage Talks took place on 28, 29 and 30 November 2023 at the musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac and remotely.
The General Directorate of Heritage and Architecture of the Ministry of Culture has revived a tradition dating back to 1988 and interrupted in 2013, by organizing the 28, 29 and 30 November 2023 Heritage Talks, a meeting that gave the opportunity to all the actors in the sector (architects, conservators, restorers, researchers, companies, associations, etc.) to discuss an issue at the heart of their activities. This meeting took place in the presence of the musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac and remotely.
The conservation and restoration of cultural heritage in all fields (material, intangible, digital and natural) have undergone significant changes since the Second World War and the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. In 1964, the Venice Charter, which focused on monumental heritage but many points of which can be applied more broadly to other heritage sectors, sought to formalize its principles in order to constitute a framework of European, if not international level. Other international documents such as the Charter of Florence on the restoration of historic gardens (1982), have since clarified and completed it.
The development and implementation by UNESCO of the 1972 World Heritage Convention, which brings together in one document nature protection and preservation of cultural heritage, supplemented in 1982 by the Budapest declaration calling for better involvement of citizens or «communities» in the preservation of cultural heritage, then the 2003 Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage, which paved the way for new policies for the patrimonialization of social practices and know-how inherited from the past, led to significant global developments.
Today, the double green and digital revolution, with its political, economic and societal consequences, is changing practices.
During these three days, it was proposed, in the light of these developments, to take stock of current conservation and restoration practices and consider any changes that may be necessary. How do they contribute to making tangible and intangible elements inherited from the past resources of the future by giving them a new life? What techniques and materials are used for this purpose? How is heritage preservation and restoration evolving in the face of the present and future effects of climate change? What role for heritage in the ecological transition?
The interventions that punctuated these three days did not claim to cover all of this vast subject but were intended to open the debate and draw perspectives, in the light of concrete examples and feedback, as well as testimony from foreign experts.
They were organised in 4 thematic sessions:
Session 1: What changes in the principles and practices of restoration?
By way of opening and for a historical perspective of the subject, this first session retraces the major stages of the evolution of practices, raises the question of doctrine in a globalized context and evokes the appearance of new actors, new ways of thinking and acting.
Session 2: Restoring: what answers to changing uses?
The conservation, restoration and preservation of a cultural property take on their full meaning only in the light of its value of use for society, of the status, of the role assigned to it in the contemporary space for which, inherited from the past, it was not conceived. It is to ensure a future by maintaining or restoring a purpose.
This use can be very diverse depending on the element (material, immaterial, digital; site, garden, building, object) and its future destination (conservation in situ or in a museum, archives, accessible or inaccessible to the public, adaptation to new uses or rehabilitation to its initial use, etc.).
These data strongly condition the specifications of the operations and the choices made for the interventions, which may go from the only preventive conservation to heavier interventions aimed at the restitution of missing parts, or even the addition of contemporary contributions.
Session 3: Materials, techniques and know-how: evolutionary approaches?
The doctrines and principles of restoration are conditioned on the ground by the nature and the implementation of the materials of the objects on which the interventions relate. Some heritage objects, originally conceived as ephemeral works, are particularly interesting school cases to examine from this point of view. Others are made of non-permanent materials that need to be stabilized or, failing that, substituted, at the risk of betraying the work.
These approaches and the solutions implemented have undergone evolutions that may be specific to certain fields, for example that of textiles, made up of particularly fragile objects.
Session 4: What role for conservation and restoration in the dual ecological and digital transition?
Like all areas, heritage conservation and restoration is being disrupted by the double green and digital revolution. How can the latter be an opportunity for cultural heritage? How can the data produced by the different actors of the heritage -professionals, researchers, citizens- as well as the use of digital imaging be put at the service of interventions today?
The green transition questions the place of heritage in energy and sustainable development policies, particularly from the perspective of restoration. The legislative and regulatory inflation resulting from these policies, as well as the objectives set, raise the question of their compatibility with a good conservation and restoration of cultural heritage. This is especially true for old built heritage as for that of the XXe century.
The threats generated by global warming invite us to rethink approaches and modes of intervention, including the relationship between cultural heritage and nature.
Program
9h – 9h45 INTRODUCTION
SESSION 1 – What changes in the principles and practices of restoration?
Session Chair: Marie-Anne Sire, Heritage Inspector, Historic Monuments College, Inspection, Research and Innovation Delegation, Heritage and Architecture Branch
9h50 - 10h20 «Genesis and evolution of the legal framework: the plurality of normative registers»
Marie Cornu, lawyer and research director at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique, specialist in cultural property law
10h20 - 10h50 «The major stages in the evolution of heritage restoration practices»
Olivier Poisson, Inspector General of Honorary Heritage, Historic Monuments College
10h50 - 11h10 BREAK
11h10 - 11h40 «Evolution of urban and landscape heritage restoration practices, in line with the evolution of legislation»
Pascal Planchet, Professor of Public Law at Université Lumière Lyon II
11h40 - 13h10 ROUND TABLE
«Cross-views on the notion of authenticity in restoration practices»
Moderation: Simon Texier, Secretary General of the Commission du Vieux Paris
Cécile Duvelle consultant, previously head of the intangible cultural heritage section at UNESCO
Riccardo Giordano, chief architect of historical monuments
Toshiyuki Kono, Emeritus Professor of Private International Law at Kyushu University
Adeline Rabaté, Director of Monuments and Collections Conservation, National Monuments Centre
13h10 - 14h30 FREE LUNCH
14h30 - 15h “Application of charters to the African context. Has World Heritage frozen evolutionary monuments?”
Régis Martin, President of the Compagnie des architectes en chef des monuments historiques
15h - 15h40 «From one reform to another: the new place of project owners in the heritage chain»
Anne Embs, Head of the Regional Conservation of Historic Monuments of the DRAC Centre-Val de Loire
Albéric de Montgolfier Senator of Eure-et-Loir and Vice-President of the Senate Finance Committee
15h40 - 16h BREAK
SESSION 2 – Restoring: what answers to changing uses?
Session chair: Catherine Chevillot, director of the Cité de l'architecture & du patrimoine
16h15 – 16h45 “What state of reference? The ballroom in Fontainebleau”
Vincent Cochet, Chief Heritage Curator, Château de Fontainebleau
16h45 - 18h15 ROUND TABLE
“Movable objects that serve, play, float or navigate… Conservation and restoration against use”
Moderation: Judith Kagan, General Curator of Heritage, Head of the Office of Expertise and Trades, Sub-Directorate of Historic Monuments and Heritage Sites, Heritage Department, Directorate-General of Heritage and Architecture
Manuel Lalanne, Heritage Curator, DRAC Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Hélène Lebédel-Carbonnel, Heritage Inspector, Historic Monuments College, Inspection, Research and Innovation Delegation, Heritage and Architecture Branch
Christian Lutz, organologist expert, organ consultant for Historic Monuments
Åsa Tillman, Technical Manager of the Drottningholm Castle Theatre
9h – 10h30 ROUND TABLE
«The restoration of monuments according to their uses»
Moderation: Pascal Mignerey, Head of the Delegation for Inspection, Research and Innovation, Directorate-General for Heritage and Architecture
Anne-Laure Garaïos, Scientific Director of the Museum of Decorative Arts of the Indian Ocean
Séverine Lepape, director of the Musée de Cluny - National Museum of the Middle Ages
Sophie Masse architect of the buildings of France, head of the departmental unit of architecture and heritage of Seine-Saint-Denis
Didier Repellin, Inspector General of Honorary Historic Monuments, Chief Architect of Honorary Historical Monuments
10h30 – 10h45 BREAK
10h45 – 11h25 “Should we return to ensure the readability and conservation of an archaeological site? The Mercure temple at the Puys de Dôme and the El Born district in Barcelona, two public presentation parties»
Jean-Olivier Guilhot, Heritage Inspector, Archaeology College, Inspection, Research and Innovation Delegation, Heritage and Architecture Branch
Marc Aureli Santos Ruiz architect and director of the department of urban architecture and heritage of the city of Barcelona
SESSION 3 – Materials, techniques and know-how: evolving approaches?
Chair: Michel Goutal, Chief Architect of Historic Monuments
11h35 – 13h15 ROUND TABLE
"Tradition, innovation, sustainable development: what materials and techniques for the conservation and restoration of cultural goods tomorrow?"
Moderation: Isabelle Pallot-Frossard, General Curator of Heritage, President of the Fondation des Sciences du Patrimoine
Yveline Huguet, conservator of ethnography and natural history collections, consultant in preventive conservation
Éleonore Kissel, curator-restorer, in charge of the Conservation-Restoration pole at the musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac
Olivier Morel, art restorer, metal specialty
Bertrand Sainte-Marthe, conservator-restorer, in charge of the restoration, binding and gilding workshop at the National Archives
Klaas Jan van den Berg, Chief Scientist at the Netherlands Agency for Cultural Heritage and Professor at the University of Amsterdam, specializing in the science of conservation and restoration of paintings
13:15 – 14:30 FREE LUNCH
14h30 - 15h «The challenges of concrete restoration»
Elisabeth Marie-Victoire, Research Engineer, Head of Concrete at the Historical Monuments Research Laboratory
15h - 15h30 «The evolution of textile conservation and restoration practices»
Patricia dal-Prà, conservator-restorer, in charge of the Textile Arts teaching workshop in the Department of Restorers, National Heritage Institute
15h30 – 15h45 BREAK
15h45 – 17h15 ROUND TABLE
“Preservation of cultural property that is ephemeral or subject to technical obsolescence”
Moderation: Gilles Barabant, Head of Contemporary Art at the Restoration Department, Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France
Cécile Dazord, Heritage Curator, in charge of conservation issues specific to contemporary art at the C2RMF Research Department from 2012 to 2019
Lucile Dessennes, conservator of graphic documents, Bibliothèque nationale de France
Pierre-Antoine Gatier, chief architect of historical monuments, inspector general of historical monuments
Isabelle Scappazzoni, restorer of books and graphic documents at the National Archives, technical expert at the National Federation of Experts in Art
17h15 - 17h45 «Community participation in heritage restoration: the Museum of the Compagnonnage»
Virginie Tostain, director of the Compagnonnage museum
17h45 - 18h15 «Towards the patrimonialization of practices and know-how in conservation-restoration?»
Isabelle Chave, Deputy Director of Historic Monuments and Heritage Sites, Heritage Department, Heritage and Architecture Branch
9am
SESSION 4 – What role for conservation and restoration in the dual ecological and digital transition?
Session chair: Christophe Amsler, architect, Lausanne
9h20 – 9h50 “Reflections on the conservation of heritage gardens in the face of climate change and biodiversity loss”
Jean-Michel Sainsard, Park and Garden Expertise Officer, Office of Expertise and Trades, Sub-Directorate of Historical Monuments and Heritage Sites, Heritage Department, General Directorate of Heritage and Architecture
9h50 – 10h30 “Coastal heritage in the face of the evolution of the coastline: reflections, experiments and prospects”
Virginie Serna, Chief Curator, Cultural Heritage General Inventory Mission, Heritage Department, Heritage and Architecture Branch
10h30 – 10h45 BREAK
10h45 – 12h15 ROUND TABLE
«Living in a finite world: impact and opportunities of the ecological transition on the development of the living environment»
Moderation: Emmanuel Nebout, State Council Architect
Anna Chavepayre, architect, associate co-founder of the Encore collective
Fabienne Couvert, Deputy Director of Architecture, AREP agency
Maël de Quelen, chief architect of historical monuments
Gabriel Turquet de Beauregard, architect of the buildings of France, head of the departmental unit of architecture and heritage of Maine et Loire
12h15 – 12h50 “Contemporary issues of ecological and digital transitions in the service of restoration”
Ann Bourgès, Research Engineer, Deputy Head of the Objet Group, Research Department, Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France
Geneviève Pinçon, Head of the National Policy Office of Ornate Caves and Rock Art Sites, National Prehistory Centre
12h50 – 14h FREE LUNCH
14h – 14h30 “Between dust and pixel: preserve and digitize at the National Archives »
Ludivine Leroy-Banti, restorer of graphic documents at the National Archives
14h30 – 16h ROUND TABLE
“Mobilizing research data: Notre-Dame, a "monumental" information system”
Moderation: Pascal Liévaux, Head of the Department of Research, Valorisation and Intangible Cultural Heritage, Delegation for Inspection, Research and Innovation, Directorate-General for Heritage and Architecture
Philippe Dillmann, Research Director at the Research Institute on Archeomaterials, Head of the Archeomaterials Laboratory and Prediction of Alteration at CEA Paris-Saclay
Rémi Fromont, Chief Architect of Historic Monuments
Livio de Luca, Research Director at the National Centre for Scientific Research, Director of the UMR CNRS/MCC MAP (Models and simulations for Architecture and Heritage)
Aline Magnien, Heritage Curator, former Director of the Historical Monuments Research Laboratory
16h – 16h15 BREAK
16h15 – 17h45 ROUND TABLE
«Changing our view on restoration: renaturating culture, retreating nature»
Moderation: Vania Virgili, Director of Technological Research, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Scienze del Patrimonio Culturale
Marie-Jeanne Jouveau, architect and heritage planner, Capla agency
Roch Payet, consultant in preventive conservation
Bruno Phalip, Honorary Professor, Clermont Auvergne University
Heather Viles, Professor of Biogeomorphology and Heritage Conservation, School of Geography and the Environment, Oxford University.
17h45 – 18h CONCLUSION
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