images: Alamy, ESA, Moderna Museet, NASA, Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wikimedia Commons
September 4, 2024
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On September 4, 2024, in Vilnius, Lithuania, the European Green Capital 2025, MOXY will host a major event at the National Gallery of Art of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art. Researchers, expert conservators, innovators, and policy-makers from Horizon Europe projects GoGreen, GreenArt, and MOXY, united in the Green Cultural Heritage (CH) Cluster, will gather to discuss green, sustainable, and contactless approaches to cleaning sensitive works of art and other cultural heritage in the times of climate change. This is a unique one-day opportunity to delve into the latest advancements in our field, as the Green CH Cluster includes researchers from 53 organizations of excellence – universities, research organizations, museums, conservation centers, and non-governmental organizations representing extraordinary expertise in CH science, conservation, physics, chemistry, sustainability science, and related fields.
The Vilnius symposium will provide an exciting, focused forum to share and demonstrate future approaches and new materials for cleaning sensitive works of art, discussed in the keynote lectures by distinguished experts conservation scientists Dr. Bronwyn Ormsby (Tate, London) and Prof. Piero Baglioni (University of Florence, CSGI), experts, and emerging researchers, providing insights into in the following areas:
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Definition of green materials and approaches in conservation
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Challenges cleaning sensitive surfaces and assessment of cleaning effects
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Non-contact cleaning using plasma-generated atomic oxygen
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Innovation in physical and chemical gels
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Novel electrospun tissue for the cleaning of paintings
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New bio-originated cleaning formulations for metals (copper, ion, and silver)
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Life Cycle Assessment LCA of cleaning methods and materials
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Other topics related to green and sustainable materials and methods
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The meeting will include practical demonstrations of several new cleaning materials and treated samples to kick-start discussions. Posters by Green Cluster CH PhD researchers from Ghent University, University of Amsterdam, Antwerp University, University of Pisa, and other research groups will provide insights into ongoing research. A Green Cluster CH expert panel discussion will close the forum, followed by a social event where participants may promote and foster concrete future collaborations. This is a unique opportunity to see and learn about the latest innovations in our field. Please find the full program bellow.
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About Vilnius: Immersed in nature, rich history, and dynamic lifestyle, Vilnius offers an exciting cultural experience where modern-day technologies align with eco-conscious living, for which Vilnius was elected the European Green Capital 2025. The Vilnius Historical Centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed in 1994) with an impressive complex of Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical buildings, as well as a medieval urban layout and natural setting.
Venue: National Gallery of Art, Vilnius, Lithuania
Date: September 4, 2024
Information: info@moxyproject.eu
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Registration: We are pleased to announce that the symposium is free of charge to all participants. Register now for in-person attendance, as space is limited. Alternatively, you can opt for the convenience of online participation.
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Organizers and partnerships: Research Unit for Plasma Technologies RUPT at Ghent University, ICOMOS Lithuania, and Green CH Cluster composed of GreenArt, GoGreen, and MOXY projects, in partnership with the Research Council of Lithuania, the National Contact Points (NCPs), National Gallery of Art of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art, and Association of Lithuanian Conservators-Restorers.
Image: LNMA National Gallery of Art, Vilnius
Vilnius 2024 Symposium Program
September 4, 2024
Sept 4 8.45 - 17.50
7:45 - 8:45 Registration & morning coffee
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8:45 - 8:55 Welcome and opening of the Vilnius 2024 Symposium. Arūnas Gelūnas (Director General of the National Museums Lithuania and National Gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania)
8:55 - 9:05 Cultural Heritage and Sustainability. Ana Maria Stan (European Commission’s Policy Officer for Culture, the European Commission, Brussels, Belgium)
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9:05 - 9:15 From Green Approaches to Green Cluster – Philosophical Aspects of Green Cultural Heritage Science and Sustainability in Conservation. Introduction to European Green Cluster for Science and Research in Conservation. Nina Olsson (Senior Researcher at ICOMOS Lithuania), MOXY
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9:15 - 9:40 Green gels and complex fluids for the cleaning of works of art. Prof. Piero Baglioni (University of Florence, Italy), GreenArt
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9:40 – 9:50 Discussion with Piero Baglioni
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9:50 - 10:15 Reflections, successes, and challenges in cleaning science research into practice at Tate. Bronwyn Ormsby (Senior Scientist, Tate London, United Kingdom), GreenArt
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10:15 – 10:25 Discussion with Bronwyn Ormsby
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10:25 – 10:55 Coffee break
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10:55 - 11:10 New bio-originated cleaning formulations for metals. Edith Joseph, Qing Wu. (Haute Ecole Arc Conservation-restauration, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, Neuchâtel, Switzerland), GoGreen
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11:10 – 11:15 Discussion with Edith Joseph
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11:15 - 11:30 Nonwoven electrospun mats and green solvents: progress in their development as new artwork restoration systems. Francesca Ramacciotti, Giorgia Sciutto (Department of Chemistry “G. Ciamician”, Microchemistry and Microscopy Art Diagnostic Laboratory (M2ADL), University of Bologna, Ravenna, Italy), Arianna Menichetti (Department of Chemistry “G. Ciamician”, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy), Burcu Keser (M2ADL, University of Bologna, Ravenna, Italy), Maria Letizia Focarete, Rocco Mazzeo (M2ADL, University of Bologna, Ravenna, Italy), Marco Montalti, Chiara Gualandi (Department of Chemistry “G. Ciamician”, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy), Silvia Prati (M2ADL, University of Bologna, Ravenna, Italy), GoGreen
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11:30 – 11:35 Discussion with Francesca Ramaciotti
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11:35 - 11:50 Atomic oxygen plasma source as a new tool for cultural heritage 1Michalis Poupouzas, 1Ana Sobota (Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands), Anton Nikiforov (Research Unit for Plasma Technologies, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium), MOXY
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11:50 – 11:55 Discussion with Michalis Poupouzas
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11:55 - 12:10 Cleaning soot-contaminated silk using plasma-generated atomic oxygen: first results on undyed mock-ups. Nan Yang, Marta Cremonesi, Geert van der Snickt (University of Antwerp), Anton Nikiforov (Ghent University), MOXY
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12:10 – 12:15 Discussion with Nan Yang
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12:15 – 13:15 Lunch
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13:15 - 13:30 Soiling models and making paint mock-ups for cleaning studies. Theoretical and practical aspects. Catarina Pires , Klaas Jan van den Berg (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands), MOXY
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13:30 – 13:35 Discussion with Catarina Pires
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13:35 - 13:50 Effects of atomic oxygen on cultural heritage materials - methodological approaches and challenges. Kirill Shumikhin, Cecilia Campi, Ilaria Bonaduce, Ilaria Degano, Jacopo La Nasa (University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy), Klaas Jan van den Berg (University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands), MOXY
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13:50 – 13:55 Discussion with Kirill Shumikhin and Cecilia Campi
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13:55 - 14:10 Collecting the requirements and identifying the technology gap: atomic oxygen technology elicitation based on the interviews with expert conservators. Ilaria Bonaduce, Silvia Pizzimenti (University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy), Nina Olsson, Tomas Markevicius ( ICOMOS Lithuania, Vilnius, Lithuania), MOXY
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14:10 – 14:20 Discussion with Ilaria Bonaduce
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14:20 - 14:35 Tailoring Atomic Oxygen Species for Non-Contact Cleaning in Green Cultural Heritage Conservation. Tomas Markevicius, Anton Nikiforov, Rino Morent (Research Unit for Plasma Technologies, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium), Klaas Jan van den Berg (University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands), Marta Cremonesi, Nan Yang (University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium), Yijia Song (Research Unit for Plasma Technologies, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium), Ana Sobota, Michail Poupouzas (Technical University Eindhoven, Eindhoven, the Netherlands), Ilaria Bonaduce, Jacopo La Nasa (University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy), Nina Olsson (ICOMOS Lietuva, Vilnius, Lithuania), Kirill Shumikhin (University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy), Catarina Pires (University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands), Cecilia Campi (University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy), Geert Van der Snickt (University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium), Gianluca Pastorelli, Sofie Wikkelsø Jensen (National Gallery of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark), Michaela Florescu, Alison Norton, Josephine Bobeck ( Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden), Dieuwertje Schrijvers (WeLoop, Lambersart, France), Pascal Van Der Voort (Research Unit for Plasma Technologies, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium), Eivydas Trioška, Simas Šakirzanovas, Mindaugas Viliunas (KPV, Vilnius, Lithuania), MOXY
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14:35 – 14:40 Discussion with Tomas Markevicius
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14:40 - 14:55 Is atomic oxygen the “greenest” choice? Results of a Comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Dieuwertje Schrijvers, Anastasiya Valakhanovich, Kim Luu, Naeem Adibi (WeLOOP, Lambersart, France), Marta Cremonesi (University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium), Catarina Pires (University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands), Nan Yang (University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium), Klaas Jan Van den Berg (University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands), Ilaria Bonaduce (University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy), Nina Olsson (ICOMOS Lietuva, Vilnius, Lithuania), Geert Van der Snickt (Technical University Eindhoven, Eindhoven, the Netherlands), Ana Sobota (Research Unit for Plasma Technologies, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium), Tomas Markevicius, Anton Nikiforov (Research Unit for Plasma Technologies, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium), MOXY
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14:55 – 15:00 Discussion with Dieuwertje Schrijvers
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15:00 – 16:00 Demonstration of new materials, testing results, and posters by MOXY, GreenArt, and GoGreen
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16:00 – 16:30 Coffee break
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16:30 - 17:30 Green Cluster for Science and Conservation Research Round table – Expert panel discussion moderated by Klaas Jan van den Berg
The group of art conservation experts will discuss the framework concepts, policies, and practical aspects that are critical for the transformation of current conservation practices with greener methodologies and the role of conservation and science research in achieving a sustainable approach to preserving our cultural heritage environment.
17:30 - 17:50 Closing remarks by Klaas Jan van den Berg (University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands), MOXY
18:00 – 19:30 Social event with refreshments at the National Gallery hallway and terrace (weather permitting), and an opportunity for participants to visit the collection of the National Gallery, featuring Lithuanian and international 20th century and contemporary art.