Scientific and practical courses on the preservation of photographic collections

From February 17 to 21 this year, the next Armenian-French scientific and practical (scientific-practical) courses on the preservation of photographic collections were held. The courses were conducted by Constance Dubal (French National Heritage Institute), François Ploua (French National Heritage Institute), photography trainer-restorers, and Nina Murash (restorer).
The location of the courses was the Research Centre of Historical and Cultural Heritage and the National Gallery of Armenia.
There were 15 participants: fund keepers, restorers, conservators from the Scientific Research Centre of Historical and Cultural Heritage, the History Museum of Armenia, the National Gallery of Armenia, the Mashtots Matenadaran, the Sardarapat Museum, the Komitas Museum-Institute, etc.
The aim of the courses was:
. to acquire fundamental knowledge that will enable the application of measures to preserve photographic collections of Armenian heritage;
. master the basic typology of photographs: understand the historical development of photographic techniques;
. be able to identify old and modern photographic materials and assess their fragility;
. understand the basic mechanisms of photo distortion (chemical, mechanical, biological) and be able to identify and characterize/inventory distortions;
. master the basic knowledge of preventive photo preservation.
During the courses, the participants studied several exhibits from the photography collection of the National Gallery of Armenia and visited exhibition halls.