Southeast Asia Focus: Local Innovation in Conservation Materials & Practice

DateWednesday, 21 August 2024Time1:00pm – 2:30pm
Venue–LocationOnline

Focusing on innovations in conservation materials, research and practice in Southeast Asia, this webinar invited conservators and cultural practitioners across Southeast Asia, including Assoc Prof Maria Bernardita Maronilla-Reyes, Musrizal Mat Isa, and Mohamad Habibi to share their experiences working in conservation.

It focused on regional conservation solutions related to material research and availability, climates, and cultural knowledge, and considers similarities and differences between approaches. In the tropics, how can regional approaches be shared to inform collection care and communities of practice, and what can we learn from each other?

This event is part of the webinar series Museums and Collections for All: Collection Care and Conservation in Indonesia. It is hosted by The Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation & School of Culture and Communication, Faculty of Arts & the Indonesian Heritage Agency.

This webinar was chaired by A.Prof. Nicole Tse, Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation, and Dr Wulan Dirgantoro, Co-Convenor of the Indonesia Forum and Lecturer in Contemporary Art at the School of Culture and Communication.

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Speaker profiles

Assoc Prof Nicole Tse
Associate Professor, Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation, The University of Melbourne

A.Prof. Nicole Tse is an academic from the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation, The University of Melbourne. Through research, teaching and learning, I focus on sustaining the cultural record and managing change in the Asia Pacific region. It draws on the four agent(cies) of conservation: Objects, People, Place and Time, and asks what can be learnt from challenge led materials conservation examples from the global south, and how conservation actions have attended to their own characteristics of place and encouraged adaptive thinking. My approach is inclusive, inter-cultural, and collection focussed that utilises the scientific method to develop regionally relevant conservation actions. Much of this work takes place under the auspices of APTCCARN (Asia Pacific Tropical Climate Conservation Art Research Network).

Assoc Prof Maria Bernardita Maronilla-Reyes
Associate Professor Maria Bernardita Maronilla-Reyes, University of Santo Tomas (UST), Manila

Maria Bernardita Maronilla-Reyes, or ‘Maita’ is a Chemist Conservator of Paintings, Paper and Stone-built Heritage and Associate Professor at University of Santo Tomas (UST) Manila. She studied Chemistry, Geology, Museology and specialization courses at ICCROM. She is presently Consultant at the

Maria Bernardita Maronilla-Reyes, or ‘Maita’ is a Chemist Conservator of Paintings, Paper and Stone-built Heritage and Associate Professor at University of Santo Tomas (UST) Manila. She studied Chemistry, Geology, Museology and specialization courses at ICCROM. She is presently Consultant at the Conservation Labs of UST and Lopez Museum and the Diocese of Pasig for stone churches. She is the founding President of the Philippine Association for Scientific Conservation. Published articles include, “The Beginnings and Development of Conservation in the Philippines” (Lumina Pandit, UST, 2015), and “Severe Termite Infestation: Conservation of the EDSA Shrine Oil Mural Painting on Canvas” (AICCM Bulletin, Vol 43, 2022).

Musrizal Mat Isa
MMI Conservation Art Services Sdn. Bhd, Kuala Lumpur

Musrizal Mat Isa was a former Senior Curator for Collection and Conservation Division at National Arts Gallery Malaysia, he served for 20 years. Contributed his knowledge in conservation works while he was with National Art Gallery and involved in various conservation works throughout Malaysia. At the moment his and team is establishing an Art Hospital at National Art Gallery. After retired from his service with National Art Gallery, he opened up a private conservation studio of which the same is called MMI Conservation Art Services Sdn. Bhd.

Mohamad Habibi
Borobudur Conservation Office

Mohamad Habibi is a Conservation Scientist at the Borobudur Conservation Office, now Indonesian Heritage Agency, part of the Directorate General of Culture, Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, Indonesia. He holds a B.Sc. in Biology from Universitas Negeri Malang-Indonesia and a Master of Science in Cultural Heritage Conservation Science from Kongju National University, South Korea. His research focuses on the Non-destructive Diagnosis and Deterioration Analysis of Heritage Sites. Mohamad Habibi has extensive experience heritage conservation, biotechnology, and developing natural products for heritage conservation. Furthermore, He has published numerous articles and participated in various international workshops and conferences on cultural heritage conservation.