The second online workshop promoting the GEM-JC Project, a sequel to the well-received workshop that took place last December, was held on March 1st. The workshop was streamed live from the same JICA Global Plaza in Ichigaya Tokyo, a facility run by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The success of both workshops could not have been achieved without JICA Global Plaza, as it is a hands-on international exchange facility that introduces the challenges faced in the world, including developing countries, to the younger generation through an easy-to-understand presentation.
The workshop was titled” An Introduction to Egyptology and Archaeology: Conservation and restoration work.” Japanese experts, Dr. Ishii from the Textiles field, Dr. Okada from the Wooden Artifacts field, and Dr. Taniguchi from the Mural Paintings field, introduced the work of conservators in a quiz style. As special guests, Dr. Hussein, GEM-JC Project Manager/General Director of GEM Conservation Center, and Dr. Nishisaka, Deputy Director of the Joint Conservation Project of the Grand Egyptian Museum, also joined the workshop from Egypt.
The following comments were received from the junior and senior high school students who participated in the workshop (Excerpt).
-“It was very inspiring and very educational to hear the lectures from the professors on this rare occasion. Should there be any other related workshops, next time, I would like to see the conservation work on Japanese artifacts.”
-“I thought it was amazing to watch live lectures from Egypt.”
-“The idea of preserving relics was impressive.”
-“It was a lot of fun to hear such valuable stories. I am interested in museums and artworks, so I was happy to learn how to preserve them and the purpose of conservation through this workshop. If there’s a chance, I would like to participate in related events.”
-“What impressed me most was to learn that the process of conservation is not to repair artifacts, but to preform minimum treatment so that it can withstand the exhibition.”
Special thanks to all the professors who helped put together this workshop! It was very easy to follow and a huge success with the junior and senior high school students.
In the future, we hope to host more events, aimed at people of all ages, to promote the project. We look forward to welcoming you again next time!
The five guest speakers for the workshop
Dr. Hussein Kamal
General Director of GEM Conservation Center
GEM-JC Project Manager
Egypt-Arab Republic, Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
Dr. Akiko Nishisaka
Deputy Director of the Joint Conservation Project of the Grand Egyptian Museum
Visiting Professor, Institute of Egyptian Archaeology, Higashi Nippon International University
Japan International Cooperation Center (JICE)
Dr. Yasushi Okada
Technical Chief Advisor and Conservation Expert of Wooden Artifacts
Associate Professor, Institute of Cultural Properties, Teikyo University
Representative Director of Kibunken General Incorporated Association
Dr. Mie Ishii
Conservation Expert of Textiles
Associate Professor, Saga University
Dr. Yoko Taniguchi
Conservation Expert of Mural Paintings
Associate Professor, Tsukuba University