Collaborations

Within the framework of projet PRIM'ART several collaborations were undertaken to exchange knowledge with experts; increase collaboration and long term partnerships between private and public Institutions in the region and to promote innovation approaches for worldwide dissemination of historical and scientific data.

April 2015 (19-26): collaboration with Lucia Pereira, Beatriz Prieto and Benita Maria Silva Hermo, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Santiago de Compostela.

The main goal was to complement the analysis carried out by Lucia Pereira in her Doctoral thesis in two 16th-17th c. mural paintings from the churches of Nogueira del Mino and Ferreira de Pantón in Ribeira Sacra, Galiza.

The work has comprised technical photography in the visible spectral electromagnetic range (mosaic and panorama of all surface; details and Vis-raking light photography); in the ultraviolet (UVR and UVF) and in near infrared (NIR) and optical microscopy of pigments and others paint layers details. Additionally, sampling was collected in Ferreira de Pantón for a in-depth analysis of the paint layers. The obtain data will allow to establishing correlations between the Spanish and the Portuguese mural paintings studied within the framework of project PRIM'ART.

This collaboration resulted in an oral communication at the international conference COLOURS2015 and a paper entitled 'Multi-analytical approach to the material characterisation of 16th century wall paintings from Ribeira Sacra , Galicia, NW Spain): pictorial palette, technique and alterations' Colour Research and Application (DOI: 10.1002/col.22029).

October 2014 (11-18 October): collaboration with Antonino Cosentino, a physicist expert in imaging techniques applied to cultural heritage (http://chsopensource.org/).

The aim was to deepen and exchange knowledge on imaging techniques applied to cultural heritage, in the specific case of mural painting. A set of mural paintings of the church of Aci San Antonio, rediscovered in 2012 during maintenance works, was selected as a case study. The paintings are assigned to a pupil of Pietro Paolo Vasta that despite of being one of the biggest   Sicilian painters of the eighteenth century; his work is almost unknown from a scientific point of view. The paintings need a restoration intervention and this collaboration was crucial to improve the knowledge on technical issues and material characterization to establish a previous diagnostic to its treatment.

Accomplished work: In situ technical photography in Vis (mosaic and panorama), Vis-raking light photography; Infrared (IR) IR-raking light and Ultraviolet-induced visible fluorescence photography (UVF). In addition to this study, 7 fragments collected in the ground near the paintings were brought to Portugal for further characterization of the mortar and chromatic layers constituent materials.
This collaboration gave rise to:

a small promotional clip of the work done in situ and at the laboratory on the seven fragments of mural paintings collected near the paintings (https://youtu.be/ww8UWboBxgg);
an oral presentation of the work results for the local community (http://chsopensource.org/2015 /05/04/conference-the-discovered-wall-paintings-in-sicily/);
a publication entitled 'Technical Photography for mural paintings: the newly discovered frescoes in Aci Sant'Antonio (Sicily, Italy)', Conservar Património 20, 23-33 (http://revista.arp.org.pt/pdf/2015001.pdf);
a poster communication at the international conference TECHNART2015.

January and March 2015: collaborations with the colleague Ricardo Cabral from Hercules laboratory, QM0 and with Cromeleque, Lda (Innovative companies working in the field of promotion and recording of cultural heritage) to test the potential of panoramic photography and photogrammetry in different architectural situations. The results can be temporarily access at VIRTUAL VISITS.

January to June 2014: Collaborations with the main goal of developing guidelines for future conservation and restoration treatments of paintings sets P10 and P15 were establish with
a)  the Holy Spirit Major Seminary College through Architecture Bureau of the Archdiocese of Évora (GAPAE) conducting a preliminary report based on the diagnosis carried out (pdf)
b) the Holy House of Mercy and with the Town hall of Vila Viçosa. Based on the studied results it was prepared a report, which was integrated into the application for property (pdf) classification

December 2013 to March 2014: Collaboration with the Consorcium Nova Conservação, Lda for the scientific support of the conservations works held in 2014 at the central drum of Charola do Convento de Cristo em Tomar (pdf)

Others Collaborations were held with projects from HERCULES Laboratory for teaching science through Art during 2013 to 2015:
Projeto Escolher Ciência-PEC91-DESCARTES- Descobrir as Ciências pela Arqueologia e as Artes; http://projetodescartes2013.blogspot.pt/
INICI(AR)3 : Iniciação à investigação científica aplicada ás Artes, Arqueologia e Arquitectura http://iniciar3.blogspot.pt/p/divulgacao.html

Finally, Project PRIM'ART has benefit from sporadic collaboration of graduate students and specialists from Hercules Laboratory:
Ana Margarida Cardoso, for µ-FT-IR analysis;
Cátia Relvas and Luis Dias, for SEM-EDS analysis;
Catarina Miguel, for µ-Raman analysis (P22);
José Mirão and Mafalda Costa, for XRD analysis of mortars;
Margarida Padeira Nunes, for in situ analysis and µ-Raman;
Massimo Beltrame, for mortars thin sections;
Sergio Martins and Silvânia Afonso, for organic material analysis;
Tania Rosado, for biochemical assessment.