ICCM - International Committee for the Conservation of Mosaics

THE HISTORY OF ICCM

	Background
	The founding of the International Committee for the Conservation of Mosaics
	Initial Goals of the Committee
	International Conferences
	Achievements

Background
	Despite the fact that individual mosaics formed the object of studies ever since interest in Antiquity began, their scientific study, as an art form with its own particular characteristics, is something relatively new. The AIEMA (Association Internationale pour l’Etude de la Mosaïque Antique), was founded in 1963, and its first Bulletin appeared as recently as 1967. Up until then, it was commonly held that geometric and generally non-figurative mosaics were of little importance and only the best of the figurative mosaics needed to be looked after. This was usually done by lifting them onto concrete slabs and taking them, in the best of cases, to a museum or a store. It was the AIEMA and its activities that first changed this attitude by pointing out the importance of the study of mosaics as a whole, something that put the hitherto neglected non-figural mosaics into relief. But AIEMA’s concern was the study and understanding of mosaics, not their conservation. Thus, although the constant deterioration and loss of mosaics, through lack of conservation and protection, was something apparent to most archaeologists and art historians, little was done to change the situation. In fact, few were alarmed by this phenomenon since it was tacitly assumed that the number of ancient mosaics was practically inexhaustible - an attitude with disastrous effects in the Mediterranean region where mosaics are indeed numerous. It is not surprising then that mosaic conservators were few and worked in isolation, finding solutions to their problems by trial and error, and having no official body from which to seek advice. The situation was aggravated by the fact that no cultural heritage organization included sectors concerned with the safeguard of mosaics, and little was published on the conservation problems facing mosaics and their possible solutions.
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The founding of the International Committee for the Conservation of Mosaics
	The first ever meeting on mosaics conservation took place in Rome in 1977. It was organized by ICCROM at the instigation of a number of scholars, Claude Bassier in particular. Nine specialists were appointed to examine a series of mosaic-related topics, ranging from ethics to techniques and from methods of lifting to methods of in situ conservation. They prepared a paper that was then put forward for discussion by the c. 60 participants, after which it was agreed that the meeting would mark the beginning of a new chapter in mosaic conservation. Thus, a group of 11 individuals decided to form the International Committee for the Conservation of Mosaics and volunteered to act as its first Board. This aimed to be international and did not include just conservators, but also archaeologists and art historians. It consisted of Paolo Mora (Italy), who was nominated chairman, Irina Andreescu (Dumbarton Oaks, Washington), Claude Bassier (France), Mongi Ennaifer (Tunisia), Lawrence Majewski (New York University), William Novis (Great Britain), Maria Luisa Veloccia and Alberto Villa (Italy), and Rolf Wihr (Germany). Henri Lavagne was also appointed as representative of AIEMA, and the then Director of ICCROM, Bernard Feilden, was also appointed ex officio Member of the Board. I CCROM agreed to serve as the Committee's first Secretariat, and it was decided that ICOM, ICOMOS and IIC should be observers. It was also agreed that the Committee would seek co-operation with various international organisations, in an attempt to share information and co-ordinate projects.
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Initial Goals of the Committee
	The publication, in French and English, of the proceedings of the symposium. The collection of suggestions for a future course on the conservation of mosaics with a view to establishing a programme. The establishment of an annual directory of people working on the conservation of mosaics. The recommendation, when a mosaic is going to be detached, that a complete cross section of its bedding foundation be preserved. The encouragement of the documentation of specific cases of destruction, salvage, and restoration. The first of these goals was achieved the following year with the appearance of Mosaics No.1: Deterioration and conservation (Publications).
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International Conferences
	Tunis, Carthage, 1978 The second meeting of the Board took place in 1978 in Tunis and Carthage, at the invitation of the Institut National d’Art et d’Archéologie. The main theme of the meeting dealt with themes in vogue at the time, namely problems of detachment and the advantages of the different supports then available. Périgeux, France, 1980 Two years later, in 1980, the next meeting of the committee was organized at Périgueux, in France. The issues brought up in Tunis, were discussed further and the proceedings of these meetings were published as Mosaics No. 2: Safeguard (Publications). Through this meeting and consequent publication proceedings, the International Committee for the Conservation of Mosaics was, for the first time, taking a stand of its own in the world of conservation, and making evident that a methodology was evolving that was gradually displacing experimentation. This publication also marked an innovation since, apart from the usual English and French editions it also enjoyed one in Arabic, thanks to Tunisian funding. Aquileia, Italy, 1983 The 2nd International Conference of the Committee took place in Aquileia in 1983, and was dedicated entirely to Conservation in situ. It was there that the Committee took its present form. That is, the members of the Board were no more self-appointed but elected by the conference participants. Paolo Mora was re-elected president, and the other members of the Board came from France, Britain, Italy, Spain, Tunisia and Cyprus (Board). ICCROM continued its support of the ICCM by running the Secretariat, editing and distributing the Committee’s Newsletter, already at its 7th issue, and, more importantly, selling the Committee’s publications. The proceedings were published as Mosaics no. 3: Conservation in situ (Publications). Soria, Spain, 1986 In 1986, the 3rd International Conference was organised at Soria, by the Spanish members of the Board. Interestingly, the theme was once again “Conservation in Situ”, and the proceedings were published as Mosaics No. 4: Conservation in situ (Publications). It was at this conference that the first rules for elections were created, and that the Secretariat passed, through Peter Johnson, from ICCROM to the Secretariat of ASPROM (the Association for the Study and Preservation of Roman Mosaics) in Britain. It was at the Soria Conference, too, that two people who played an important role in the future history of the Committee entered the picture officially. The archaeologist Margaret Alexander, who had been involved with the Committee since 1977, was now elected Vice-President to William Novis's President, while Gaël de Guichen, who, through his position at ICCROM, had been instrumental in practically everything that had happened up until then, was co-opted on the Board. Two recommendations were also passed by a vote of all registered participants, which reflect closely the policies that the ICCM maintains to this day, namely the in situ conservation of mosaics, with lifting left as a last resort; the importance of good and proper maintenance of conserved mosaics, the recommendation to scientists, conservators and archaeologists to pursue work for improving the methods of preserving and maintaining mosaics in situ, and, finally, the need for each country to record the data produced by mosaic conservation. Palencia, Spain, 1989 The 4th International Conference of ICCM took place in 1989, once again in Spain, at Palencia. The rules for election to the Board were further refined and a new Board was elected with archaeologist Margaret Alexander as President, and the conservator Roberto Nardi as Vice-President. The proceedings of the conference were published as Mosaics No. 5: Conservation in situ (Publications). Under Margaret Alexander's enlightened leadership, the Committee became an even more established organization. It now ran its own secretariat and began to have a small income since, at Margaret's instigation, members were asked to pay a small fee. Faro and Conimbriga, Portugal, 1992 The 5th international conference of the Committee took place at Faro and Conimbriga in Portugal, in 1992. The proceedings of the conference have been published as Conservation, Protection, Presentation: 5th Conference of the ICCM (Publications). Nicosia, Cyprus, 1996 The Cyprus meeting, with the theme “Mosaics make a Site” took place in 1996 and marked the 6th International Conference of the Committee. Because of the location of the island, the conference attracted, for the first time, a large number of participants from the Near East. Also, because of the provision for simultaneous translation into Greek (through the support of the Getty Conservation Institute), a large number of Greek conservators took part in the conference and associated themselves, also for the first time, with the Committee. Unfortunately, this meeting also marked Margaret Alexander's last association with the Committee. Already very seriously ill, she made a superhuman effort to come to Cyprus, and one hopes that, despite the great pain she was suffering, she enjoyed the love and devotion of everybody around her. A new Board was elected, with archaeologist Demetrios Michaelides as President and Roberto Nardi again as Vice-President, and the conference resulted in three recommendations. These are, in effect, a further calibration of previous recommendations insisting on in situ conservation and on the use of techniques compatible with the nature of ancient materials, which, for the first time, take account of the general public as an important factor, and also touch the question of allocation of financial resources - something that still remains a serious problem in mosaic conservation. The proceedings of the conference have been published as “Mosaics make a site". The conservation in situ of mosaics on Archaeological Sites. Proceedings of the VIth International Conference of the International Committee for the Conservation of Mosaics (Publications). Saint-Romain-en-Gal and Arles, France, 1999 The 7th International Conference was held at Saint-Romain-en-Gal and Arles, through the good efforts of the French members of the Board, Patrick Blanc and Evelyne Chantriaux-Vicard. The theme was “Mosaics. Conserve to Display?” and, apart from the strong emphasis on in situ conservation, the conference also paid attention to the cases where such conservation is impossible. Four recommendations were passed unanimously and a newly elected Board decided to elect Gaël de Guichen Honorary President, since he, more than anybody else, had worked for and given steady support to the ICCM ever since its inception. The proceedings of the conference have been published as “Les mosaïques: conserver pour présenter? Mosaics: Conserve to Display?". Actes de la VIIème conférence du Comité international pour la conservation des mosaïques (Publications). Thessaloniki, Greece, 2002 The 8th International Conference was organized at Thessaloniki in the autumn of 2002, thanks to Greek Board member Charalambos Bakirtzis. The theme was “Wall and Floor Mosaics: Conservation, Maintenance, Presentation”, and, for the first time, conservation issues relating to wall mosaics were brought well into the picture. Another four recommendations/resolutions were unanimously approved at the end of the conference, and a new Board was elected. The proceedings of the conference have been published as: Εντοίχια και Επιδαπέδια Ψηφιδωτά: Συντήρηση, Διατήρηση, Παρουσίαση/ Wall and Floor mosaics: Conservation, Maintenance, Presentation. Hammamet, Tunisia, 2005 The most recent International Conference was held at Hammamet in November 2005, at the invitation of the Tunisian Board member Mme Aicha Ben Abed on behalf of the Institut National du Patrimoine. The conference was organized by ICCM, the Institut National du Patrimoine with the assistance of the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI), and the support of ICCROM and the University of Cyprus. This was the largest conference held so far, with nearly 300 participants from 30 countries. About 47 conservation professionals from the Arab-speaking world as well as Turkey were invited to attend thanks to a generous grant from the Getty Foundation. The theme of the conference was: “Lessons learned: Reflecting on the theory and practice of mosaic conservation”. After almost 30 years since the founding of ICCM, it was thought appropriate to reflect on past experiences and lessons in the field of mosaic conservation and to draw conclusions on what has been accomplished so far; as well as to define the future needs and directions of the field. Two recommendations were approved at the end of the conference and a new Board was elected. The proceedings of the conference will be published in 2007 by the GCI. (For photographs of the conference see Newsletter) Palermo, Sicily, 2008 During the 9th International Conference, Roberto Garufi and Maria Elena Alfano, on behalf of the Prof. Guido Meli, Director of the Centro Regionale per la Progettazione e il Restauro of Sicily, invited the Committee to hold its next international conference in Sicily. (Forthcoming events)
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Achievements
	The International Committee for the Conservation of Mosaics functions on an entirely voluntary basis and without capital for almost three decades. Its Board continues to consist of conservators, archaeologists, art historians and architects, which, it is felt, makes for a better understanding of the problems that mosaic conservation faces. In its 29 years of life, the ICCM can look back at nine International Conferences around Europe and the Mediterranean, and a number of Round Tables. The Proceedings of all the conferences have been published, save those of the most recent one at Hammamet, the preparation of which is well under way; and there are also 11 Newsletters. Most importantly, there is a steadily increasing number of paying members who, at present, represent 30 different countries. The ICCM can also claim to have been instrumental in bringing mosaic conservation (a previously neglected field) to the forefront of conservation matters, as well as in contributing to the vast improvement of the quality of literature produced on the subject. Starting with ancient floor mosaics, the Committee has expanded both chronologically and geographically, and at the more recent conferences there have been papers dealing with medieval, modern, and even New World floor and wall mosaics. Also, one of the first recommendations of the Committee, namely the in situ conservation of mosaics, has now become a more or less the rule in mosaic conservation. The Committee has also played an important role in emphasizing on the one hand the essential role of preventive conservation, and on the other the importance of maintenance in assuring the wellbeing of mosaics.
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