19 February

• Treaty of Waitangi: a living document
  “This year marked the 170th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi: the hope is that New Zealanders continue to consider the Treaty as a living document,” says NZ National Commission for UNESCO chairman, Bryan Gould. “New Zealanders should continue to learn about the Treaty and what it means for our country and future.” Last year the commission launched a Treaty of Waitangi web resource that has been a popular resource for New Zealanders. The commission’s Social Science sub commission works closely with the Human Rights Commission to explore and document connections between international human rights agendas and issues raised by the Treaty – including the relevance of the Treaty for people of different ethnicities – in Aotearoa New Zealand.
  More information: http://www.unesco.org.nz/index.php/priority-areas-/inclusivity-and-diversity/treaty-of-waitangi-web-resource

18 February

• World Monuments Fund - Sustainable Tourism
  Recognizing both the benefits and the pressures of tourism on cultural heritage sites around the world, the World Monuments Fund and American Express are partnering on a global initiative focused on sustainable tourism. Unmanaged tourism can damage heritage sites, and high-profile sites often suffer the most. Managing the numbers of tourists and traffic flow is an essential component of sustainable tourism.
  More information: http://www.wmf.org/field/special-initiatives

• World Monuments Fund - Modernism
  World Monuments Fund has worked for decades to save endangered architectural and cultural sites around the globe, from the earliest settlements to 20th-century architecture. In recent years, we have increasingly noted that modern buildings face the same physical threats as ancient structures, despite a mistaken view that modern materials are less fragile than those used in earlier times. In addition, 20th-century architecture often suffers from a lack of understanding of its historical significance.
  More information: http://www.wmf.org/field/special-initiatives

• World Monuments Fund - Jewish Heritage Program
  WMF’s Jewish Heritage Program (JHP) was launched in 1988 to draw attention to Jewish cultural heritage under threat as a result of the Jewish Diaspora and the inability of smaller communities to care for their sacred and secular sites. In the program’s earliest years, WMF focused its attention on documentation to determine what remained of synagogues, cemeteries, and other buildings erected by the Jewish communities of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. WMF also funded symposia, lectures, and photographic surveys and exhibitions that helped the public understand the serious threats to an important chapter of architectural history.
  More information: http://www.wmf.org/field/special-initiatives

• World Monuments Fund - European Fine Interiors
  The European Fine Interiors Program, managed by WMF Europe, addresses threats faced by significant but neglected architectural interiors. Complex issues often arise because of the many different and occasionally exotic materials that were utilized, making these interiors frequently unique examples of artistic expression. The Program assists in the conservation of these architectural interiors, but importantly also brings them back to public attention and appreciation. Documentation and technical analysis is thorough, and when possible, opportunities for training in traditional crafts and preservation arts with European institutional and philanthropic partners are incorporated int o the project. Recent completed projects include the Salon de Musique in the Biblioteque de l’Arsenal iin Paris and the Grande Singerie in the Chateau de Chantilly. Current projects include the Royal Palace in Venice, the Sala Terrena in the Belvedere Palace in Venice, and Castle Hartenfels in Germany.
  More information: http://www.wmf.org/field/special-initiatives

• World Monuments Fund - Climate Change
  Around the world, climate change and the degradation of Earth’s fragile ecosystems due to human activity are beginning to seriously affect cultural heritage sites. Rising sea levels, mutable rainfall patterns, increases in storm severity, and drought have had a impact. WMF is dedicated not only to protecting historic sites, but also to using traditional methods suited to the local environment, strengthening community participation in protecting cultural resources, encouraging green building materials, and promoting sustainable tourism.
  More information: http://www.wmf.org/field/special-initiatives

• World Monuments Fund - Iraq's Cultural Heritage
  Ten thousand years ago, the foundations of civilization emerged in what was then Mesopotamia and is now Iraq. Densely dotting the landscape, archaeological and historical sites there chronicle human history, including many of its greatest cultural achievements. However, decades of political isolation, a protracted war with Iran, and the current conflict have put this heritage at risk. Today, sites such as the Assyrian capital of Nineveh, the ziggurat at Ur, the temple precinct at Babylon, and a spiral minaret at Samarra have been scarred by violence, while other equally important ancient sites are being ravaged by looters...
  More information: http://www.wmf.org/field/special-initiatives

• Re-Development of the southern terrace of Amman Citadel (Jordan)
  Redevelopment of the Southern Terrace of Jabal al-Qal’a, designed by Dina Hadi, Mousa Shahin, and Hazim Samawi and supervised by Leen Fakhoury from the School of Architecture, University of Jordan recieved the award of The Omrania | CSBE Student Award for Excellence in Architectural Design.
  More information: http://www.archdaily.com/50122/re-development-of-the-southern-terrace-of-amman-citadel/

17 February

• Brussel-Capital Region gives a planning permission for the restoration and renovation of the Palace in Brussels (Belgium)
  Built by the architect Paul Hamesse in 1913, the cinematographic theatre "Pathé Palace" was an avant-garde place as brasserie, concert hall and cinema altogether. The plans of this masterpiece of Paul Hankar's student included a brasserie, a restaurant, concert hall, cinema and even a winter garden to fully express the geometrical Art nouveau of the time. Closed in the 70 with the decline of cinema, the building has been reallocated several times without success in the 2000 years before being bought by the French Community who now wishes to have it renovated into a cinema-bar-exhibition place. The opening of the new palace should take place in 2012.
  More information: http://www.bruxelles.irisnet.be/

• Apollo cinema endangered in Tbilisi (Georgia)
  The most significant monuments of Georgian Art Nouveau are movie theatres. The arrival and then spreading of Art Nouveau architecture and cinema took place simultaneously and the coincidental success of these two innovations has been very important in Georgia. A good example of this is cinema “Apollo”, an Art Nouveau movie theatre built in 1909. Today it is in serious technical condition and is not functioning anymore. The movie theatre “Palace”, built in Tbilisi in 1914, is not operational today either. In the middle of the 20th century, Art Nouveau style movie theatres “Mon Plaisir” in Kutaisi and “Apollo” in Batumi were destroyed, therefore in Georgia the cinema "Apollo" is the only Art nouveau movie theatre preserved in its original form. Apollo would now need to be properly restorated to become a movie theatre again.
  More information: http://www.artnouveau-net.eu/get_page.asp?stran=5&jezik=GB

• Special session “Heritage and Development: Diversity as an alternative”, in the framework of the Africités V. Summit Marrakesh (Morocco) 2009
  It took place according to the following schedule: it was presented by Sr. Jean-Pierre Elong M’Bassi General Secretary of CGLUA, and the two roundtables were chaired by Alain Godonou, former Director of the Division of Cultural Objects and Intangible Heritage, and Lazare Eloundou, chief of Unit Africa at the World Heritage Centre. Participants made a great effort of synthesis and answered, always from their experience, to the questions posed on the concept. Around seventy participants attended the session, among which there were several majors.
  More information in French: http://whc.unesco.org/fr/activites/596

• Second thematic meeting of experts on the agro-pastoral cultural landscapes in the Mediterranean
  12 - 14 November 2009. Tirana, Albania
  Organizers: within the framework of the France-UNESCO cooperation agreement by the Tirana European University, the Mountain Areas Development Agency (MADA), the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Montpellier/International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (IAMM/CIHEAM) with the support of the National Commission of Albania, the UNESCO's World Heritage Centre, the French ministry of Sustainable Development and the ministry of Culture
  Contact: mn.tournoux@unesco.org
  More information: https://resopasto.iamm.fr/media/actualites/programme.pdf

16 February

• Safeguarding the Haiti's Culture
  Marie-Laurence Jocelyn Lassègue, Haiti’s Minister of Culture and Communication, will chair a Preparatory Meeting for the Establishment of an International Coordination Committee (ICC) for Haitian culture at UNESCO Headquarters on Tuesday, 16 February. Irina Bokova, the Director-General of UNESCO, will open the meeting, which will be co-chaired by Françoise Rivière, the Organization’s Assistant Director-General for Culture. Participants - Haitian and international experts in cultural heritage preservation as well as potential donors - will take stock of the damage sustained by Haiti’s culture in the earthquake of 12 January. They will focus on tangible and intangible (living traditions and expressions) heritage, museums, archives and libraries, as well as creative industries.
  More information: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/haitian_culture_minister_visits_unesco_to_mobilize_
  international_community_support_in_safeguarding_t/back/9597/

• Evolution and Religions theory from 1859 till our days
  During this “Darwin Year 2009”, the topic of the relationship between the Theory of Evolution and Religions will be the centre of numerous debates, seminars and round tables that are being organized all over France at the moment. Among them, the colloquium “Theory of Evolution and Religions from 1859 to our days” stands out as it gets to the bottom of the matter as far as research into the history of ideas and thought systems are concerned.
  More information in French: http://www.archivesaudiovisuelles.fr/EN/Event.asp?id=1958&url=/1958/home.asp

15 February

• The ancient human genome
  For the first time, the sequence of a near-complete nuclear genome has been obtained from the tissue of an ancient human. It comes from permafrost-preserved hair, about 4,000 years old, of a male palaeo-Eskimo of the Saqqaq culture, the earliest known settlers in Greenland. Functional single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assessment was used to assign possible phenotypic characteristics. The analysis provides evidence for a migration from Siberia into the New World some 5,500 years ago, independent of the migration that gave rise to the modern Native Americans and Inuit. Elsewhere in the issue we profile the paper's last author Eske Willerslev, who headed the project and found the lock of hair in a Copenhagen museum basement — after a fruitless search among the archaeological sites of Peary Land.
  More information: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v463/n7282/edsumm/e100211-02.html

12 February

• Consultants and Contractors in heritage properties Directory (Australia)
  If you own or manage a heritage property, you may need specialist advice or technical assistance. Use our consultants and contractors directory to find a suitable specialist. We have split the architect category into two parts.
  • Conservation - specialising in the field of physical conservation of heritage buildings
  • Contemporary Design - specialising in contemporary design solutions for heritage buildings.

  These architects often work in conjunction with each other on projects that involve a significant repair component. You may apply for inclusion in either category using the online application form.
  More information: http://www.heritage.vic.gov.au/Forms-Guidelines/Consultants-Directory-application-form.aspx

• Mural heritage of Kerala
  Kerala is one of the few regions in India having a good collection of archaeologically important mural sites. The unique architectural style of Kerala had a tremendous influence in the evolution of Kerala's mural tradition. The murals of Kerala are noted for their linear accuracy, extensive ornamentation and fine representation of emotions. In Kerala, one can find cave paintings belonging to the Palaeolithic and the Mesolithic periods, which have been found at Edakkal in Wayanad and Marayoor in Idukki. The murals of Kerala evolved through the significant influences of ancient Dravidian rituals like Kalamezhuthu and Patayani. Between the 15th and the 18th century; the characteristic murals of Kerala began to evolve further with regard to their unique linearity, subtlety, sharpness and ethereal beauty.
  More information: http://www.keralatourism.org/kerala-article/197/mural-heritage-kerala.php

• East Fort of Thiruvananthapuram - Kerala (India)
  It may be ideally called the nerve centre of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, especially if one is to take into account its place in history or the current scenario as a commercial and pilgrim centre. We are talking here about East Fort, the former seat of the rulers of Travancore State, built in AD 1747 by King Marthanda Varma. Inside the East Fort gate, the single and the foremost attraction still remains the temple dedicated to Lord Padmanabha.
  More information: http://www.keralatourism.org/kerala-article/197/east-fort-thiruvananthapuram.php

• Unveiling Victoria's unique Heritage
  Victorian residents and visitors will gain a new understanding of the many layers of Victoria’s unique heritage thanks to a new Brumby Labor Government resource. Planning Minister Justin Madden and Aboriginal Affairs Minister Richard Wynne unveiled Framework of Historical Themes today in Flagstaff Gardens. “The Brumby Labor Government is taking action to preserve and protect Victoria’s history,’’ Mr Madden said. “To find where you are heading it is important to examine where you have been and this framework has been designed as a practical tool to assist in understanding the many complex layers of Victoria’s history and how each of us is linked into past events and eras...
  More information: http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/component/content/article/9310.html

11 February

• (in Italian) Tecnologie GIS e Beni Culturali di Renzo Carlucci
  I Sistemi Informativi Territoriali (comunemente chiamati GIS dall’inglese Geographic Information System), sono sempre stati considerati sofisticati strumenti per professionisti; oggi godono di una discreta popolarità grazie anche alla diffusione attraverso internet di sistemi come Google Maps, GIS principe in quanto a semplicità. Hanno contribuito a questa dinamica anche sistemi più complessi – ma di primaria importanza – quali quelli legati alla mobilità, alla gestione delle emergenze, alla sanità, alla pianificazione urbana o territoriale ed ambientale ivi compresi quelli per la gestione della valorizzazione e della conoscenza dei Beni Culturali.
  More information: http://www.tafter.it/2010/02/04/tecnologie-gis-e-beni-culturali/

• New Projects Launched: JUDAICA Europeana and EUscreen
  The recent launch of two new projects - JUDAICA Europeana and EUscreen – will bring diverse strands of Europe's cultural heritage to Europeana. EUscreen will collect iconic moments from European television, while JUDAICA Europeana will digitise material that shows the Jewish contribution to urban Europe. “The presence of Jews through the centuries has been inextricably bound up with the development of European cities,” says Lena Stanley-Clamp, who is leading the JUDAICA Europeana project and directs the European Association for Jewish Culture in London.
  More information: http://app.e2ma.net/campaign/1403149.e9007495d248c561c7d2027e619cba2e

• Romani Culture Featured in Digital Exhibition
  The books, manuscripts, photographs, paintings, traditional songs and videos from the Romani people across Europe will be highlighted in an online exhibition next month, supported by Europeana and organised by The European Library. A Roma Journey will allow readers to discover treasures like the first written dictionary in Roma-Serbian-German, created in a concentration camp in Germany during the Second World War, and peruse the travelling stories of a Roma family in Scandinavia.
  More information: http://app.e2ma.net/campaign/1403149.d99fcd054aa4b8ba8ea9c34556214c6e

• Interior Rehabilitation Of The Revellín Cube / UP Arquitectos
  When we first received the request to reform one of the few defensive elements left in Logroño for a temporary exhibition we understood it to pose a double opportunity: on the one hand, recuperate an abandoned monument which could, after a careful rehabilitation, again be opened to citizens; on the other hand, convert the reform into a legacy, a lasting element accentuating the conditions of the place. These were the conditions and our perhaps over ambitious interests: a short time period, no more than 6 months, in which to carry out the rehabilitation and build a new floor.
  More information: http://www.archdaily.com/49231/interior-rehabilitation-of-the-revellin-cube-up-arquitectos

10 February

• First UNWTO Study on Tourism and Intangible Cultural Heritage
  The purpose of this note is to inform about the preparation of the first UNWTO Study on Tourism and Intangible Cultural Heritage and to call for comments, inputs, and contributions. As a specialized agency of the United Nations in the field of tourism, UNWTO has commissioned a study on Tourism and Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) which will encompass a comprehensive research, suggesting innovative forms of policy-making in terms of intangible heritage management related to tourism.
  More information: http://www.unwto.org/pdf/AnnouncementICH.pdf

• Adhesion of Afghanistan as a new Member State of ICCROM
  ICCROM is pleased to announce the adhesion of Afghanistan as a new Member State as of 7 February 2010. The adhesion of Afghanistan brings the number of ICCROM Member States to 129.
  More information: http://www.iccrom.org/

9 February

• Earthen Architecture Initiative
  The Earthen Architecture Initiative (EAI) seeks to further the conservation of earthen architecture through international activities and institutional partnerships. Advancing the discipline of earthen conservation is the organizing principle for all of the EAI's activities—which include model projects that improve the way conservation interventions are carried out in different parts of the world, pursuing research that addresses unanswered questions in the field of earthen conservation, and disseminating information regarding appropriate conservation interventions on historic buildings, settlements and archaeological sites composed of earthen materials.
  More information: http://www.getty.edu/conservation/field_projects/earthen/

8 February

• Education and culture at the heart of UNESCO’s action in Haiti
  Brazil has donated US$ 400,000 to finance one of three UNESCO projects to rebuild Haiti’s devastated education system. The donation will fund training for teachers in psycho-social support and disaster awareness for students traumatized by the earthquake of 12 January. The donation for the project, which will benefit 110,000 secondary and higher education students, was announced by Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim after he met the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, at the Organization’s Headquarters on 1 February. Teachers and educational support staff will be trained to understand how learners are affected by the disaster; how to use learner-centred pedagogies and methods of behaviour management and make referrals for those who are severely traumatized.
  More information: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/education_and_culture_at_the_heart_of_unescos_action_in_haiti/back/18384/

• Leading venues appeal for government bill to unlock anonymous works
  The British Library has joined a group of leading institutions in calling for a clause to be introduced allowing greater potential access to orphan works. Thousands of historic treasures could be lost to the public if the proposed passage of a clause relating to un-credited material is not allowed to go ahead, a coalition of leading venues has warned. The British Library, Tate and the British Film Institute are among a list of leading venues warning that limiting the scope of Clause 42 of the government’s Digital Economy Bill will "pose one of the greatest barriers to mass digitisation of content" held by institutions. The group believes that cultural and educational bodies should be allowed to apply for a licence to digitise orphan works – items whose owners cannot be traced – under a flexible request system.
  More information: http://www.culture24.org.uk/sector+info/art75683

• Helping Heritage in Haiti
  In the wake of the earthquake in Haiti on 12 January there has been a huge response by cultural heritage organizations worldwide. At present, the most important issue is to join efforts to coordinate initiatives to ensure an effective result. This must be done jointly by those dealing with both movable and immovable heritage. At this initial stage, of utmost urgency is to help assess the state of historical buildings to avoid unnecessary demolition. Inmediate action is also needed to salvage collections in libraries, archives, museums and galleries. At present it is urgent to carry out inventories. Expertise will therefore be required to help Haitian cultural authorities in providing speedy assessments.ICOMOS has formed a Haiti Committee to coordinate and to manage the complex stages in the recovery of immovable cultural heritage affected by the earthquake.
  More information: http://www.iccrom.org/eng/news_en/2010_en/various_en/
  02_01earthquakeHaiti_en.shtml

• Master of Conservation of Monuments and Sites - Raimond Lemaire International Centre for Conservation (RLICC) Kuleuven (Belgium) Deadline for Application: 1 March 2010
  The Master of Conservation of Monuments and Sites (MCMS) is a 4 semester professional degree, spread over two academic years. The ManaMa leads to the degree of Master of Conservation of Monuments and Sites, obtained at the Raymond Lemaire International Centre for Conservation. This is a post-initial master’s education and research centre, offering an advanced international and interdisciplinary study programme in the conservation and restoration of historic monuments and sites. The first academic year is primarily devoted to theoretical courses and seminars and to project work. After the successful completion of the first year, students are admitted to the second year, which consists of an ad hoc study programme and the preparation of the Master’s thesis, based on individual research work in the field of the conservation.
  More information: http://www.asro.kuleuven.be/new/asro.aspx?culture=en&site=asro&tabid=323

Two new publications about Art nouveau supported by Brussels-Capital Region
- Chefs d'oeuvre de l'Art nouveau à Bruxelles: between guidebook and art book, this publication leads the reader to discover 24 masterpieces of Brussels Art nouveau, some of which being little known, such as the Beukman House, built by Albert Roosenboom, the magnificent Otlet Hotel by Octave Van Rysselberghe, or Doctor Van Neck's clinic built by Antoine Pompe. This richly illustrated book also includes portraits and biographies of young architects from this artistic movement. By Christian Mesnil, Ed. Aparté, 2010. With the support of the Brussels-Capital Region. ISBN : 2930327227. Price: 28,50 €.
- Hankar et l'Hôtel Ciamberlani. Un palais déguisé en maison de ville. The Ciamberlani Hotel, 48 rue Defacqz in Brussels, which sgraffiti enlighten the facade, has been restorated from 2004 to 2009. This book, made up by enthusiastic owners of the Hotel Delphine and Olivier Laforge, sums up this 5 year restoration process. Texts from F. Loyer, V. Heymans, H. Guéné, A. Van Loo, G. Conde-Reis, A-S. Augustyniak, Q. Demeure, G. Vanbellingen, C. Fontaine, C. de Boulard, G. Pirlet, C. Lechien, D. Laforge, F. Aubry. Photographs: M. Louel. Ed. Aparté - Day Off, 2010. Infos: www.dayoff.be / info@dayoff.be With the support of the Brussels-Capital Region. ISBN : 2930327243. Price: 24 €.
http://www.artnouveau-net.eu/get_page.asp?stran=5&jezik=GB