PoCo Project day 3 SRAL

On Wednesday, July 1st, the third PoCo project day took place at the SRAL studios in Maastricht. Various project partners stopped by to learn about the project’s progress and the research on their sculptures at SRAL.  The program began in the morning with presentations by SRAL’s director, Lydia Beerkens, and the three junior trainees. During the afternoon session, participants visited the sculpture studio and took a guided tour of the sculptures currently at SRAL for restoration. Of course, there was time for questions and discussions.

Insights and Exchange

The morning lecture program began with a summary of the progress made on the PoCo project over the past two years and a look ahead to the coming—and final—year. Next, a comparison was made and insights were shared regarding the various museums that had been visited and their different collections.  The discussion also addressed the difference in the types of research that can be conducted during an on-site visit versus when a sculpture is brought to SRAL for more in-depth research and/or treatment.
In the afternoon, the group was split into two; one group visited the sculpture studio to learn from Lydia and Ausrine about replicas, 3D scanning, printing, the cross, laser technology, and stratigraphy. The other group received an explanation from Manon, Rosanne, and Arnold in the project studio about the sample works on display. This, of course, also provided an opportunity to ask the junior researchers all sorts of questions and to hear what research had been conducted and what insights they had gained from it. It also allowed them to learn about the problems or questions other collections encounter and how those can be addressed. Some of these questions may prompt further research within the PoCo project next year.