Curriculum Vitae

Date and place of birth: September 28th 1969 in Pescara, Italy.
Country of citizenship: Italy
Civil status: married with Jacopo Pasotti, two children (Bianca, born in June 2001, Emanuele, born in May 2003)

Mailing address: Giovanna Di Pietro

Blauensteinerstrasse 18
4053 Basel
Telephone: +41.61.3611340
E-mail: giovanna.dipietro@unibas.ch

Education

– 1998-2002: PhD research at the Laboratory of Image and Media Technologies (previously Laboratory of Scientific Photography), University of Basel, under the supervision of PD Dr. R. Gschwind. Research developed in collaboration with the Netherlands Institute of Cultural Heritage (ICN), Amsterdam. Research subject: Silver mirroring on silver gelatin glass negatives. Foreseen due of dissertation exam: June 2002.

Assistant duties: theoretical and practical courses on historical photographic processes (daguerreotypes, salted papers, albumin papers), mathematics course for chemistry students. PhD degree obtained in June 2002 with mark 6 (Summa cum Laude).

– 1989-1994. Department of Physics, University of Milano (Italy). Master thesis on Phase separations in colloidal solutions under the supervision of V. Degiorgio and M. Giglio obtained with mention Magna cum Laude.

Working experiences

– Since June 2002: private consultant in the filed of conservation. Actual projects:
    - Fotozentrum Schweiz in Winterthur: research in the materials to be used in renovation of the     new exhibition spaces; proposal for a disaster plan;
    – Neue Luzerner Zeitung AG: survey of the photographic collections;
    – Moritz Suter albumine prints collection: conservation and digitization plan;
    – Fototeca (Collection of negatives) of the Max Plank     Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florence: survey and preventive conservation plan.
    – State      Archive in Schwyz: survey and evaluation of the conservation state of the Bettschart glass plate collection.

– Since January 1996: collaboration with the Netherlands Institute of Cultural Heritage, Amsterdam as conservation scientist. Research projects:
– 1996: investigation on the use of laser on art objects.
– 1997-2002: microclimate effects of backboard protections for canvas paintings.
– 1998-2002: silver mirroring on silver gelatin glass plates.
– 1999. Browning of paper.

– January-June 1997: project on internet access for small and medium enterprises in collaboration with Hewlett Packard, Bergamo

– April-October 1995: stage at the research and development department of DSM, Maastricht, the Netherlands.

Skills in Conservation

– Preventive conservation: measurement and modelling of heat and humidity exchanges applied to art objects (painting, paper, photographs); evaluation of pollution measurement and pollutant diffusion in closed environments.
– Active conservation: evaluation of active methods to remove silver mirroring from photographs, evaluation of effects of laser use on art objects.
– Analytical Techniques: experience with X-ray based investigations (XRD, XRF, XPS) and with electron microscopy (SEM, TEM).
– Photographic conservation: reproduction of historical photographic processes (daguerreotypes, salted papers, albumin papers, cyanotypes); measurement, artificial reproduction and modelling of degradation processes of silver gelatin based photographs, in particular silver gelatin glass negatives; modelling of reaction and diffusion of pollutants around and within photographic emulsions.
– Colour Science: measurement and modelling of colour changes of art objects (fluorescence of paper, colour of silver mirroring on photographs).
– Surveys: surveys of photographic collection in Switzerland and The Netherlands.

Languages and computers

– Italian mother tongue, proficient level in English and German, intermediate level in French.
– Proficient levels in mathematic and statistical software and in Microsoft Office environment, intermediate level in Linux environment.

Publications

G. Di Pietro and F.J. Ligterink. 2002. Silver mirroring edge patterns. A diffusion-reaction model for the formation of silver mirroring on silver gelatin glass plates. Accepted by the Journal of the American Institute of Conservation, March 2002.

G. Di Pietro. 2000. Silver mirroring edge pattern: a diffusive model for silver gelatin glass plates. Presentation at 28th annual meeting, Philadelphia PA, June 8-13 2000

J.L. Pedersoli, F.J. Ligterink and G. Di Pietro. 2000. Browning of paper. PapierRestaurierung (IADA Yearbook 2000) 1: 47-54.

G. Di Pietro and F. Ligterink. 2000. Bemerkungen zum Verwellen von Pergaminkuverts. Rundbrief Fotografie 7 (2): 13-17.

G. Di Pietro and F. Ligterink.1999. Silver mirroring: a diffusive model for edge pattern. Poster presentation at 12th Triennial Meeting of Icom-CC 29 August-3 September 1999, Lion, France.

F. Ligterink and G. Di Pietro. 1999. The effect of the wooden stretcher on the RH response of backboard protected canvas paintings. Preprints of the 12th Triennial Meeting of Icom-CC 29 August-3 September 1999, Lion, France, ed. James and James: 70-76

G Di Pietro and F. Ligterink. 1999. Gas diffusion related degradation patterns. Presentation at Indoor Air Pollution: detection and prevention, held at the Instituut Collectie Nederland, Amsterdam, 26-27 August 1999.

G. Di Pietro and F. Ligterink. 1999. Prediction of the relative humidity response of backboard protected canvas paintings. Studies in Conservation 44 (4):269-277.

R. Gschwind and G. Di Pietro. 1998. Metamerism in colour imaging systems and "reverse" colour reproduction. ICPS ’98 (The International Committee on the Science of Photography), International Congress on Imaging Science, Antwerp, 7-11 Sept. 1998, Vol. 2, p.11-14.

V. Degiorgio, R. Piazza and G. Di Pietro. 1995. Depletion Interaction and Phase Separation in Mixtures of Colloidal Particles and Nonionic Micelles. Proceedings of the ECIS Conference, Barcellona, Spain, September 1995.

R. Piazza and G. Di Pietro.1994. Phase Separation and gel-like structures in mixtures of colloids and surfactant. Europhysics Letters 28, 445.