Conference on icons and portraits--addendum

Icon and Portrait International Conference
Egypt
September 18-20, 2006
Early Bird deadline June 31, 2006

The international Council Of Museum--Conservation Committee--Wood,
Furniture and Lacquer (ICOM-CC-Wood, Furniture and Lacquer) is
organizing the "Icon and Portrait International Conference" in the
period 18-20 September, 2006, to take place in Egypt.

The objectives

    1.  To create a common understanding of the profession among
        those who are involved in the practical work of Icons,
        Portraits and paintings.

    2.  To create a dialogue with other professionals, such as
        archaeologists, curators, art historians, conservators,
        legislators and architects with the exploration and design
        of different strategies and methods

    3.  To agree proposals for defining standards for Icon, Portrait
        and painting study and research.

    4.  To present an overview and to conclude the current state of
        conservation and restoration research, practice, problems
        and progress in conservation in the field of Icon, Portrait
        and painting.

    5.  To increase and affluence the amount of cultural general
        knowledge of Icon, Portrait and painting and to increase and
        activate the concern with such important subject and its
        concepts among the public

    6.  to achieve an active involvement of the public in the
        integral process of Cultural Heritage and its preservation,
        to achieve the understanding, acceptance and thus the
        support of the public in the activities it generates and to
        encourage the public to support and participate in the
        preservation of their own Heritage.

The main theme is "Icons and Portraits in Egypt and around the
world" with the following General themes:

    1.  Icons, Portraits and Paintings in Egypt and outside Egypt.

    2.  Treatment, Restoration, Preservation, Conservation, Storage
        and Displaying issues.

    3.  Intangible and oral issues and Legal and ethical issues.

The competition for the Conference has been exceptional and you may
be interested to know that several abstracts were submitted. We have
selected the best ones to call as papers. There is an impressive
group of international authors and the conference proves to be most
exciting.

We plan for the conference events to be fascinating and to have a
valuable and beautiful volume.

The language of the conference will be English.

The conference venue is the Africana Hotel
<URL:http://www.africanahotel.com/>, located at King Mariout, Borg
Al Arab, in the western north of Egypt. It is a four stars hotel
with the facilities of the five stars. and has a wonderful location
that overlooking the marvelous panorama of Mariout Lake where the
dry and healthy climate is perfect.

The hotel is about 5 minutes from Borg Al Arab International Airport
(7 Km), 30 minutes from Alexandria Down Town (40 km). It is also
about 60 km from Alamein Memorial cemetery, and about 200 Km from
Cairo Capital of Egypt. You can have a look to the hotel at

The conference venue is near to Abu Mina archaeological area, one of
the most important Coptic monuments, which were inscribed in 1979 on
the UNESCO List of World Heritage; and in 2001 it were inscribed in
UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger.

Abu Mina was the Early Christian Pilgrimage center in North Africa
not only for the early Christians in Egypt, but also for the early
Christians around the Mediterranean and south-west Europe in the 5th
and 6th Centuries, it contains an early Coptic city with its
basilicas, churches, baptistery, necropolis, streets and public
buildings such as houses and workshops and hospice with hot and cold
baths etc in this early Christian holy city were built over the tomb
of the martyr Menas of Alexandria. The ruins of the city extend for
several hectares in the Western Desert, 45 Km south-west of
Alexandria. Close to the archaeological Monastery of Abu Mina a new
great St. Minas Monastery has been rebuilt since 1959. The new
Monastery has re-realized the extension of the old-new vision, the
vision of rising from the death; raising the life in the desert
which is a great model too for the incarnation.

In the new Monastery of St. Minas as similar as the great ancient
monasteries of Wadi al-Natrun wonderful icons and portraits which
made of a variety of materials by several techniques and belong to
numerous art schools are located. We hope that in the margin of our
conference we will be able to support the efforts being given for
safeguard of such so high valuable area.

Accommodation: We hope to have most of the participants in one place
most of the time for the large amount of communications and
community; a good packet of full hotel accommodation has been
prepared at Africana Hotel. Beside the activities being arranged for
the conference some other services are being organized such as:

    1.  A full two-ways transfer from and to the airport and the
        conference venue with rates build on group's transfer

    2.  A gala Dinner

    3.  A post-conference tour (about 21-24 September), 4 days 3
        nights tour to Wadi al-Natrun and Abu Mena monasteries and
        archaeological areas

The organizer seeks to widen participation at this conference, and
would like to encourage colleagues from all parts of the world to
attend. All professionals committed to Icons, Portraits and
Paintings, and to the world's museums collections' monuments,
historical sites and culture property such as curators,
archaeologists, Egyptologists, Copticists, art historians,
Iconographers, conservators, scientists, technicians, architects,
engineers, lawyers, legislators and other professionals who are work
or interested in the field and in the subject, those who actively
promote the preservation of culturally and historically significant
works through study, analysis, collaboration can participate. Again
the public and individuals interested can participate.

With full respect to the large number of the papers' authors and
co-authors, to whom the priority of registration will go (this
required to register by the early bird deadline-June 31, 2006), it
is so recommended that those who are interested in attending the
conference to take the advantage of the early registration. The
number available for registration for colleagues other then authors
and co-authors could be limited; the registration and reservations
will be accepted on a first come basis.

The registrars who will not be able to attend will receive the
conference package which will be sent to them.

Important dates and general notes:

    Deadline for receipt of the papers abstracts proposals was: 1
    March, 2006.

    Authors received a response of acceptance and a full copy of
    instruction to authors by 1 April, 2006.

    Deadline for receipt of the full papers: 15 June, 2006.

The final program for the conference is under construction, but we
would like to let you know that in addition to the academic sessions
of the conference (18-20 September, 2006, 3 days for the academic
sessions and activities) there could be at least extra one day for
the registration, official opining before starting our academic
sessions and another one day for the field visit in the end of the
conference. So, it is very recommended that you set your budget and
reservations for 6 days (16-21 September, 2006), and to book the
hotel together with your registration, so that you guarantee your
place.

We would be grateful if you could print and display copies of this
circular in your institution and would like to ask you please to
publish this information in your newsletters, website and any other
available media and to send it across your mailing lists and to
forward it to our colleagues in your institution and to anybody who
you think might be interested.

Registration for the conference is open now. Interested colleagues
can request the registration form and registration information,
instructions, notes and rules by email to hhnnc [at] yahoo__com. Please
indicate in your message subject the following reference "A request
for an Icon Conference registration Form from <your full name>".

Dr. Hany Hanna
Chair, "Icon and Portrait International Conference"
Elected Coordinator, ICOM-CC-Wood, Furniture and Lacquer


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 19:60
                  Distributed: Thursday, June 15, 2006
                       Message Id: cdl-19-60-012
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