Image credit: Zayed National Museum – متحف زايد الوطني
West Dean College partnered with Plowden & Smith and Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism to deliver conservation training in the UAE, promoting heritage preservation and inspiring careers in conservation.
West Dean College are thrilled to be working with restoration company Plowden & Smith Ltd and the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism to deliver conservation training in the United Arab Emirates. West Dean specialise in the conservation of tangible cultural heritage.
Students gain extensive practical experience of conservation, underpinned by a thorough grounding in theoretical and contextual knowledge. Their tutors were thrilled to be able to share their enthusiasm, knowledge and professional experiences with students, academics and conservation professionals in the UAE via the ‘Preserving Our History’ project.
The objective of the training was to develop greater awareness of the need for conservation to protect Arab heritage and to inspire Emirati citizens to pursue rewarding careers in conservation.
Initial conversations in 2023 were followed by invitations extended to Plowden & Smith Managing Director Camilla Hughes-Hunt, Stefka Evgenieva Bargazova, Senior Objects Conservator for the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism and West Dean alumna, and Fatima Mansoor Al Tamimi, Conservation Unit Head for the Department of Culture and Tourism, to visit West Dean in May 2024.
The visit involved meeting staff and students, and to experience West Dean’s approach to teaching, with a strong focus on utilising practice and haptic perception to embed conservation theory, treatment development and decision-making.
Following the successful visit, Head of School of Conservation Lizzie Neville began working with Plowden & Smith and the Department of Culture and Tourism to design a ‘Preserving our history’ taster week, followed by a 2-day symposium of the same name, consisting of interactive discussions, panels and presentations. The taster week was held in November 2024 at Qasr Al Watan, the Presidential Palace, with the symposium being held in May 2025 at the Saadiyat Rotana Resort & Villas.
Members of West Dean College’s experienced School of Conservation tutor team and esteemed alumni were involved in the delivery of the taster week and symposium. Ceramics Subject Lead Lorna Calcutt, Books Subject Lead Victoria Stevens, Books Subject Tutor Maudie Casserly, Conservation Science Tutor Anna Guy, and Metals Conservation alumna Carola Del Mese each delivered sessions around their specialist areas of expertise. Topics included ‘A day in the life of a conservator’, ceramics conservation, and analysis of inorganic and organic materials.
Plastics conservation specialist and West Dean tutor Brenda Keneghan, and Collections Care and Management specialist Tatiana Moresco supported with online delivery. Further demonstrations and support came from specialists established in the UAE, including Gail Pollin for digitisation, Rana Zureikat for 3-D printing, Elena Romero Neila and Chie Nakano for paintings conservation, and Octavia Forster from Plowden and Smith.
The taster week was designed for 15-20 participants from across the Emirates, consisting of university students from arts and archaeology courses in the UAE, recent graduates, collectors, as well as library and museum staff.
The symposium was opened by Dr Peter Magee, Director of the in-construction, Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi and Chair of the International Association for the Study of Arabia, participants joining from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Oman.
Lizzie Neville comments, “Working on the ‘Preserving our History’ project is extraordinary. The vision is ambitious, and yet this is matched by such enthusiasm from participants to learn about conservation. Many miles may divide us, but we are all learning to work together as a team to build and expand this amazing educational programme.”
West Dean College extends their gratitude and thanks to Stefka and her conservation team at Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism for their tireless support throughout both events. The College looks forward to continuing to build on their partnership and deliver further conservation training to develop skills and conservation careers in the region.
This initiative aligns closely with West Dean’s commitment to advancing global standards in conservation education and safeguarding cultural heritage through international collaboration.
Find out more here: https://www.westdean.ac.uk/school-of-conservation
