5 day course of 1st YOCOCU School for students and young professionals on Conservation, Restoration and Management of Archaeological Sites will be arranged in Medieval Agsu Town Archaeological Tourism Complex on 6-10th October, 2014 at initiative of MIRAS Social Organization in Support of Studying of Cultural Heritage, support of Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Azerbaijan, ANAS, Agsu region Executive Power and YOCOCU Association of Italy.
The course which is the first in Azerbaijan in the field of restoration and conservation adopts a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach and is designed for students and young professionals involved in the conservation and management of archaeological sites. The focus will be on innovative and eco-friendly methods, from diagnostics to maintenance to intervention. The primary goal of the course is to provide the participants with a targeted package of knowledge that could be put into use from the very first moment, including effective conservation methodologies, and ensuring a practical understanding of appropriate repair methods and long-term management strategies. Through lectures, discussions, laboratory sessions, demonstrations and field exercises, participants will discuss both the fundamental theories of conservation as well as consider how advances in technology and research. Group fieldwork exercises at a worksite will provide participants with the opportunity to address actual work scenarios where multidisciplinary solutions and collaboration are required.
Throughout the course, participants will be encouraged to draw upon their collective expertise from various specializations to help them arrive at more effective conservation solutions. In content and structure, the course has been developed to address the following topics and skills as they pertain to interdisciplinary approaches to the conservation and valorization of Agsu site. The classes will be led by Azerbaijani, Italian, Turkish and Peruvian experts due to the defined program. The topics: “introduction to Agsu archaeological site: history and development; challenges in the region”, “discussion on the findings, data collection, storing and documentation (from photo acquisition to package)”, “mechanisms of decay, principles of restoration and the first aid: case studies”, “management of archaeological sites and cultural heritage, cases and problems in different contexts”, “analytical investigation in conservation of archeological cultural heritage”, “internal and external pressures and effects on cultural heritage: from the point of view of management strategies”, “microclimate and external influences: effect of cultural heritage; assessing risk”, “approach to the conservation of archeological objects and Agsu site” will be taught during the course. During the course practical work will be applied and mobile restoration laboratory will function.
The first YOCOCU School will have 30 students and young professionals. The participants will stay in the archaeological complex 4 nights or 5 days and special camps will be provided with any urgent equipment for the course.