The inclusion of the Split Academy of Arts, the Sisak City Museum, and the METRIS Materials Testing Center in the international scientific-research project for the preservation of artworks in public spaces, Conservation of Art in Public Spaces (CAPuS), is a significant step in saving the valuable Sculpture Park of the Sisak Ironworks, it was emphasized on Wednesday at a press conference in Sisak.
Through the activities of the Colony of Visual Artists of the Sisak Ironworks from 1971 to 1990, an exceptionally valuable collection of around a thousand artworks was created, authored by the most renowned visual artists of the former state. Among the works are 38 metal sculptures, located in the Sisak neighborhood of Caprag, which represent a protected cultural asset, it was stated.
Photo: Gradska Galerija Striegl
A large number of artworks are neglected and devastated, so in collaboration with the Sisak City Museum and the Split Academy of Arts, a process of their registration and protection was initiated back in 2012.
The leader of the Croatian part of the project, Dr. Sagita Mirjam Sunara, Vice-Dean of the Split Academy of Arts, emphasized at the press conference that the main project holder is the University in the Italian city of Turin, and all activities of the Croatian partners are related to the Sculpture Park of the Sisak Ironworks.
– As part of the project, interpretive materials will be created for each of the 38 sculptures and a website for the entire Park. The material related to the history of the collection will be digitized, and interviews with several authors will be conducted. A strategy for protective work on the sculptures will also be developed, a catalog of missing works, and a report with proposals for the five most severely damaged artworks. The project will also include research on the building materials of the sculptures and the causes of their deterioration, as well as scientific research on models (mock-ups) aimed at finding effective methods for removing old, damaged coatings and the highest quality system for painting the sculptures. For the Croatian part of the project, 204,271 euros or about 1.5 million kuna has been secured, said Dr. Sunara.
Photo: Gradska galerija Striegl
With this project, said the director of the Sisak City Museum, Vlatko Čakširan, a significant step will be made in the preparations for the conservation and restoration of the sculptures, which have so far been carried out by Split students in restoration workshops as part of their summer practice.
Thanks to this project, a restoration workshop has been arranged and equipped at the Museum. The start of the three-year project also contributes to the celebration of 2018 as the European Year of Cultural Heritage.
