IN BRIEF

Materials used to create an artwork are subject to change due to inherent properties and external factors such as light, temperature and relative humidity. Based on scientific evidence about these processes, models are developed to depict the past, elucidate the present and predict the future conditions of objects.

SCOPE OF RESEARCH

This research theme aims at developing models based on scientific evidence to understand ageing and degradation phenomena in objects. We seek to understand how physical and chemical changes that cannot be observed by the naked eye relate to visual changes in objects. The goal is to translate static data about the material composition of objects into an understanding of dynamic processes, past, present and future. Specific trends and effects need to be identified, quantified and translated into model parameters and mathematical relations that will aid in maintenance procedures and strategies for the preservation of cultural heritage.

RESEARCH LEADS