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<\/a><\/p>\nI visited Mali in the summer of 2011, and fell in love with the country. I knew I had to return, and had to do something that would mean something, that would be a contribution to the people of Mali, and enriching for my own career as a conservator. My plan was to visit the site of the ancient manuscript libraries of Timbuktu, many of which were recently consolidated in a new conservation center (IHERI-AB). I had been invited by Dr. Abdel Kader Haidara, a curator who is one of the initiators of the preservation of these invaluable medieval African manuscripts. I wanted to view the training and preservation efforts at this site, and discover a way in which I could become involved in this important work. Unfortunately, a few months after making my plans, a coup d’\u00e9tat, and subsequent rebel insurgency in Northern Mali, rendered this plan impossible.
\nI had to switch directions, literally. Being both a photograph and a paper conservator, I chose to concentrate on the subject of photograph conservation instead. Bamako, the bustling capital city of Mali, is an important center of contemporary photography in Africa. The African Photography Biennial (\u201cRencontres de Bamako<\/i>\u201d) is held in Bamako every two years. This collection of exhibitions highlights the current contemporary photographers working in Mali and the rest of Africa today. Photography as a profession has also become an important route for young Malians – both fine-art and commercial photography. There are also many collections of historical and ethnographic photography, housed in\u00a0 various institutions <\/i>in Bamako.\u00a0 All of these collections of photography are very important, and it is known by those charged with their care, that their preservation for current and future study and cultural heritage is paramount. Yet there is a lack of vocabulary, knowledge of conservation techniques, and resources in Mali, which I believed could be addressed through international exchange, collaboration, and education.
\nI visited many institutions in Bamako, to gain an understanding of the environment in which collections of important historical and contemporary photos were being cared for. The strongest connection I made during this second trip in 2012, was with the private photography school, CFP (Cadre de Promotion pour la Formation en Photographie<\/i>).
\nI decided that I would initiate my contribution to the preservation of photography in Mali by running a workshop, hosted by CFP.<\/p>\n
2.\u00a0 \u00a0The Workshop \u2013 \u201cPreservation of Photography\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n The workshop at CFP (Cadre de Promotion pour la Formation en Photographie<\/i>) was planned for two days in October 2013. \u00a0This setting was chosen because of the students background and training in digital photography, as well as in traditional darkroom techniques. The director of CFP, M. Sogodogo, was trained originally as an Art Conservator, at the Mus\u00e9e National<\/i> in Bamako, and he has maintained an interest in the preservation of the photography that the students create, as well as the preservation of the work of well-known Malian photographers in his care. He also stresses the importance of learning about traditional black & white photography, both in terms of creation, and care. The students at CFP were the perfect candidates for studying how to save prints and negatives from the dangers of age, light, pollutants and natural and man-made emergencies that threaten them every day.<\/p>\n 3.\u00a0 The workshop, for 15 CFP students, consisted of both lectures and hands-on activities. In this way, the students could be introduced to both the theory and practice of art conservation. The unique combination of science, art history, knowledge of materials, and hand-skills would be demonstrated as being the fundamental aspects of photograph conservation. <\/b>The first day, the emphasis was on the history of photographic processes and deterioration, from daguerreotypes to digital photography. Stress was placed on the importance of learning about historic processes \u2013 how they are made, how they deteriorate, and how they should be preserved \u2013 in order to preserve the history and patrimony and archives of Malian culture. Historic albumen prints of Mali from the early 19th<\/sup> century were presented as examples documenting history and the student’s heritage – important records of early colonial presence and architecture and commerce in Mali. \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Re-housing project for the negatives of Malick Sidib\u00e9<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n 13.\u00a0 15. \u00a0 Having visited Malick the previous year, I decided to concentrate on this collection when I returned the following year. I purchased supplies ahead of time, which I carried in my luggage, arriving at the photographer’s home on the back of another ubiquitous sight in Bamako \u2013 a small motorcycle called a Jakarta<\/i> \u2013 which was driven by Malick’s nephew.<\/p>\n 17.\u00a0 We discussed the project, and I began cleaning a small selection of his medium format b\/w negatives, and re-housing them in mylar envelopes and archival boxes. Each envelop was labeled with the same information that Malick had been so careful over the years to mark his negative envelops with. In contemplating the issues involved in this re-housing project, I had considered whether it was more appropriate to leave the original negative housing as Malick had designed it. Yet the stacking of the negatives all together, causing abrasion, and the ever-present heavy dust gathered through the years in the porous boxes, convinced me that a more \u201carchival\u201d protective system was necessary. I also made the choice of mylar over paper enclosures due to the significant consideration of handling. The negatives were handled often, both by the photographer, his sons, and clients. Mylar would protect each negative strip, while providing visibility. Mylar would also render them impervious to dust and pollution, whereas the porous and less-sealed nature of a paper envelop would allow dust to again settle on the negs. Although mylar is not considered ideal in a hot climate, the lack of high humidity made the choice of mylar reasonable in this case, due especially to the high volume of handling predicted. The original paper envelops with the photographer’s hand-writing will be preserved in the new boxes as well. 18.\u00a0 Lastly, to come full circle, I finally met M. Abdel Kader Haidara! During the invasion of Timbuktu in the spring of 2012, it was thought that many of the ancient manuscripts had been destroyed. But thanks to Drs. Abdel Kader Haidara and Stephanie Diakit\u00e9 and others who helped, 300,000 manuscripts were packed in metal crates, and whisked off to safety. They are now biding their time in Bamako, waiting until it is safe enough to go home to Timbuktu. I was fortunate to be able to visit one of the safe-houses where a large group of archivists and technicians are painstakingly archiving and making boxes for each manuscript, storing them in environments controlled by silica gel and de-humidifiers, to mimic the much drier conditions of the desert from which they came. To learn more about this amazing effort, visit the site of T160K (Timbuktu Libraries in Exile) at http:\/\/t160k.org Debbie Hess Norris, for providing most of the images used in the workshop presentation. This was an invaluable contribution to my workshop. Almost all the Way to Timbuktu: A Photograph Conservation Workshop and Re-housing Project in Mali by Heida Q.S. Shoemaker 1.\u00a0 I visited Mali in the summer of 2011, and fell in love with the country. I knew I had to return, and had to do something that would mean something, that would be a contribution … Continue reading “Almost all the Way to Timbuktu: A Photograph Conservation Workshop and Re-housing Project in Mali”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":186,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,25,26,11,33,13,35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-and-paper","category-collectioncare","category-conservationeducation","category-grants","category-outreach-and-advocacy","category-people","category-photographic-materials"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/conservators-converse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/conservators-converse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/conservators-converse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/conservators-converse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/186"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/conservators-converse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9766"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/conservators-converse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9766\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/conservators-converse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/conservators-converse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/conservators-converse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a04. \u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n
\n5. \u00a0<\/a>\u00a06.\u00a0<\/a>
\nThe second day focused on the environment, storage and treatment of photographs. Along with a power-point presentation, most of the day was given over to hands-on activities, a time for the students to experiment with different treatment techniques for the first time. Prints were bathed in water-baths, paper and adhesive remnants were removed, tears were repaired, and mounting techniques were demonstrated and practiced. In bathing the prints, the students experienced the wide range of factors and consequences of conservation treatment. They witnessed the vulnerability of wet emulsions, and yet saw the stability of a photographic image exposed to water. They learned how water could be the destructive force in a flood, yet it could be the element which also saves the photograph, when a stack of photos adhered together can be separated, and saved.
\n7.\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0 8.\u00a0<\/a>
\nThe students were amazing – absorbing so much new material, and demonstrating their interest with very complex, thought-out questions.\u00a0 They especially loved washing various types of photos, and observing the results.\u00a0 A few of them spoke of their new-found interest in continuing the study of photo conservation. This was one of the goals of the workshop \u2013 to begin to build interest in preservation, and equip students and art professionals in Mali with the vocabulary and basic understanding of photo preservation.
\n9.<\/a>\u00a0 10.\u00a0<\/a>
\nThe students received \u201cDiplomas of Participation in the Workshop on the Conservation of Photography\u201d. They were very proud of these, and I was also proud of their interest, hard work and concentration on a subject matter so new to them.
\n11.\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a012.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a014.\u00a0<\/a>
\nThe second part of the project was to begin re-housing the negatives of the Malian photographer, Malick Sidib\u00e9. Sidib\u00e9 opened \u201cStudio Malick\u201d, his photography studio in the Bamako neighborhood of Bagadadji, in 1962. He set up studio shots here \u2013 of friends, athletes, engaged couples, professionals \u2013 and also went to and recorded dance parties of the 60’s, and street scenes of everyday youth in the thriving capital. His personal collection of negatives and contact sheets (glued onto paper folders, \u201cchemises<\/i>\u201d, and labeled and numbered in his hand-writing) fill one room of his home. His most precious negatives are stored on an open shelf \u2013 floor to ceiling \u2013 against one wall. Each roll was cut into strips, placed all together in an acidic paper folder, labeled with the date, and stacked in original yellow Kodak film boxes. Red dust, ubiquitous and unstoppable in Mali, covered every surface, and had made its way into the boxes and acidic paper enclosures.<\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0 16.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\nI was only able to complete a small amount of this work, but hope to continue the project on a larger scale very soon.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\nWith all of the turmoil of the coup, the invasion by insurgent rebels, and the destruction of monuments in many northern Malian cities, it was amazing to see these beautiful, hugely significant books safely protected from harm.
\nMy experience designing, planning, and implementing this project was extremely thought-provoking, stimulating, and satisfying. Each step was led by my long-held dedication to conservation, and my new-found connection to Mali. I would never have guessed that a touristic visit to Mali with my mother three years ago would lead me to standing in front of a group of young eager-to-learn Malian students, or to dusting the surface of the negatives of one of the most important living Malian photographers. I plan to continue this work, broadening my scope by working with other professionals who are interested in the outreach of photograph conservation to Africa. I have joined, as a consultant, a larger project for the preservation and digitization of the archives of multiple Malian photographers, and hope to train the group on the ground who will be implementing this project.\u00a0 And, I hope to finally make it to Timbuktu, to visit the ancient African manuscripts when they have been returned to their rightful home.
\nI want to thank:<\/strong>
\nThe American Institute for Conservation Photographic Materials Group (AIC-PMG) for the 2013 Professional Development Stipend Award
\nThe Winterthur Museum and University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation for the 2013 Betty Fiske Professional Development Award in Contemporary Art Preservation
\nMy contributors to my Indiegogo campaign, \u201cSave Photographs in Mali\u201d for their generous contributions and support. See my Indiegogo page at: http:\/\/igg.me\/at\/savemaliphotos\/x\/2688784<\/p>\n
\nKaren Zukor, for providing advice on giving workshops in foreign lands, and for the contribution of supplies to the workshop.
\nAmadou Ouologuem, for his inspiration for my project, and help with my travels to Mali.
\nCaptions for images:<\/strong>
\n1. Admin. Minga Siddick (left), H. Shoemaker, CFP students, Director Sogodogo (right), photo by CFP, 2013
\n2. CFP students bathing photos,\u00a0 photo by H. Shoemaker, 2013
\n3.& 4. Left: CFP students bathing photos\u00a0 Right: Heida demonstrating surface cleaning of negs, photos by CFP, 2013
\n5. & 6. Left: 19th<\/sup> c. Albumen print of Bamako Market\u00a0 Right: Contemporary photo of same market, re-built after a fire
\n7. & 8. Inpainting exercises, photos by CFP, 2013
\n9. & 10. Left: Student Bintou Diarra showing photo-corners exercise,\u00a0 Right: Zoumana Sidib\u00e9 with photo-corners exercise, photos by H. Shoemaker, 2013
\n11. & 12. Left: Heida (left), CFP students, M. Sogodogo (right) Right: Heida with student Ousmane, photos by CFP, 2103
\n13. & 14. Left: \u00a9 Malick Sidib\u00e9 , \u201cNuit de Noel\u201d 1963;\u00a0\u00a0 Right: \u00a9 Malick Sidib\u00e9 \u201cJeune homme\u201d 1977
\n15. & 16.\u00a0Left: M. Sidib\u00e9 examining his negatives \u00a0Right: M. Sidib\u00e9’s storage system, photos by H. Shoemaker, 2013
\n17. Re-housing M. Sidib\u00e9’s negatives, photo by A. Ciss\u00e9, 2013
\n18. M. Haidara with a Timbuktu manuscript, photo by H. Shoemaker, 2013
\nAbout the Author:<\/strong>
\nHeida Shoemaker is a professional paper and photograph conservator. She received her Masters\u00a0in Science from the University of Delaware and Winterthur Museum Master\u2019s Program in Art\u00a0Conservation in 1996. \u00a0Since starting her private practice in Berkeley in 1998, she has worked with the general public, framers,\u00a0and museums to care for their fine art on paper and photographs, family photographs, and archival\u00a0material. She does contract work for institutions such as the Cantor Art Center, Stanford University;\u00a0The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; The Berkeley Art Museum; and The DeYoung Museum,\u00a0SF.\u00a0Heida has also held a Getty Advanced Fellowship in Paper Conservation at the San Francisco Museum\u00a0of Modern Art, 1997 \u2013 1999, and a yearlong fellowship at the Palace of the Legion of Honor, Fine Arts\u00a0Museums of San Francisco.\u00a0Heida has traveled to Mali three times between 2011-2013 to perform research, teach on photograph\u00a0conservation, and care for Malian photography collections.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"