International Institute for Conservation (IIC)

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Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from International Institute for Conservation (IIC), 3 Birdcage Walk, London.

Non profit organization promoting the knowledge, methods and working standards needed to protect and preserve historic and artistic works throughout the world for more than fifty years.

03/11/2026

Meet our Fellowship Spotlight for October: Rodah Lange

Rodah Kalondu Lange is a curator and conservator at the National Museums of Kenya (NMK). She is passionate about collection care, sustainable preventive conservation, research and community engagement in conservation of natural and cultural heritage.

Learn more about Rodah Lange here: https://buff.ly/wLYcMly

30/10/2026

"Co-led by the Barbados National Trust (BNT) and the Division of Culture (DOC), Prime Minister's Office, this project is developing a multi-institutional, intergenerational framework for the conservation and site management of Tyrol Cot – a nationally significant heritage property in a tropical climate that has suffered from chronic under-resourcing. By recontextualising colonial narratives and establishing sustainable management through a collaborative model, the project has brought together cultural practitioners, artisans, inter-institutional resources, and new technologies. The approach aligns with UNESCO World Heritage and ICOMOS standards, connecting local practices with global heritage frameworks. Cross-disciplinary contributions allow professionals to interchange where training, budget, or availability has fallen short, turning potential deficits into opportunities for mutual learning and innovation. The project exemplifies how scalable, low-cost, high-impact approaches can strengthen climate resilience, support skills transfer, and foster culturally grounded heritage stewardship in Small Island Developing States (SIDS)." - Anne Irene Bancroft, Sheron Johnson, Jason Bharath, et al.

Read the full article here: https://buff.ly/wt77iHP

This article is only available for IIC Members. Membership includes full access to all Studies in Conservation articles, including the Ghent Congress Proceedings. For information on becoming a member or to renew your membership, visit https://buff.ly/wrs6ftB

Image Credits:

Image 1: Figure 4. Risk assessment for the southeast façade, with SJPI and ROAD members. Image: Dr Sharon Johnson, 2025.
Image 2: Figure 5. Master craftsmen restoring the shutter. Image: Anne Bancroft, 2026.

29/10/2026

“That looks like… a relic holder.” This was the start of a conversation in June 2026 during X-radiography of a monumental medieval crucifix at Stiftsmuseum, in Maribo on the island of Lolland, Denmark. This conversation among the researchers for POLYCHROME – The Survival of Damaged Medieval Heritage in the Nordics has led to questions that are both intriguing and problematic.

Read the full article in the October-November 2026 “News in Conservation” Issue 116, p. 18-25, here: https://buff.ly/F66WGjZ

Image credit: Figure 3. Removing the crucifix from display mounts (image: ERC POLYCHROME project)

26/10/2026

Join us tomorrow (27 October) for the next session of the IIC Book Club. Sign up here: https://buff.ly/GK4UIKV

26/10/2026

"Institutions are increasingly collecting artworks that necessitate bespoke approaches to their conservation. This is especially the case with contemporary artworks that combine multiple materials deliberately intended to deteriorate over time. This paper delves into the Victoria & Albert Museum’s experiences of developing a conservation framework for The Blue Skies Project, an installation featuring 1078 instant prints and a generative software component. Using the artists’ intention to let these photographs fade over time as a point of departure, this paper outlines how this intent has been folded into the artwork’s care and recorded during the acquisition stage using documentation. It acknowledges the limits of intent, suggesting that, in reality, this often needs to be balanced with existing professional expectations, policies and paradigms." - Barbara Borghese & Anna Mladentseva

Check out the full article in Studies in Conservation here:
https://buff.ly/ZQYGX5p

Image credits:
1. Figure 1. A close-up of one of the instant prints for The Blue Skies Project. Credit: V&A Museum. © Victoria and Albert Museum via Studies in Conservation.
2. Figure 2. The Blue Skies Project installed in the V&A galleries. © Victoria and Albert Museum via Studies in Conservation.

25/10/2026

Join us on 27 October for our next instalment of the IIC Book Club. Sign up here: https://buff.ly/GK4UIKV

17/10/2026

"Located 800 km east of mainland New Zealand, the Chatham Islands are home to the descendants of the Moriori people. They brought kōpi tree (Corynocarpus laevigatus) seeds from New Zealand and planted groves that would become their homes. They ate the kōpi seeds and used the tree trunks as canvases for artistic expression, storytelling, and messaging. Known as rākau momori, these tree bruisings, impressed using an undetermined stone tool suitable for working young bark, are unique. Moriori faced near-extinction after Māori arrived in 1835, and a significant portion of Moriori cultural knowledge was lost. Due to harsh weather, grazing animals, and disease, many of the trees are dying, and groves are gone. In 2009, the Hokotehi Moriori Trust began harvesting trees to preserve the rākau momori. Today, 29 rākau momori are housed in a pole shed that lacks climate control. This unique, culturally significant ensemble of miheke (cultural treasure) is at risk of total loss due to inadequate funding and a shortage of conservation expertise on the islands. The Trust instigated a revised, low-budget conservation plan in 2023 with one conservator, Moriori tribe members, and volunteers." - Nirmala Balram & Kate Preece

Read the full article for Efforts to Conserve Harvested Rākau Momori on the Chatham Islands, Aotearoa New Zealand here: https://buff.ly/vOefTg1

This article is only available for IIC Members. Membership includes full access to all Studies in Conservation articles, including the Ghent Congress Proceedings. For information on becoming a member or to renew your membership, visit https://buff.ly/EQ3uUVw

Image credit: 1. Children pluck moss from a rākau momori during the 2023 visit. Image by Kate Preece via Studies in Conservation. 2. Inside a kōpi grove. Image by Nirmala Balram via Studies in Conservation.

14/10/2026

Inspiring stories about ensembles and teamwork are in the October-November issue of “News in Conservation”. Access the issue here: https://buff.ly/F66WGjZ and subscribe on the IIC homepage: https://buff.ly/YAYtUOq

14/10/2026

For a decade, Richard McCoy and the Landmark Columbus Foundation have worked to sustain Columbus, Indiana’s habits of civic awareness and action. In his enlightening article, he observes (and warns) that “increasing neglect over time can be overlooked because buildings can remain standing while the discipline of caring for them weakens.”

Read the full article in the October-November 2026 “News in Conservation” Issue 116, p. 10-17 here: https://buff.ly/F66WGjZ

Image credit: The 166-foot bell tower of First Christian Church (Eliel Saarinen, 1942) under scaffolding during masonry repairs in 2023. Photo: Hadley Fruits for Landmark Columbus Foundation

14/10/2026

Interested in practical ways of making conservation greener? Attend the IIC Book Club presentation, Sustainable Perspectives for Greener Practices, with Gwendoline Fife.

Join us on the 27th of October for an upcoming IIC Book Club event with guest presenter Gwendoline Fife, Director of the Greener Solvents project.

Underpinned by two key research initiatives, GoGreen and the Greener Solvents project, this presentation will examine how we can make and take sustainable decisions in conservation. Whilst continuing to recognise the shift away from petroleum dependency as a main goal, the talk will cover the holistic perspectives needed to define and assess green conservation and consider how we can realistically (and safely) bring this approach into practice.

As an example of how we operationalise sustainability without compromising treatment efficacy or professional ethics, part of the talk will focus on how we frame our solvent use in conservation and how we can target safer, more sustainable selections.

Considering the broader perspectives in moving to greener practices, the talk will highlight how we might identify the key impacts that matter most in any specific context, and the frameworks and tools we can apply to turn climate paralysis into climate action.

Click the following link to register for the IIC Book Club and take part in this event: https://buff.ly/J8W4cdW

Hope to see you there!

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3 Birdcage Walk
London
SW1H9

Website

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Institute_for_Conservation, https://www.iiconservation.org/

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