Professional Conservators of Ireland are pleased to host The Role of Architectural Finishes Research in Understanding and Conserving Buildings and their Interiors with Helen Hughes on October 4th 2024, in The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Helen Hughes
Helen Hughes FIIC ACR specialises in Architectural Paint/Finishes Research (AP/FR) which is the study and conservation of decorative finishes applied by house painters.
She is an Institute of Conservation (ICON) Accredited Conservator-Restorer. She studied History of Art & Architecture at UCL before becoming an Easel Paintings Conservator. Joining English Heritage in 1985 she worked for over 25 years as the Head of their Architectural Paint Research Unit which helped define standards for the subject and provided training for many practitioners now working in the UK and worldwide.
Details of her other major projects and publications can be found on her website. Helen is currently working on a handbook for Architectural Paint Finishes Research.
The Role of Architectural Finishes Research in Understanding and Conserving Buildings and their Interiors.
October 4th 2024
9:30am - 5:00pm
PRONI | Belfast
Throughout their existence, buildings and their interiors have been continuously changed and altered. The most frequent changes are the repeated redecoration of their interior and exterior surfaces which are spurred by a wide range of factors:
Developments of decorative fashions.
Changes in the functions of rooms.
Changes in the wealth of successive occupants and owners.
The need to revive an old and worn painted decoration.
Or simple routine maintenance.
Architectural Finishes Research provides a systematic method of understanding these changes and offers insights into:
The appearance of original and later schemes.
The dates for the application of specific finishes.
This workshop will offer a wide range of participants the opportunity to develop an integral understanding of the documentation and investigation process using Architectural Finishes Research. With interactive group work and dynamic case studies, Helen will aim to deepen our general knowledge of the significance of the building or room under analysis: its history, later alterations, an assessment of its existing condition and to better plan for its future conservation and presentation.