2025 LegaSSEA - Leveraging Ethnographic & Generational Knowledge for Art Conservation in South & South East Asia

Leveraging Ethnographic & Generational Knowledge for Art Conservation in South & South East Asia (LegaSSEA)

This collaborative project brings together a diverse group of ICOM bodies—both National and International Committees—including:
ICOM Pakistan, ICOM India, ICOM Bangladesh, ICOM Philippines, ICOM Indonesia, ICOM-COSTUME, ICDAD (Design), ICTOP (Training), ICR (Regional Museums), and ICOM-NATHIST (Natural History).

 About the Project

Traditional conservation knowledge in South and South-East Asia is under threat. LegaSSEA aims to document, share, and revitalise this heritage through a focus on three key material categories:

1. Palm Leaf – Traditional preservation and care techniques
2. Bark Cloth – Conservation methods in varied climates and sacred contexts
3. Textiles – Sustainable practices in fibre production, dyeing, and repair

We will highlight preservation and conservation practices such as:

•  Ritual-based care methods
•  Use of natural materials and plant-based preservatives
•  Culturally embedded storage and repair techniques

These methods represent vital living heritage passed down through generations and associated with objects found in homes, temples, and museum collections, both locally and globally to maintain and care for these collections. .

 Project Overview & Schedule

Workshops & Online Sessions

The project will include a series of five moderated 1.5-hour Zoom webinars. The live sessions will gather speakers together to discuss the specific material category. Their presentations will be pre-recorded recorded and hosted on a dedicated Padlet board—a collaborative platform for sharing and organising digital content. There will be a password for the Padlet to ensure that only registered participants can access the discussion board. Each Zoom webinar session will also be recorded and uploaded to the Padlet platform.  

Zoom Workshop Dates (11:30 CET):

• The 31 May session will introduce the project, materials of focus, and Padlet platform. A renewed call for participation will be issued.
• The June–August sessions will feature moderated roundtable discussions with selected speakers.
• The final session on 27 September will launch a regional survey and summarise key insights.

The Zoom sessions will be open to all participants—including ICOM members from both National and International Committees, as well as non-members.

Each session will require separate registration via a dedicated Google Form, which will be shared in advance of the event.Speaker Contributions

 Call for Submissions – Now Open

Please help us circulate our Google Form for contributions among your Working Group members. We welcome a wide range of voices, and thanks to our pre-recorded format, can include between 4-8 speakers per session.

We invite speakers to contribute via:

1. A 10–15 minute pre-recorded presentation (research or practice-based)
2. A 10–15 minute documentary-style video demonstrating traditional conservation techniques

Copyright transfer and image permissions will be required. Forms will be provided. All recordings will be shared in advance via Padlet to enrich live discussions.

Selected speakers should submit:

• A 300-word abstract with title
• A 200-word biography (CV)
• One image
• Submission deadline: Two weeks before each session
• Presentations must not conflict with ICOM-CC Preprints

Craftsperson videos may be supported with a small translation budget. Transcripts will be used in place of subtitles if needed.

 Simultaneous Translation

All five webinar sessions will be simultaneously interpreted into English, French, and Spanish by Smartidom.

 Supporting Materials

Each session will be supplemented with curated materials on Padlet, including:

• Pre-recorded presentations or slides
• Introductory texts and timelines
• Reference visuals (e.g., plants, materials, techniques)

 Survey & Final Publication

A regional survey will be launched in September to gather further insight and fill knowledge gaps.

• Platform: Google Forms
• Open: 27 September – 4 weeks
• Purpose: Inform final reporting and expand the materials dictionary

The project will culminate in December 2025 with the publication of a:

Dictionary of Plants & Materials used for the preservation and conservation of palm leaf, bark cloth and textiles originating from South & South East Asia

This illustrated reference will include:

• Images & descriptions
• Standardised fields for traditional conservation materials
• Design and formatting by our graphic designer
• Publication deadline: 31 December 2025