Component Five: Training and Dissemination
Dissemination of the project methodology and results.

The project methodology and results are being disseminated through a variety of means, including conferences, public lectures, and publications.

Two international conferences on the conservation of ancient sites on the Silk Road have been coorganized by the Dunhuang Academy and the Getty Conservation Institute at the Mogao Grottoes. The First International Conference on the Conservation of Grotto Sites was held in October 1993 (prior to the Cave 85 project) and followed the completion of the first phase of the collaboration between the Academy and the Institute. This conference (and its published proceedings) focused on site-related issues including site stabilization, research into the causes of deterioration, development of innovative techniques to control windblown sand, treatment of thin-roofed caves, monitoring of environmental conditions and site management.

The Second International Conference on the Conservation of Grotto Sites, held June 28–July 3, 2004, presented results of the present phase of the collaboration with a panel session of eight papers on the Cave 85 project, in addition to papers from an international group of specialists that emphasized a holistic approach to the conservation management and study of sites.

A number of general publications on the project currently exist. However, comprehensive results of the project will be published in 2006 in the proceedings of the 2004 conference. The final report on the project in Cave 85 is also planned for completion in 2006.

Training has been an important component of the GCI and Dunhuang Academy collaboration in Cave 85. Advanced training for Dunhuang Academy staff members takes place through annual work at the GCI.

During the Cave 85 project, the GCI, the Dunhuang Academy, Lanzhou University, and the Courtauld Institute of Art worked together to develop a three-year masters degree course in wall painting conservation in China. China has considerable teaching resources in the sciences and other related disciplines but does not yet have a tradition of professional education in conservation. As a part of the masters degree course, a collaborative project in Cave 260 at Mogao will be undertaken by the Courtauld and the Dunhuang Academy, with continuing support from the GCI. Cave 260 dates from the early sixth century (Northern Wei Dynasty) and presents a wide range of conservation problems that are typical for the site. The conservation program will include thirteen students from both the Dunhuang AcademyLanzhou University and Courtauld programs, will cover all aspects of conservation (investigation of original techniques, diagnosis of deterioration, and treatment), and will include teaching by Courtauld and GCI staff. Two team members from the Cave 85 project will supervise the Cave 260 project. This project will provide an integrated education in which theoretical teaching (by both Lanzhou University and Dunhuang Academy staff) is applied in a closely supervised context that encourages the development of individual skills and critical judgment.

Delegates at the Conservation of Ancient Sites on the Silk Road: Second International Conference on the Conservation of Grotto Sites at the Mogao Grottoes, June 28–July 3, 2004. Photo: the Dunhuang Academy.