Conservators Collective 🇵🇰

The archaeological site of Knossos on Crete, known for its early 20th century restorations, highlights a critical debate in preservation. These restorations, though sometimes problematic, reveal significant aspects of #Minoan history, from Europe’s earliest throne room to vibrant frescos. But they also oversimplify Knossos’s complex past, presenting it largely as a Late Bronze Age palace and overshadowing its continuous occupation from the Neolithic to Roman periods. This raises an important question: how can we preserve archaeological sites while ensuring their rich, multifaceted histories are accurately conveyed? Should we focus on preserving sites as they are, maintaining authenticity, or restore them to enhance educational and visual appeal, even at the risk of distorting historical understanding? Balancing preservation with educational value is challenging yet essential. Knossos prompts us to consider how to protect such treasures while providing insights that remain true to their original contexts.

There’s something about a raging sun and disintegrated marble that gets me every time. The architects of the Parthenon designed its columns with a subtle inward tilt, so if you extend them far enough upward, they’d eventually meet. These columns start slightly larger and wider at the base, tapering as they rise. This clever geometry is part of why the structure has endured so many earthquakes. Above these columns, a frieze and pediment tell stories, including the legendary quarrel between Athena and Poseidon. Can you spot the relief of Pegasus (winged horse) in the frieze?

Documenting frescos found on the Northern Entrance Chamber of Wazir Khan Mosque. 03.08.21 . . These fresco paintings/plasters are not believed to be from the Mughal Period. Evidence suggests these intervention took place much later, in the British Period.

Reimagining frescos from the British period at the Wazir Khan Mosque. 12.01.2021 . . Fresco Painting’s on the exterior northern facade were painted by the British when Lord Curzon (Viceroy 1899-1905) was scheduled to visit the Old city of Lahore. During his visit he presented a wooded pulpit a as gift from the British. The pulpit is still found in the mosque today.

The Petrographic Analysis and Material Characterisation of Kashi tiles from #ThePictureWallPK - a study that aims to understand how well the deformation and alteration patterns seen in the tiles’ microstructure relate to the large-scale weathering of the Wall. Conducted during my time at Penn, circa 2017. . . The research includes analysing their microstructure, mineralogical composition, texture, grain size and shape distribution, along with other pre-existing conditions developed during firing such as the presence of voids and micro-cracks within the matrix. These intrinsic factors consequently determine the specific response and vulnerability of the tiles to their exposure to extrinsic factors that include but are not limited to, orientation and placement of individual tiles, atmospheric conditions, and past treatments. . . Kashi tiles are a three-layered construction consisting of (1.) a dense tile biscuit; (2.) a thin glaze layer on top; and (3.) an engobe layer in the middle binding them two together. All three layers are predominantly silica based, that get finer in grain size and thinner in depth with the addition of pigment as the glaze layer is reached.

Thank you @yurawrara for sharing this with us! “As the adoption of a generic approach to architecture and urban planning led by British colonialism has shown, simply adopting Western-style spatial configurations (perceived as not specifically gendered) is not enough. In fact, it has revoked the degree of movement, connectivity, and independence offered by traditional elements of Pakistani architecture. With the disappearance of the chhat, the jharoka, and the sahn, women and other marginalised bodies have been pushed deeper into the privacy of the ghar, rendering them invisible and reinforcing the notion that the bahar is the exclusive domain of the heterosexual male.” . #Repost @failedarch - Read the latest installment of FA’s ‘A City of Our Own’ series - Yusra Alvi’s (@yurawrara ) ‘How British Colonial Architecture Excluded Pakistani Women from the Public Sphere’. Link in bio. . All images courtesy of The Walled City of Lahore Authority.

Ustad’s always leave their mark. Signed fresco from the 70’s inside the prayer chamber at the Wazir Khan Masjid.

Throwback to 2014 when I made a new friend at Roadside Cafe who graciously let me crash one of his documentation assignments around colonial Karachi @thekarachiwalla . . We negotiated our way up close to Sadequain’s mural; climbed narrow staircases to Frere’s main tower and the clock tower at Empress Market; and into some of the old residential quarters in Saddar. The bargaining continued at Thomas & Thomas Booksellers and finally our day came to an end with some chai at Cafe Mubarak. 📷 @thekarachiwalla . . 6 years have gone, and unfortunately our beloved Empress Market looks nothing like this bustling, full of life bazaar that it used to be. Almost all the markets, stalls, and push carts were removed during an anti-encroachment drive leaving nothing but an empty shell that now sits in despair as it awaits its fate tbd by the local government.

Throwback to 2014 when I made a new friend at Roadside Cafe who graciously let me crash one of his documentation assignments around colonial Karachi @thekarachiwalla . . We negotiated our way up close to Sadequain’s mural; climbed narrow staircases to Frere’s main tower and the clock tower at Empress Market; and into some of the old residential quarters in Saddar. The bargaining continued at Thomas & Thomas Booksellers and finally our day came to an end with some chai at Cafe Mubarak. 📷 @thekarachiwalla

Throwback to 2014 when I made a new friend at Roadside Cafe who graciously let me crash one of his documentation assignments around colonial Karachi @thekarachiwalla . . We negotiated our way up close to Sadequain’s mural; climbed narrow staircases to Frere’s main tower and the clock tower at Empress Market; and into some of the old residential quarters in Saddar. The bargaining continued at Thomas & Thomas Booksellers and finally our day came to an end with some chai at Cafe Mubarak. 📷 @thekarachiwalla

Emergency glaze stabilisation of a Kashi tile mosaic #ThePictureWallPK . . Kashi tiles are a three-layered construction consisting of (1.) a dense tile biscuit; (2.) a thin glaze layer on top; and (3.) an engobe layer in the middle binding the two together. All three layers are predominantly silica based, that get finer in grain size and thinner in depth with the addition of pigment for the glaze. From a visual perspective, the glaze layer holds the most value as it provides the color that creates imagery for such tile mosaic panels. In order to deter further loss in glaze, we carried out emergency glaze stabilisation before any sort of consolidation could take place. Such loss of glaze however, does not mean that the entire tile body has been lost. Unfortunately this form of damage is often “fixed” by taking out the remaining tile body (engobe + tile biscuit) and reconstructing entirely new tiles in its place. This subsequently leads to even more destruction of the original fabric and in many cases misinterpretation of the original narrative of the tile panel.

Throwback to chilly winter days spent at the Wazir Khan Mosque #womeninconservation