Venue: Slovenian Ethnographic Museum,  Metelkova ulica 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia 

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This expert meeting is part of the SAFESILK research project, an FWO/ARIS funded WEAVE project and jointly organized by the University of Antwerp (ARCHES), Belgium and the University of Ljubljana (FKKT), Slovenia. The workshop will take place on Monday 24th and Tuesday 25th of March 2025, and aims to bring together researchers and scholars who are interested in the preservation of historical salt-treated silk fabrics. The goal is to share, update, and discuss our current knowledge on the production, trade, degradation and conservation of historical salt-treated silk fabrics. Besides the seminars, the two-day interdisciplinary workshop will include a guided tour through the National Museum of Slovenia.

Expert Meeting Program

Monday 24 March 2025

9:00 - Welcoming talks: Prof. Matija Strlic (UNI-Lj) and Prof. Geert Van der Snickt (UAntwerp), promotors of the SAFESILK project

Morning session 1:  Introduction to silk

9:15-9:45 Dr Andreja Urbanek Kranjc and Dr. Silvo Hribernik, University of Maribor: ARACNE Project: Advocating the Role of Silk Art and Cultural Heritage at National and European Scale

9:45-10:15 Dr. Eva Ilec, Regional Museum Ptuj-Ormož: The Prestige of Silk in Museum Collections in Slovenia

10:15-10:30 COFFEE BREAK

​Morning session 2:  Introduction to Weighted silk 

10:30-11:00 PhD Chiara Vettorazzo, University of Antwerp: What is weighted silk: historical recipes, reproduction and aging experiments

11:00-11:30 Dr. Paul Garside, Kelvin Centre for Conservation Cultural Heritage Research, University of Glasgow: Investigation of Early Onset Changes in Weighted Silk ​

11:15-11:45 Kim Verkens, MoMu Antwerp: Sleeping Beauties of fashion: Conservation Challenges of Weighted Silk in Fashion Museum Collections – Insights from Case Studies

12:00-13:00 LUNCH

Afternoon session 1: Weighted silk in collections

13:00-13:30 César Rodríguez Salinas, Textile and Fashion Conservator Kunstmuseum Den Haag: Weighted silk? Understanding the degradation elements presented in few pieces from Kunstmuseum Den Haag fashion collection​

13:30-14:00 Chiara Tricerri and Anna Piccirillo, CCR 'La Venaria Reale': Treatment of degraded silk objects in collections: the case study of an 1850s upholstery

14:00-14:30 Marjolein Koek, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam: Ticking time bombs? Collecting and monitoring data for preservation and decision-making plans in the costume collection of the Rijksmuseum

14:30-15:00 Dr. Andreja Rudolf , Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maribor: Fabric analysis of a historical women's clothing to simulate its virtual replica

15:00-15:15 COFFEE BREAK

Afternoon session 2: Tracing and monitoring degrading silk  

15:15-15:45 PhD Alina Krotova, University of Antwerp: Indentification and classification of weighted silks using PXRF

15:45-16:15 Dr. Ludovico Geminiani, University of Insumbria: Evaluating silk condition by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and thermal analysis​

16:15-16:45 PhD Ibrahim Elrefaey, University of Ljubljana: Spectroscopic Characterization of degrading weighted silk

16:45-17:15 Dr. Ana F. Albano Serrano, UvA;  Dr. Ineke Joosten, RCE: A study into the long-term preservation of archaeological maritime silk textiles

Tuesday 25 March 2025

9:00-9:15 Opening word by Mr. Koenraad Van de Borne (Diplomatic Representative of Flanders in Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia)

Morning session: Understanding the chemistry of degrading silk

9:15-9:45 Dr Monika A. Koperska (online), Jageiellonian University: Problems with Artificial Thermo-Aging of Bombyx Mori Silk Fibroin – What Are We Really Triggering?

9:45-10:15 Dr. Nathan Ferrandin-Schoffel, SIMM laboratory: Spectroscopic investigations into the dyeing properties of wild silks

10:15-10:45 Dr. Fabiana Di Gianvincenzo, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam: Proteomic methods for species and degradation analysis of weighted silk

11:30-13:00 Guided visit to the Narodni Muzej Slovenije Metelkova (National Museum Slovenia)

13:00-14:00 LUNCH

14:00-16:00  Workshop on degradation nomenclature of silk objects: An interactive workshop in which participants will be able to closely observe a few pieces from the collection of the National Museum of Slovenia showing characteristic damage patterns often associated with silk degradation.  The aims of the workshop are to (a) discuss the specific terminology currently used to describe damage classes and (b) assess the repeatability and objectivity of visual damage assessment protocols