The Reproduction of Art and Cultural Heritage Project (ReACH)

Henry Cole's Convention

Henry Cole's 'Convention for promoting universally reproduction of works of art for the benefit of museums of all countries', signed in 1867 by 17 heads of state, committed museums to recording and producing copies of important works that could be shared, ushering a period in which museums actively engaged in the creation of reproductions of objects. The Cast Courts at the V&A Museum in London are a direct result of this convention and, on the occasion of the 150th year of Cole's Convention, director Tristram Hunt and Ziyavudin Magomedov, the founder of the Peri Charitable Foundation, spearheaded the ReACH initiative in order to draft a new convention concerning the role of museums and other organisations in the reproduction of works of art and cultural heritage, which could be shared and adopted by other institutions.

The initiative involved the Musée du Louvre, the Warburg Institute, the Pergamonmuseum, the State Hermitage Museum, Yale Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage and the Factum Foundation. The core research team met in Paris, Washington D.C., Abu Dhabi, Beijing and London to discuss the main topics of inquiry.

ReACH roundtable in China

The ReACH core research team participated in a series of roundtables in Paris, Washington D.C., Abu Dhabi, Beijing, St Petersburg and London.

As a member of the core research group, Factum Foundation advised on the differences in recording technologies and the practical uses of digital information. Carlos Bayod introduced the techniques and technologies behind the facsimiles produced by the Foundation at the initiative's launch, which was held at UNESCO´s headquarters in Paris. In Abu Dhabi, Ferdinand Saumarez Smith emphasized the importance of transnational partnerships in facilitating the organization of recording projects and the study of recorded objects, as demonstrated in collaborations with the Trust For African Rock Art in Chad and Nigeria and with People´s Palace Project in Brazil. Adam Lowe´s presentations in Washington D.C., St Petersburg, Beijing, and London focused on the key issues of data ownership, technology transfer, training in digital recording, and the trade-offs between authenticity and originality of re-materialized objects.

The article Changing Attitudes to Preservation and the Role of Non-contact Recording Technologies summarises Adam Lowe's contribution to ReACH.

The Factum and the Peri Foundations organised the exhibition 'Words of Stone' to coincide with the roundatable at the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg

The exhibition included the facsimiles of a pair of oak doors from the Kala-Koreysh mosque

ReACh resulted in the signing of a declaration at the V&A on 8^th December 2017 in London. The new Declaration has been signed by 20 major museums and foundations invested in the use of digital technology to preserve, protect and distribute our shared cultural heritage. Along with an updated version of the Convention, ReACH produced a publication that compiles examples of the best practices selected from the roundtable discussions – as a roadmap for museums working with reproductions, as instruments for preservation and accessibility.

On June 22nd 2018, Adam Lowe was present at the second ReACH convention at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris.