nir-vana innovation network

The GALLERY project seeks to set up the first European multidisciplinary and innovative plaster network around casts dating back to the Renaissance all the way to the 20th century. At present, these heritage treasures can be endangered by their environment, corrupted by the trafficking of art works, and forgotten because of a lack of knowledge about their cultural messages.

The GALLERY project has 5 main objectives:

1. Training students and helping them to achieve high level of multidisciplinary skills for significant employability and attractiveness.
2. Bringing high level expertise on the development and characterisation of materials using the example of plaster.
3. Studying old plaster casts to put forward renovation protocols and bring innovations in the development of new materials that meet current requirements, in terms of resistance, durability, or adaptability to the environment.
4. Developing necessary reliable authentication tools required by the art market and professionals to detect forgeries.
5. Establishing a new kind of museology and developing educational tools to better showcase public works of art.

A French University is now seeking well-developed companies and industrial partners who manufacture plaster or similar materials to host PhD students in the following fields:

- Characterisation of the constituent plaster materials / origin of raw materials
- Patina, polychrome on initial surfaces & alteration, cleaning and surface treatment.
- Dating and authentication or artworks.
- Data learning and management, and economic value

The GALLERY project will be submitted to the call HORIZON-MSCA-2021-DN mid November 2021.

Expression of interest deadline: the 15th of October 2021
Call deadline: the 16th of November 2021
Expected project start: January 2022

Advantages & innovations

The GALLERY project combines two major research axes of the French University: materials and cultural heritage. The University has also experience in managing the EU projects.

Stage of development

Proposal under development

Partner sought

A French University is now looking for well-developed European companies and industrial partners who manufacture plaster or similar materials to host PhD students. In the framework of the European project GALLERY, the industrial partner will be associated to two theses focused on the elaboration of the plaster material and/or its consolidation and eventual analysis of the elements. Each thesis gathers around a PhD student one or two academics, an industrial partner and a European museum. The objectives of the thesis are connected to the museum's and academic's expectations and those of the industrial partner. Depending on the technical characteristics and interest of the industrial partner, the University can adapt the objectives and length of the internship (1-3 months). An industrial partner should have an expertise on materials' elaboration.