In response to the growing emphasis on sustainability, scientific precision, and interdisciplinary approaches in heritage preservation, the integration of specialized tools and materials into museum conservation practice is becoming increasingly important. Within the framework of the AURORA project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon programme, the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina has received a targeted donation of advanced conservation and restoration equipment. This support represents an enhancement of the museum’s technical capacities, particularly in the area of preventive conservation, and contributes to the institution’s alignment with contemporary European standards for the long-term care and management of cultural heritage collections.
The donated materials and tools are tailored for a wide range of conservation processes, with particular relevance to the treatment of different types of museum objects that are made of various materials (textiles, paper, metal and other). The assortment includes precision instruments, archival storage supplies, analytical-grade solvents, microscopy tools, packaging materials, and pH-neutral adhesives—each selected to support core functions within the museum’s conservation laboratory. These resources enable the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on behalf of the Balkan Museum Network as an AURORA project partner, to test the tool in development – Aurora Chemical Marker. Materials donated to the museum enable the analysis of the materials with high-resolution digital microscopes, UV lighting, and soft-packing foams strengthen the museum’s capacity to document condition changes, assess deterioration processes, and design customized preventive strategies. Simultaneously, the inclusion of archival-quality packaging materials and chemical reagents expands the museum’s potential for on-site treatment and facilitates safe handling of vulnerable materials. This development is embedded in the broader goals of the AURORA project, which seeks to advance the digital and material identity of artworks by linking physical objects to permanent, secure, and chemically informed digital profiles.
The National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as one of the project’s stakeholders, now holds enhanced capacity to contribute to this pan-European initiative. Furthermore, the integration of this equipment into daily conservation practice reflects an institutional commitment to ongoing professionalization and knowledge-based decision-making.
The activities are the part of AURORA (Artwork Unique RecognitiOn and tRacking through chemicAl encoded data, miniaturized devices and blockchain alliance) project that is being funded by the European Union Horizon Europe program.
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