Strengthening the protection and promotion of the value of national treasures

VHO - The work of preserving artifacts and national treasures at the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture combines the application of modern, advanced technology with strict, effective preventive measures, thereby preserving precious artifacts to promote to a large number of international tourists.

The Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture is a place that attracts a large number of tourists , especially international visitors. The museum is currently home to many valuable Cham sculptures, with more than 2,000 large and small artifacts, nearly 500 of which are on display.

In particular, the Cham Sculpture Museum currently has 12 National treasures include: Tra Kieu Altar, Tra Kieu Apsara Relief, My Son E1 Altar, Ganesha Statue, Brahma's Birth Relief My Son E1, Shiva Statue My Son C1, Dong Duong Altar, Tara Bodhisattva Statue, Gajasimha Statue, Thap Mam Dragon Statue, Phong Le Dancing Shiva Relief, Uma Chanh Lo Relief.

Artifacts have protective measures to avoid damage and external impact.

According to Deputy Director of the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture Tran Dinh Ha, the artifacts are being displayed in the museum's exhibition spaces to serve visitors. The Tara Bodhisattva Statue is a particularly rare treasure, with limited display, and is only introduced during important events of the museum and Da Nang city.

“The Cham Sculpture Museum currently has four people specializing in preservation work, all of whom have university degrees in Museum Studies and have undergone many intensive training courses instructed by foreign experts from France, Italy, and India.

In addition to the team of preservation staff who regularly take care of the museum's collection of artifacts, the national treasures always have a team of security guards to look after and monitor 24/7 and all the exhibition rooms are equipped with cameras.

To improve the effectiveness of preserving artifacts, the Museum plans to recruit more security forces to ensure security at the galleries is always guaranteed," said Mr. Ha.

Preservation work focuses on preventing external damage. The staff of the Collection, Preservation and Exhibition Department of the Cham Sculpture Museum regularly carry out inspections, prevent mold and termites, clean and wipe the pedestals, ensure that the treasures are always in the best condition, invite experts in preserving artifacts to analyze and evaluate national treasures and artifacts to have plans, processes and specialized preservation techniques.

Preserving and cleaning artifacts at the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture

Mr. Ha Minh Tri (officer of the Collection, Preservation and Exhibition Department of the Da Nang Cham Sculpture Museum) is one of the people directly involved in cleaning the artifacts. He shared:

“The preservation of artifacts, especially small and detailed objects, requires more care and meticulousness than other artifacts. When cleaning, depending on the size and pattern of the artifact, use appropriate accessories and soft materials to avoid damaging the surface of the artifact during the cleaning process. The time to clean an artifact depends on its size and complexity, with larger artifacts requiring more time.”

The area displaying national treasures is also equipped with glass walls or ropes to create a safe buffer zone between visitors and the treasures, limiting direct contact. At the same time, a warning sign system using intuitive, easy-to-understand symbols is arranged to raise awareness of protecting artifacts for visitors.

Mr. Nguyen Ho - Head of Collection, Preservation and Exhibition Department of Cham Sculpture Museum informed: Since the Museum was built in 1915, it has displayed national treasures to serve visitors. Before displaying them, the Museum's preservation staff processed and restored them to the best condition.

Staff of the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture, under the guidance of French and Cambodian experts, dismantle and preserve parts of the Dong Duong altar. Photo: Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture

However, over time, under the impact of the environment, the preservation method (using cement, iron pins to restore, reconstruct) and the display method (buried tightly into the pedestal, into the wall) are no longer suitable, causing serious impacts (direct moisture absorption from the wall, from the pedestal leading to some artifacts reinforced with iron pins that bear the force from the inside rusting, leading to the risk of artifacts falling, some surface weathering) to all the displayed artifacts.

From 2009 to 2017, the Museum gradually adjusted the display and all artifacts were removed to thoroughly handle the root causes leading to the collection's deterioration and damage.

With the development and progress of science, technology and engineering today, the museology industry has known how to select and successfully apply it to the preservation and display of artifacts at museums, and the Cham Sculpture Museum is no exception to this trend.

Through this process, the Museum's collection of artifacts has been best preserved, including 12 National Treasures.

“Improve the preservation and protection of national treasures, museums display national treasures out of reach of visitors, install barriers as boundaries around national treasures, arrange warning signs using intuitive, easy-to-understand symbols to raise awareness of protecting artifacts for visitors.

The museum also applies AI technology (RFID) to monitor and warn national treasures, deploys a smart camera system integrated with AI technology, allowing image recognition and behavior analysis in real time," said Mr. Ho.

In the future, if conditions permit, the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture will apply AI technology (RFID tagging) to exhibits on display, including national treasures, to enhance the ability to monitor and protect artifacts, and issue timely warnings if there is any illegal or unusual relocation.

In addition, deploying a smart camera system integrated with AI technology, allowing image recognition and real-time behavior analysis. The system is trained to automatically detect abnormal behaviors such as unauthorized intrusion, leaving foreign objects, or inappropriate interactions with artifacts.

In addition to maintaining the current preventive preservation measures, the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture continues to strengthen inspection and supervision, especially during the renovation and upgrading phase of the museum. At the same time, priority is given to funding to purchase additional necessary equipment and chemicals to preserve the artifacts currently stored in the warehouse and exhibition rooms.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/van-hoa/tang-cuong-cong-toc-bao-ve-phat-huy-gia-tri-cac-bao-vat-quoc-gia-142986.html