Lahore Museum: Ceiling repairs, rewiring to be finished in two weeks
Restoration of Sadequain mural to begin later this month.
LAHORE:
Extensive ceiling repairs, rewiring work, and rebuilt public toilets at the Lahore Museum will be finished in about two weeks, officials told The Express Tribune.
The repair and renovation work began in March and was to be completed by the end of the financial year on June 30, but has been delayed slightly.
Officials said this was the first extensive renovation of the ceilings and rewiring since 1894. “Some of the wiring was over a hundred years old. There was always a fear of short circuiting and fire,” said Hafiz Abdul Azeem, the museum’s conservation officer, who is in charge of the repairs.
He said that rain and termites had badly damaged the ceiling of the galleries over the years. Work on the contemporary art and Islamic art galleries is finished, while repairs at the miniatures and general art galleries is still underway. Electrical wiring in the Gandhara art, contemporary art, Pakistan Movement and arts and crafts galleries is being fixed. All 18 galleries are also being painted.
The repairs will be complete in about two weeks, said Khawaja Khursheed, deputy director of the Lahore Museum. He said the new ceilings would last up to 50 years.
Other repair work included laying a new sewage system to prevent water seepage into the foundations of the building and remodelling two public toilets. The lining of the shelves, almost a hundred years old, in the galleries is also being replaced.
The project was proposed by Sheikh Siddique, Lahore Museum director in 2009. Funds of Rs22 million were approved for 2011-12 and work began on March 10, 2012.
Sadequain
Restoration work on a famous mural by Sadequain that adorned the museum’s ceiling from 1973 to 2010 will begin soon as officers sent to learn restoration techniques in India are to return on July 22, said Khursheed. “The ceiling has appeared empty since the mural was dismounted,” he said.
He said that the mural had been taken down after one of the 48 panels that made it up flaked off due to termites and excessive exposure to sunlight.
He said that Lahore Museum exhibition officer Uzma Usmani and painter Mumtaz Hussain had been sent to India to train in techniques for the restoration of oil paintings so they could work on the mural.
He said that the restoration effort would take more than a year.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 7th, 2012.
Extensive ceiling repairs, rewiring work, and rebuilt public toilets at the Lahore Museum will be finished in about two weeks, officials told The Express Tribune.
The repair and renovation work began in March and was to be completed by the end of the financial year on June 30, but has been delayed slightly.
Officials said this was the first extensive renovation of the ceilings and rewiring since 1894. “Some of the wiring was over a hundred years old. There was always a fear of short circuiting and fire,” said Hafiz Abdul Azeem, the museum’s conservation officer, who is in charge of the repairs.
He said that rain and termites had badly damaged the ceiling of the galleries over the years. Work on the contemporary art and Islamic art galleries is finished, while repairs at the miniatures and general art galleries is still underway. Electrical wiring in the Gandhara art, contemporary art, Pakistan Movement and arts and crafts galleries is being fixed. All 18 galleries are also being painted.
The repairs will be complete in about two weeks, said Khawaja Khursheed, deputy director of the Lahore Museum. He said the new ceilings would last up to 50 years.
Other repair work included laying a new sewage system to prevent water seepage into the foundations of the building and remodelling two public toilets. The lining of the shelves, almost a hundred years old, in the galleries is also being replaced.
The project was proposed by Sheikh Siddique, Lahore Museum director in 2009. Funds of Rs22 million were approved for 2011-12 and work began on March 10, 2012.
Sadequain
Restoration work on a famous mural by Sadequain that adorned the museum’s ceiling from 1973 to 2010 will begin soon as officers sent to learn restoration techniques in India are to return on July 22, said Khursheed. “The ceiling has appeared empty since the mural was dismounted,” he said.
He said that the mural had been taken down after one of the 48 panels that made it up flaked off due to termites and excessive exposure to sunlight.
He said that Lahore Museum exhibition officer Uzma Usmani and painter Mumtaz Hussain had been sent to India to train in techniques for the restoration of oil paintings so they could work on the mural.
He said that the restoration effort would take more than a year.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 7th, 2012.