Preserving heritage: Conservation laboratory set up at Lok Virsa museum

Museum documentation and photographic centre also established with Norwegian funding.

ISLAMABAD:

With an aim of preserving ‘material culture of the country’, Lok Virsa has established a conservation laboratory at the Pakistan National Museum of Ethnology. The project has been funded by the Norwegian government.

The state-of-the-art conservation laboratory was set up under a joint institutional co-operation programme with Norway for which Lok Virsa is the representative cultural organisation in Pakistan, according to Executive Director (ED) Khalid Javaid.

“It will go a long way in preserving material culture and acquainting the younger generation about their indigenous craft heritage,” he said.

Moreover, according to the ED, Lok Virsa is planning to initiate a training course in museology at the National Heritage Museum, for youngsters with special emphasis on museums.

Apart from the conservation laboratory, a museum documentation and a photographic centre have also been created at the Heritage Museum with Norwegian funding.

Lok Virsa entered into cultural co-operation with Norwegian institutions in 2006. The teaming up resulted in research and documentation, institutional strengthening of Lok Virsa museum, exhibitions, music exchange programme and promotion and other initiatives.

“The museum has already started photo documentation of the artefacts and exhibits. So far, over 1000 objects have been documented,” added Javaid.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 26^th, 2012.