As part of the AV21 Strategy, ALMA is involved in two programs: "The Power of Objects – Materiality Between Past and Future" (2025–2029) and "Breakthrough Technologies for the Future – Sensing, Digitisation, Artificial Intelligence, and Quantum Technologies" (2022–2026).
The power of objects
“Contemporary humans are surrounded by too many things, while the world faces a shortage of important raw materials and obtains some rare materials under ethically unacceptable and environmentally unsustainable conditions. The material dimension of human existence thus represents a fundamental challenge and threat to contemporary society. At the same time, however, materiality can be understood as an important trace left behind by materials and objects" (for more details, see https://strategie.avcr.cz/en/programy/materialita). The program is coordinated by the Institute for Contemporary History of the Czech Academy of Sciences (Ph.Dr. Adéla Gjuričová, PhD.), and our laboratory is involved in three topics through its activities:
1. Materialization of social relations and cultural ideas (coordinated by Balázs Komorózcy, Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno)
Activity 1.3: Materiality as the key to a new reading of works of art
Project 1: The relationship between raw material extraction and painting: the beginning of the modern era / D. Hradil.
The project aims to understand the key changes in European painting technology that were conditioned by materiality. The period from the end of the 15th to the beginning of the 17th century is one of the turning points studied, when painting on canvas became established, the raw materials used for poliment gilding changed, and new pigments appeared. In Central European regions, these new pigments are directly related to the dynamic development of ore mining and metallurgy. Collaboration: University of Jena, Central Slovakian Museum in Banská Bystrica
Project 2: Objects to Touch: Collecting Passion in the Turmoil of the 20th Century / J. Hradilová
The project focuses on more intimate, emotional, and personal relationships with art objects, represented, for example, by small portraits of loved ones—medallions and painted portrait miniatures. It is conceived as a multi-year project, with the first year focusing not on the materiality and technique of the miniatures themselves, but rather on the story of their collections, which, due to the turbulent political developments of the 20th century, found themselves on the verge of oblivion. Collaboration: Regional Museum in Chomutov, Regional Museum in Teplice,
2. Things and materials in motion (coordination: Vítězslav Sommer, Institute for Contemporary History, Czech Academy of Sciences)
Activity 2.3 Advanced analytical tools for determining the origin of materials and knowledge transfer in works of art
Project 1: New signs of origin and new ways of searching for them / D. Hradil
The project focuses on monitoring current analytical trends in the field of provenance analysis of cultural heritage, specifically on the measurement of trace elements and isotopes. Isotope determination is important not only for dating (14C), but also for determining the regional origin of raw materials used in the production of pigments (e.g., Pb) or natural materials (e.g., Sr and Nd in wood, silicates, etc.). Cooperation: Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Geological Survey
Project 2: Analysis of paintings – materials and techniques / J. Hradilová
The project focuses on optimizing the process of comprehensive assessment of the material composition and painting techniques of different periods using a multi-analytical approach. For educational and analytical purposes, it also includes technological testing, in which old techniques are not only analyzed but also imitated. This results in replicas of old craft and artistic techniques (illumination, gilding, etc.) that clearly document the materiality of artistic craftsmanship. Collaboration: Catholic Theological Faculty of Charles University, University of Chemistry and Technology (VŠCHT)
Project 3: Materials and technologies used in the decoration of ancient vessels / S. Švarcová
The project focuses on the non-invasive analysis of ancient Greek ceramics from the 5th to 3rd centuries BC attributed to workshops in the area known as Magna Graecia (southern Italy and Sicily). The aim is to determine whether/how the materials differ in individual regions and whether/how the original Attic production technology adapted depending on the available raw materials in the given production locations. Cooperation: Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Institute of Classical Archaeology.
3. Durability, transformation, and decay (coordination: Silvie Švarcová, Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences)
Activity 3.1: Material transformations over time
Project 1: Degradation as destruction—causes of degradation of works of art and tools for stopping it / S. Švarcová
The project focuses on identifying signs of degradation in paintings and studying them in detail on selected objects. The aim is to produce detailed case studies that will serve to present the issue to both cultural heritage professionals and the general public. It focuses primarily on the little-researched causes of degradation in miniature paintings (portraits), particularly on clarifying the influence of the chosen painting technique on their stability. Cooperation: Regional Museum in Chomutov
Breakthrough technologies for the future
"The highly competitive environment of globalization poses a major challenge to Western civilization in terms of sustaining our level of prosperity associated with high labor costs. Just as mechanization brought about an unprecedented increase in labor productivity, the same can be expected from the current wave of digitalization. Digitalization and robotization offer higher quality cooperation between humans and machines and will allow people to focus on work with higher added value" (for more details, see: https://technofuture.cz/). The program is coordinated by the Institute of Scientific Instruments of the Czech Academy of Sciences (Prof. Ing. Josef Lazar, Dr.), and our laboratory is participating in one topic with its activities.
1. Imaging and analytical tools not only for Life Sciences (coordinated by Filip Plešinger, Institute of Scientific Instruments, Czech Academy of Sciences)
Activity 1.2: Advanced imaging and microanalysis in art and archaeology
The aim is to study works of art and archaeological finds using special microscopic and spectroscopic methods (e.g. environmental scanning electron microscopy – ESEM) in the analysis of fine arts and archaeological artefacts. Cooperation: Institute of Scientific Instruments of the Czech Academy of Sciences – Vilém Neděla's group
