{"id":2729,"date":"2009-12-28T12:54:57","date_gmt":"2009-12-28T16:54:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pierrejoris.com\/blog\/?p=2729"},"modified":"2009-12-28T12:54:57","modified_gmt":"2009-12-28T16:54:57","slug":"lascaux-keeps-going-down-the-drain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pierrejoris.com\/blog\/lascaux-keeps-going-down-the-drain\/","title":{"rendered":"Lascaux Keeps going Down the Drain"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2730 lazyload\" title=\"TimeLascauxCover\" data-src=\"https:\/\/pierrejoris.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/TimeLascauxCover-260x350.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"260\" height=\"350\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 260px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 260\/350;\" \/>This is not new news &amp; yet, unhappily, it is news that stays news in that nothing is being done about it \u2014 as Clayton Eshleman reminded me just a few days ago. Back in 2006, <strong>Time<\/strong> ran a cover story (see pix above \u2014 &amp; you can read the story on the site given below) on the fungus threatening the prehistoric cave paintings of Lascaux, one of the absolute core artistic achievements of the human species. Read the latest update on the situation below &amp; then go and sign the petition on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.savelascaux.org\/index.php\">the site<\/a> of the <strong>International Committee for the Preservation of Lascaux<\/strong>. As I commented when signing: &#8220;If we cannot save our origins, we cannot save our future!&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">UPDATE 30 NOVEMBER 2009<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>FRANCE             IGNORES UNESCO MANDATES <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>AS             LASCAUX CONTINUES TO LANGUISH<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>France has failed to take any positive action on the ailing cave of             Lascaux ignoring the resolutions passed at the July 2009 meeting of UNESCO\u2019s             World Heritage Committee (WHC), Seville, Spain.<\/strong> It was at this meeting that the WHC\u2019s resolutions on Lascaux made             the immediate implementation of an independent scientific committee an integral             part of the cave\u2019s recovery plan. \u00a0To             date, no such committee has been assembled or given authority over the cave.<\/p>\n<p><strong>France has also ignored the findings of its own symposium <\/strong>on Lascaux held in Paris February 2009 which called for a team of             scientists in hard science to begin immediately forming a multidisciplinary research             in Lascaux in an effort to finding the cause of and a cure for the current             crisis. This advice, presented by their own experts, has not been taken             seriously. Further, <strong>France has abolished               the existing scientific committee without replacing it with a new committee.               Lascaux has been without any scientific supervision for the past six months.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Any chance to find an effective treatment and permanent solution             to the cause of Lascaux\u2019s problem can only come once a thorough hard scientific,             comprehensive study of the causes of the climatic and microbiological changes             in cave. <\/strong>The WHC requested such a study be carried out in 2009. To date,             France has not even begun the process which will inevitably take many months to             complete putting the commencement of actual treatment for Lascaux out into the             future. France did submit a report to the WHC in March 2009 but it did not             address any causes of the crisis, as it has been directed, and only reported on             some of the actions taken by the State in Lascaux.<\/p>\n<p>The disregard with which France seems to hold the WHC resolutions             made on Lascaux in July 2009, under Decision:<strong> 33 COM 7B.100 <\/strong>on the <strong>Prehistoric               Sites and Decorated Caves of the V\u00e9z\u00e8re Valley (France) (C 85) <\/strong>is very troubling<strong>. <\/strong>It shows either an             enormous lack of respect for the world community or a totally inept State             institution which is charged with caring for one of the world\u2019s greatest art             treasures \u2013 or both.<\/p>\n<p><strong>CITING             THE LACK OF PROGRESS ON THE WHC\u2019S OWN DECISIONS THEREFORE:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Since there has been no               further <strong>\u201cprogress                 in putting in place measures to strengthening the functioning of an independent                 International Scientific Committee and in proposing changes in governance to                 separate administrative and scientific functions\u201d<\/strong>, and these               requests were not <strong>\u201c implemented as soon                 as possible\u201d,<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Since <strong>\u201cthe work planned to consider the impact of different mitigation               approaches\u201d<\/strong> and \u00a0<strong>\u201cthe Protocol on Intervention that has been developed should be made                 public, as this could be used as a best practice example for other similar                 properties\u201d<\/strong> has not been done,<\/li>\n<li> Since <strong>\u201cthe State Party\u201d<\/strong> has not continued <strong>\u201cits process of research and mitigation\u201d,<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Since \u00a0<strong>\u201cthe               extreme urgency of the work being undertaken to identify the optimum approaches               to mitigation and research to document and map the overall climatic conditions               of the cave as a precursor to the development of appropriate climate control               mechanisms\u201d<\/strong> has been ignored,<\/li>\n<li>Since <strong>\u201cthe State Party to formalize the new management framework based on a               separation between administrative and scientific functions, and also requests               the State Party to give appropriate resources to the new independent and               international Scientific Committee and invites representatives of ICOMOS and               ICCROM to participate in its meetings\u201d <\/strong>has not been taken acted upon by               France,<\/li>\n<li>Since requests that <strong>\u201cthe State Party continues to evaluate the causes of the problem and               the different approaches for conservation and develop, on the basis of the               priorities adopted by the International Scientific Committee, a detailed action               plan with a timeframe for the next three years\u201d<\/strong> has yet to be implemented,<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>THE ICPL CONTINUES TO CHALLENGE ITEM #7             IN THE WHC\u2019S LIST OF RESOLUTIONS ON LASCAUX:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Note furthermore that although               currently only some of the paintings have been directly affected, and the               overall impact of the various outbreaks of mould on the paintings has not               threatened so far the Outstanding Universal Value and integrity of the               property, the situation remains worrisome;\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The             WHC, in passing the above resolution, was swayed by France\u2019s <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">false statement<\/span> that only fourteen paintings have been affected by the nine years of mould and             fungus attacks in the cave. This statement ignores the fact that the cave holds             thousands of engravings which have been affected. The disappearance of some of             the finest prehistoric engravings under clouds of black spots is never spoken             of by the state although these engravings represent more than fifty percent of             the cave\u2019s art. Neither do they speak of the walls and ceilings of             Lascaux which have also been extensively contaminated by a proliferation of           black spots.<\/p>\n<p><strong>According to archeologists, one cannot separate artifacts from             their context. In Lascaux, the artifacts are the<\/strong> <strong>paintings, and their context is the entire cave. The cave\u2019s walls               and ceilings are the canvases of the prehistoric paintings.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The black stains, visible on a             limited number of paintings, actually spread over much larger areas of the             neighboring walls. Not only do they modify <strong>the artistic perception of the               paintings<\/strong>, but they also represent <strong>a significant threat<\/strong> <strong>to the integrity of all the paintings in the cave.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> It is on this point that             the ICPL strongly challenges UNESCO on its statement that the Outstanding             Universal Value and integrity of Lascaux has not been threatened. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The             ICPL continues to call for a truly independent, non-government sponsored             international council of scientists and experts in cave art and its             conservation to monitor and report to the world on Lascaux and its health.<br \/>\nConclusions at a glance:<\/p>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>No  study as to the causes of the origin of the damage has yet been undertaken as  directed by the WHC in 2008.<\/li>\n<li>No  effective treatment has been found to stop the proliferation of black fungus.<\/li>\n<li>The  climatic balance has not been restored.<\/li>\n<li>The implementation of the new international independent scientific committee is stalled awaiting a green light from France\u2019s new Minister of Culture.<\/li>\n<li>There  is currently no scientific supervision in the cave.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>HOW  CAN YOU HELP?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Write a letter of concern to the new Minister of Culture urging him to empower the group of international scientist who have formed LIST and have volunteered to save Lascaux. The clock is ticking and it is Lascaux\u2019s last chance to be saved. Lascaux is a world heritage site. It is a part of our universal and shared memory.<br \/>\nYou can write to:<br \/>\nFrederic Mitterrand<br \/>\nMinister of Culture<br \/>\n3 Rue de Valois<br \/>\n75033 Paris Cedex 01 FRANCE<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This is not new news &amp; yet, unhappily, it is news that stays news in that nothing is being done about it \u2014 as Clayton Eshleman reminded me just a few days ago. 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