9th International Conservation Conference “Textiles in Monuments. Research – Conservation – Innovation”

9th International Conservation Conference “Textiles in Artifacts. Research – Conservation – Innovation”

The Department of Conservation and Restoration of Paper and Leather, Faculty of Fine Arts, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, and the Polish Institute of World Art Studies invite you to the 9th International Conservation Conference “Textiles in Artifacts. Research – Conservation – Innovation,” which will be held from April 15-17, 2026, at the Centre for Contemporary Art “Znaki Czasu” at 13 Wały Gen. Sikorskiego Street in Toruń.

Textiles are an integral part of cultural heritage, sometimes completely unnoticed and peripheral, yet crucial in the context of the long-term protection of historic buildings. Their original utilitarian purpose has also sometimes acquired exceptional significance, as a significant symbol of power alongside insignia, but also of wealth, membership in a specific social group, and finally as a component of important cultural assets, artistic crafts, archives, ethnographic objects, furniture, accessories, and many others. Combining different materials in historic buildings, where textiles contribute to a cohesive whole, is a difficult challenge faced by art conservators, curators, and archivists, among others. Collaboration between specialists from various fields remains an invaluable contribution to a comprehensive understanding of the material itself and its interconnection with others in a broader context.

The conference will focus on issues related to complex objects in which textiles are a component. Production, trade, and preservation are interconnected topics that connect many influences and fields, encompassing important, overlapping aspects of tangible and intangible heritage, culture, knowledge, and cutting-edge research. In an era of dynamic developments in science and technology, the conservation of historic textiles is gaining entirely new tools, methods, and materials. The conference will address modern (but not limited to) solutions used in the research, conservation, reconstruction, storage, and exhibition of textiles, especially in cases requiring a non-standard approach – for example, in objects with complex materials, large-scale structures, or in a state of decay, while taking into account cultural and environmental challenges. Particular attention will be paid to technological innovations and interdisciplinary practices that have the potential to transform textile conservation – both in large museum institutions and in smaller conservation studios.

This event will be an opportunity to present research results and experiences, but also to exchange views between academics and practitioners dealing with textiles, which constitute an integral part of both tangible and intangible heritage.

Thematic blocks:
Textiles in the study of art history and material culture – presence, significance, contexts
Textile research in historical monuments: significance, methods, challenges;
Textiles in Complex Objects – Combinations of Various Materials and Their Conservation;
Innovations in Textile Conservation – New Materials, Technologies, Strategies;
Conservation of Textiles in Historic Monuments – Technical and Environmental Challenges / Between Science, Practice, and Heritage;
Digitization, Documentation, and Sharing of Collections;
We invite conservators, archaeologists, art historians, curators, archivists, anthropologists, artists, and others involved in this field to submit paper proposals. Papers are expected to last 20 minutes. One poster session is also planned. The event will be accompanied by an exhibition of historic textile objects at the Collegium Maximum at Plac Rapacki 1 in Toruń and a study tour of the Old Town Complex in Toruń.

Submission of abstracts: plc@umk.pl; paperandleather@umk.pl by December 22, 2025

Abstract Structure:
Title of presentation, name and surname of author(s), affiliation, email address, keywords, abstract text (maximum 500 words), file format – preferably editable, e.g., doc., 12-point font, single line spacing, 2.5 cm margins.

Notification of authors regarding acceptance or rejection of presentation and poster proposals: January 30, 2026

Conference languages: Polish, English

Conference Fee:
The conference fee includes registration fee, participation in the paper and poster sessions, meals (April 15-16, 2026), conference materials – PLN 600 gross; PLN 450 gross – speakers; students are exempt from the fee.

Accommodation is booked individually. Suggestion for booking accommodation yourself: Hotel Uniwersytecki, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Szosa Chełmińska 83A, 87-100 Toruń, tel. +48 56 611-28-00; +48 512 011-331

Payment is due by February 15, 2026. Failure to pay constitutes withdrawal from the Conference.

Withdrawal from participation in the Conference after February 28, 2026, or absence from the Conference, will not entitle you to a refund.