News

MuSIS at the AIC 38th Annual Meeting
MuSIS will be demonstrated live at the Forth Photonics booth (no. 216) during the AIC 38th Annual Meeting taking place in Milwaukee 11-14 May.

MuSIS at the UK's ICON CF10 Conference, Cardiff University, 25-26th March
MuSIS will be exhibited at the Trade Show of the Conservation in Focus 2010 Conference, taking place in Cardiff University, 25-26th March. This will be the first ever conference of the UK's Institute of Conservation and will consider the broad theme of UK Conservation - past, present and future.

Icon Network Workshop III: "Byzantine Icon Resin Varnishes"
MuSIS systems were presented to an international team of icon conservators during the Icon Network Workshop III held at the Byzantine and Christian Museum of Athens, Greece from June 29th to July 3rd, 2009. During the presentation interesting features, such as underdrawings and later interventions on authentic Byzantine and post-Byzantine icons, were detected and documented

AIC 37th Annual Meeting. MuSIS was present at the exhibition of the American Institute for Conservation 37th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, California on May 21 & 22, 2009. The MuSIS booth was visited by a large number of art conservation specialists who were enthusiastic about the technology and its applications

Technart 2009. MuSIS was exhibited at the Technart 2009 International Conference on Non-destructive and Microanalytical Techniques in Art and Cultural Heritage held in Athens, 27 - 30 April 2009. A brief presentation of MuSIS systems was also given during the Conference Vendors' Session on Monday 27 April, enjoying high attendance and stirring significant scientific interest

The Old Georgian Palimpsest. Prof. Jost Gippert (Chair of the Institute of Comparative Linguistics at Frankfurt University, Germany) published the starting volume of a complete edition of the Old Georgian texts preserved in the lower layer of a famous palimpsest of the Austrian National Library, Vienna. With the use of the MuSIS HS imaging system, more than 95% of the original content has been deciphered and restored. Here is a preliminary report on this work by Prof. Gippert

The Medievalist Gadget! Alberto Montaner of the University of Saragossa, Spain, in an informative article, describes how MuSIS HS can be an essential tool for all researchers studying historical manuscripts

New discoveries in Singapore: The Heritage Conservation Center of Singapore has published new findings on the painting techniques and working style of the painter Wong Shih Yaw, using their MuSIS MS system for IR reflectance and transmittance imaging

The Conservation Department of the Archaeological Museum of Herakleion, Crete acquires a MuSIS MS system: "The Herakleion Archaeological Museum is one of the largest and most important museums in Greece, and among the most important museums in Europe. It is rightly considered as the museum of Minoan culture par excellence worldwide." The Conservation Department of the Museum - which is currently receiving a major expansion and renovation - has now acquired a MuSIS MS system for the study, among others, of painted archaeological objects, the evaluation of the cleaning processes of stone artifacts etc.

Forth Photonics receives an ISO 9001:2000 certificate: Forth Photonics receives an ISO 9001:2000 certificate for its Quality Management System in the fields of Design, Production and Technical Support of Digital Colposcopes and Hyperspectral Digital Imaging Systems

MuSIS on the Acropolis: Forth Photonics staff, with the use of MuSIS MS, have taken part in a study carried out by Y.S.M.A. (the Acropolis Monuments Restoration Service) on the surface of the Erechteion on the Athens Acropolis. The study was part of a preliminary assessment of the surface condition (including the state of preservation of ancient painted decoration) of the famous Caryatids Porch, prior to applying laser cleaning.

MuSIS at the Palace of Nestor: Forth Photonics staff, using MuSIS HS, has taken part in the Pylos Regional Archaeological Project of the University of Cincinnati. The study was supervised by Dr. Harikleia Brekoulaki, Coordinator of the Conservation and Publication of the Wall Paintings of the Palace of Nestor (a major monument of the Mycenean era).

The first private art restorers in Greece acquire the new upgraded MuSIS MS model.

MuSIS R&D team presented recent results in Art 2008- 9th International Conference held in Jerusalem, Israel (May 25-30 2008). It was shown that the combination of MuSIS HS with Spectral Classification Algorithms enabled the non destructive identification of pigments in El Greco’s paintings. Additionally, MuSIS cameras were demonstrated live at the Art 2008 trade show. Both oral presentation and live demonstration of MuSIS were very well attended and received.

Researchers from Getty Conservation Institute, CA, USA discovered, using MuSIS HS, an otherwise invisible inscription on the shroud of the Fayum mummy Herakleides. The relevant article was published in Nature Journal (vol. 453, 8 May 2008, p. 159)

Forth Photonics participated in the Salone del Restauro (2nd – 5th of April 2008) in Ferrara, Italy. MuSIS was exhibited at the company booth and enjoyed high attendance.

The new upgraded MuSIS MS model is acquired by the Cultural and Educational Technology Institute (IPET) in Xanthi, Greece.

Fiona Lowrie joined Forth Photonics as CEO to lead the company’s new phase of expansion and growth.

The British Library, London, acquires a MuSIS HS for the study of palimpsests and other manuscripts.

National Heritage Board, Singapore procures a MuSIS system to guide on-going conservation activities.

MuSIS hyperspectral technology assists in revealing a hitherto unknown date stamp in El Greco's "The Baptism of Christ" (from the collection of The Historical Museum of Crete).

University of Zaragoza, Spain procures a MuSIS HS for the digitization and restoration of palimpsests.