Ceramica e Conservazione preventiva

The conservation of the outdoor ceramic heritage is one of the most important issues for the cities that boast secular artistic tradition. The artworks are constantly subject to environmental and human factors. Their protection starts from preventive measures and results in protection actions and use of efficient technologies. The Eugenio Montale promenade pays tribute to the tradition of the Albisola Superiore ceramic art and it is a prime example of art as urban design. It was realized on the track of the decommissioned coastal railway and it was enriched during time by the artworks of international artists. Among them, the panel "Saludo al mar" (Sosabravo, 2007) and the sculpture “Totem” (Carlè, 1993) are the object of a pilot site to test the use of sol-gel products for the preventive maintenance and restoration. The project consists of a scheduled monitoring, the data of which will be useful to extend the use of nanotechnologies in the restoration of outdoor ceramic artworks.