ACTIVITY
Amara Carvajal has worked since the year 2006 in the conservation and restoration of historic and artistic goods. More specifically, because of her unique character, she specializes in the conservation and restoration of historic paving carried out with pebbles.
A research grant on “Nanotechnology applied to… the conservation of stone” gave her the opportunity of learning and investigating nano-limes and nanoparticles for the consolidation and water-repellence of stone materials. Thanks to it, she was able to surprisingly discover that the techniques of traditional lime have quite a stable performance. She considers further study would be necessary to have a full understanding on the matter. She also considers it vital to study in depth these traditional materials and the possibility of incorporating them – with the adequate methodology of study – to the processes of conservation and restoration of today.
Since she carried out this investigation, she works on spreading the word and promoting the techniques relating to lime. She also carries out the study, cataloguing and the preservation-restoration of historic paving made out of pebbles.
TRAINING
Her work experience and training has been in the field of Fine Arts, especially through sculpture and artistic and traditional forge. She has also gained experience in the field of research with the investigation group Grupo Arbotante belonging to the University of Zaragoza within the… area of conservation and restoration of Heritage.
She has collaborated with different businesses, such as Mallata S.Coop, with whom she started to study the techniques related to lime or the use of local stone, slabs or pebbles as constructive materials.
Thanks, especially, to the efforts and advisory of Jesús García, in that first phase she had the chance of working, investigating and carrying out traditional constructive techniques in different restoration works.
In the year 2006, due to those works, under the initiative of Eugenio Monesma (Pyrene Productions), a documentary was developed where all the constructive phases of these types of grounds were shown and a reflection upon their historic, aesthetic and artistic value was also included. This work had a clear implication: suddenly, these techniques were given the value they actually have and it also reflected the need for a deeper historical and technical study of them. It also implied the need to give a greater comprehensive dissemination of these techniques in order for them to have a place in the future.
TEACHING
In 2010 Amara Carvajal carried out and coordinated the construction works of two pebble pavings in Ibort (Huesca). In October 2016, she showed the technique at the European Sessions on Heritage carried out in Navarra.
She has co-directed together with Josep Gisbert Aguilar, the course “Consolidantes… y tratamientos protectores de últimas tecnologías para la conservación-restauración de soportes inorgánicos” (Consolidating and protective treatments using the latest technologies in the conservation and restoration of inorganic supporting elements) at the School of Heritage in Nájera (La Rioja), and has been a lecturer in that same course, talking on the subject of “Hidrofugantes y sistemas protectores. Generalidades” (Water-repellents and protective systems. General things to know about them).
In line with this teaching trend, she has carried out various lectures as part of the sessions “Los martes en el museo” (Tuesdays at the museum) at the Museum of Navarra, in Pamplona, as also “Estudios e intervenciones sobre caliza campanil” (Studies and interventions on campanil limestone) dating 2014, in collaboration with the investigation group Grupo Arbotante belonging to the University of Zaragoza and “La pintura mural del sepulcro Sánchez de Asiain. Su conservación y restauración” (Mural painting of the Sánchez de Asiain sepulchre, its conservation and restoration), in collaboration with the restoration business Sagarte S.L.
SELECTED WORK
In 2006 she carried out the Conservation – Restoration of pebble pavings in the Church of San Ramón in Belarra, Huesca; in the tower of the Church of Satué, Huesca and in the first floor of the Castle of Larrés, in the Museo del Dibujo… Julio Gavín.
In 2010 she carried out a pebble paving commissioned by the Town Council in Sabiñánigo. In the Square of the deserted villages, in Puente Sardas, two large pebble pavings. She also carried out an international workshop in Ibort, Sabiñánigo, for the dissemination of the pebble paving technique and its retrieval.
In October 2016, because of the European Sessions on Heritage taking place, she organized an exhibition of the technique used for historic pebble stone paving in Tudela and Pamplona, organized by Bienes Muebles e Inmuebles de Patrimonio de Navarra.
