High Wycombe: ‘Preserving the Past, Inspiring the Future' Furniture Conference

The new National School of Furniture at Bucks New University will host the inaugural 'Preserving the Past, Inspiring the Future' Furniture Conference on June 7, 2011.

Organised by the Furniture Research Group, this thought-provoking conference will look at new initiatives in predicted furniture activities for the coming century, whilst simultaneously examining key aspects of conservation and historical studies from the past.

Recognising High Wycombe's importance in the history of the furniture making industry, the conference will take place in the town in The Gateway at Bucks New University, from 9.30am - 4.45pm on June 7.

The conference will be of interest to all those involved in the industry, from auctioneers, collectors and conservators, to curators, furniture designers and historians, researchers and students.
Headlining the speaker panel will be Rod Titian, a BBC Restoration Roadshow specialist and conservator/restorer to Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace and Kew Palace, who will give a presentation about the techniques of gilding and lacquering.

The keynote speech will be delivered by Dr Lynn Jones, head of the National School of Furniture, High Wycombe, and there will be other inspiring presentations from renowned national and international speakers representing furniture conservation, design, history and manufacture sectors.

Speaking ahead of the conference, Prof Jake Kaner, chair of the Furniture Research Group (formerly the 20th Century Furniture Research Group) and professor in furniture at Bucks New University, said: "I am sure that this will be a memorable event. With such a good range and quality of speakers, it will inevitably be academically highly informative as well as very entertaining. Having secured 66 furniture sector partners already, the new National School of Furniture is growing from strength to strength, and this inaugural conference is planned as the first of many successful events to be hosted by the National School of Furniture and its partners. It will provide an exciting forum for discourse centred on the UK furniture sector and its international reputation, properly recognising its significant past and encouraging its promising future."

The full conference schedule can be found at: bucks.ac.uk/furniture

To reserve a place at the conference, please book online at: bucks.ac.uk/furnitureconference. For further information, please contact: sharon.grover@bucks.ac.uk or call 01494 522 141 ext 3583.