Evidence
Link observations, images, tests, references, and treatment notes to the conservation questions they support.
Early-stage conservation documentation initiative
Durable evidence records for conservation decisions.
CERES explores how condition observations, treatment records, images, material evidence, and decision context can remain understandable, reusable, and auditable over time.
Why it matters
Conservation documentation is more than a report.
Records of condition, treatment, context, and uncertainty are part of an object's long-term care. Yet documentation often becomes scattered across PDFs, photographs, databases, folders, and local institutional habits.
CERES asks how conservation records can preserve not only what was done, but why it was done, what evidence supported the decision, and how future conservators can assess that information without depending on a single software system or undocumented workflow.
Framework direction
A practical evidence layer for object care.
Decision Context
Capture reasoning, uncertainty, constraints, and alternatives so future readers can understand the professional judgement involved.
Continuity
Treat documentation as institutional memory that should survive staff changes, software changes, and shifting collection priorities.
Working principles
Human-readable, machine-usable, conservator-led.
- Conservation first. The framework begins from object care, material knowledge, and documentation practice, not from software features.
- Auditable by humans. Records should remain understandable to conservators, collection managers, researchers, and institutions.
- Portable over time. Documentation should be structured enough to migrate, compare, and reuse without losing essential context.
- Open to critique. The initiative is at an exploratory stage and depends on feedback from working conservation professionals and heritage institutions.
Current status
An independent early-stage initiative.
CERES is not currently a software product, formal institutional programme, or commercial platform. The present goal is to gather feedback, test the relevance of the framework, and identify whether the questions it raises reflect shared needs in conservation documentation.
A working proposition paper is available as background material for discussion and feedback.
Read the working proposition paperContact
Feedback and conversation are welcome.
CERES is developed by Tereza Peneva, a conservator-restorer and software developer based in Switzerland.
tereza.peneva@gmail.com Professional background