RPS Council is not the only group I chair. I am also Chair of a number of International Standards committees and over the years these have made a significant contribution to my working practice. This week and next I am running meetings on Printing standards; on-line due to current restrictions.
Like the RPS events much of this work has gone on-line over past months and we probably will not roll back from this. There have already been incidents this week where a quiet word in the corridor could have helped the dynamics of the meeting but I suspect that conference platforms will evolve to cover this human dimension. But it is certainly more inclusive as we have delegates from America and Asia participating, dipping in and out as they can choose which parts of the meeting to access.
This time last year I was about to depart for the National Archives in Washington DC for International Standards for Photography, where I represent the RPS and head the UK Delegation. We will not be travelling this year but a focus area for my on-line meetings continues to be heritage imaging. How will we preserve image collections in museums for future generations?
This was a significant topic at the Washington meeting last year and one of my interests is not only how we store these significant images but also that we continue to collect and make them available. Are we documenting the present for the future and storing it in a form that will remain accessible?
I have a past professional interest in sculpture and on a walk around the Washington memorials I came across an image that captured my thoughts. The documentation of a significant event by photography, recorded in metal for future generations. And an inspiration for the heritage imaging work.