NICAS Colloquium Online – 10 september 2026
We are pleased to announce a new, online edition of the NICAS colloquium on Thursday 10 september 2026 starting at 12.00 hrs. The colloquium will take place online through Microsoft Teams.
Throughout the year, NICAS organizes a bi-weekly Colloquium featuring short lunch lectures where researchers share updates, present new ideas, or discuss the outcomes of their work. The Colloquium aims to keep the field informed about the latest developments, foster the exchange of knowledge, and encourage collaboration.
This week’s presentation is by Marta Cremonesi (University of Antwerp). This session will be chaired by Lieke van Rooij (NICAS).
An image-based machine learning approach to evaluate cleaning efficacy within the MOXY project
Abstract
The Horizon Europe MOXY project (2022–2026) investigates plasma-generated atomic oxygen (AO) as an innovative contactless cleaning technology for cultural heritage. The experimental validation of this technology on mockups and historical objects raised crucial methodological issues, among which the need for systematic and unbiased evaluation of surface cleaning. This contribution presents the methodological framework developed within the project to systematize cleaning assessment through a benchmark approach. A specific focus is placed on cleaning efficacy evaluation, comparing established assessment methods with a novel approach based on ML image segmentation, adapted from existing applications in other fields. The method is of particular relevance to the conservation field, as a TWS plug-in is available as freeware in Fiji (ImageJ), readily applicable to both researchers and practitioners. The presented study focuses on soot removal from highly textured substrates (pongee silk), addressing specific optical challenges while offering potential for application to wider scenarios with similar limitations (for more info: https://doi.org/10.1038/s40494-026-02717-y).
Biography
Marta Cremonesi is a conservator of polychrome wooden sculptures and easel paintings, with a five-year MA in Conservation and Restoration from Centro Conservazione e Restauro “La Venaria Reale” in Turin, Italy. She specialized in archaeological polychromies and laser cleaning. She is currently a PhD candidate in Physics and Conservation-Restoration of Cultural Heritage at the University of Antwerp, within the ARCHES-AXIS research groups. Her research explores multi-analytical approaches for comparative cleaning assessment, with a current focus on plasma-generated atomic oxygen cleaning within the Horizon Europe MOXY project.