“The Past Always Present” is the third of the thematic lines proposed by the congress, and it is precisely within this line that the following proposal is situated, directly related to the thematic area of “Art and Aesthetics.” The symposium “ROCK ART IN COLOMBIA: RESEARCH AND LANGUAGES” focuses on two fundamental areas: first, the history of research and researchers—that is, the forms and results of records, dominant interpretations, and the documentation that has produced various documentary corpora forming part of the tangible heritage of rock art. It is clear that the history of research allows us to account for the tensions in the field, from which we can assess what has been achieved and the paths taken.
Second, it emphasizes recent techniques and technologies for the research and conservation of rock art sites; technological developments over the past thirty years have made it possible to obtain increasingly refined information on the recipes, raw materials and instruments used in the creation of rock art; likewise, these results are essential for conservation and care plans, as they reveal the factors and causes of deterioration and alteration.
Within this framework, and as part of the symposium, two activities will be held: one involving recognition of the pioneering research carried out by Graciliano Arcila Vélez, and the second, a visit to the Community Museum and the Petroglyph Park, both of which bear his name in homage to the researcher’s memory and are located in the municipality of Itagüí. Over the past decade, various documentation and conservation methodologies have been applied in this park, making it a living laboratory for the preservation of rock art memory.
