Dear J?rg, congratulations on your doctorate! Can you briefly summarise what your dissertation is about?

Actual cedar wood was difficult to acquire in Berlin and Potsdam in the 18th century. Nevertheless, in the room and inventory descriptions of Potsdam and Berlin palaces from the time of Frederick II (1712-1786), cedar is repeatedly mentioned in the manufacture of floors, wall panelling and furniture. The dissertation examines the trivial, commercial and scientific names behind the name "cedar". The expected variety of so-called cedar woods will be limited to the woods that could be considered for the Frederician Rococo period and information on the respective wood species will be compiled. In addition, aspects of the history of genuine cedar wood from Lebanon (Cedrus libani L.) from antiquity to modern times will be analysed. Furthermore, the use and significance of cedar wood at the Potsdam court in the 18th century under Frederick II is explained. Finally, the wood species analyses of the Frederician interiors in the palaces of the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin/Brandenburg are described before the work ends with a surprising conclusion.

What motivated you to do a doctorate after so many years of practical work as a restorer and workshop manager?

After I started at the FH Potsdam in 2002 as workshop manager of the KuR-Holz degree programme, I quickly found the desire to complete a doctorate. However, the search for a suitable topic was not so easy. My diploma thesis was not the end of the story for me.

How did you choose your topic for your doctoral thesis? Was there a specific trigger or a key experience?

Together with my colleague at the time, Prof Hans Michaelsen, and many other colleagues, I worked on the book K?nigliches Parkett in preu?ischen Schl?ssern: Geschichte, Erhaltung und Restaurierung begehbarer Kunstwerke. In addition to the editorial work, I wrote the article: Cedar? No Juniper! Source studies and determination of wood species in the interiors of Prussian castles. This preliminary work provided me with the basis for the topic of my dissertation.

What new insights did you gain during your research - especially with regard to the conservation of wooden objects?

Firstly, I realised that the trade and trivial names of individual types of wood often do not correspond to their scientific names. In fact, nobody should simply rely on trivial/trade names, otherwise it very quickly becomes unscientific. This also has a lot to do with the timber trade over the centuries (an economic sector that should not be neglected) and I consider it an important task to show our students of the KuR-Holz degree programme the possibilities and techniques for identifying wood species, to provide them with well-founded information about wood names and the use of wood species for which wooden objects. This subject could be expanded.

During my doctorate, I also realised once again what a rich treasure trove of furniture and furnishings students can find in the palaces in Potsdam and Berlin and what role the respective rulers, interior architects and, above all, the carpenters we know played in this.

What challenges did you face during your doctorate - professional, organisational or personal?

Professionally: starting from what is known academically, I have repeatedly broken new ground and learnt a lot. I think it's very important to take a close look and scrutinise things and to keep looking for new solutions. Fortunately, my examiners also pointed out to me that enough is enough!

Organisationally: I think it's important to be as well informed as possible about the next organisational steps during such an extensive process as a doctorate. Fortunately, I was mostly able to rely on the information provided to me by my first examiner.

In the meantime, it was important for me not to lose sight of the workshop of the KuR-Holz degree programme, our students and the RWTec DeTox research project running from 2020-2023.

For the part-time doctorate, I still had to put some other things aside.

On a personal level, completing a doctorate while working full-time often pushed me to the limits of what I could do. Fortunately, everything (including my private life!) is still there ...

How did you manage to combine your doctorate with your job as workshop manager at the FH Potsdam?

Not at all at first. Later, with a lot of discipline, great and very independent students, a great colleague (Prof Dr Angelika Rauch) and experienced colleagues from the restoration field, who supported me with a lot of patience, corrected me and pointed out other possible solutions. I was also lucky that both of my examiners were very supportive.

To what extent do the results of your dissertation now feed into your teaching and workshop work?

I can now assess even more precisely what students have to go through in their own theses (I have been supervising both BA and MA theses since 2011) and can advise them much better during the supervision of their theses.

The results of the thesis flow into my course on wood species identification in many places. Here I try to broaden the students' professional perspective considerably. I can also better convey in the workshop work that it is worth taking a closer look and working precisely.

Has your view of wood as a material or of certain conservation methods changed as a result of the intensive academic study?

The intensive scientific study of wood has instilled in me a respect for its delicate structure and its use as a building material. In addition, I am aware of its close connection to human history (cedar wood was already known around 3000 BC. C. and already a symbol of power here) has become clear over the millennia.

As workshop manager, you are very close to practical training. How important is the combination of theory and practice in restoration for you?

From my point of view, theory can't be learnt without practice. It is simply learnt, but cannot be applied to a problem. However, this is important in order to judge whether a measure works at all on a particular object. In addition, theory fades very quickly without application. It would be strange if the students learnt in theory that a material is very heavy, i.e. has a high density, but could not transfer this property to practical activities such as carrying, planing, sawing, gluing, etc. It would also be strange if the material was then used in a performance test.

If this material then appears in a client's specifications, it remains impossible for the trained contractors to complete the specifications. In short, conservators cannot practise their profession without practical experience. That's why it's important to me to give students lots of small and large practical experiences in addition to all the theory.

One example: Even though I can think about putting my shirt sleeve on for a long time, it soon gets cold if I don't try or do it.

What current developments or trends are you observing in the field of wood conservation - technically, methodologically or in terms of sustainability?

More and more modern methods and techniques are being developed for the examination, conservation and restoration of wooden objects: 3D scanning for the production of reconstructions, wooden filaments as substitute materials, laser technology for cleaning coatings, etc. In the degree programme, we have a modern 3D microscope that makes it relatively easy to visualise microscopic phenomena up to 360x magnification without having to prepare a sample of the object under a fixed microscope.

On the subject of sustainability, the following strikes me: a chest of drawers or cabinet from the 19th century can be restored with relatively little effort and can then be used as storage furniture for a long time to come. It could hardly be more sustainable. On the other hand, we usually have to say goodbye to a supposedly cheap Ikea wardrobe after just one move.

Is there a particular object or project that has remained in your memory throughout your career?

Of course my diploma object (a bureau mazarin/bureau with eight legs) from the 17th century, which is in the collection of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam and whose writing tablet I was allowed to restore in the workshop there. The richly illustrated marquetry (wooden puzzle on blind wood) clearly goes back to engravings by Jean Berain the Elder (1640-1711), who worked for Louis XIV.

I also remember many objects from the church of St Nicholas in Stralsund, which I visit twice a year with students on a restoration excursion. I particularly remember the main altar (around 1470), the Schl¨¹ter altar (1708) and objects from the BA and MA theses I supervised (e.g. the 17th century alderman's chair).

In your opinion, how has the profession of conservator changed in recent years - and where is it heading?

The profession of conservator has become more professional and scientific. Objects are handled more carefully and the focus is more than ever on preserving all layers of an object, always in line with the ethical values of restoration. If we intervene, we can only do so after we have analysed all the possibilities. To do this, we need to know and master as many measures as possible from the fields of preventive conservation, historical techniques and modern conservation/restoration methods.

In addition, as everywhere else, we should co-operate well with everyone involved with such an object. An elbow mentality doesn't help here. In the end, only the object suffers.

We should also bear this in mind in our main task here at the UAS. If we set an example of real cooperation for the students, they will also adopt this in their practice.

What advice would you give to young people who want to pursue a career in conservation and restoration?

• From my point of view, they should train themselves well as a craftsman.
• Have an interest in the various study options.
• A desire to learn how to work together.
• Never think that you know everything now, but keep your mind open for the next opportunity.
• Learn new things, stay flexible.
• If you get stuck, take a break and try again.
• Always remain optimistic.

And finally: How did you experience the moment when you completed your doctorate? What was your first thought?

Life is beautiful! I never thought it would be easy ...

Thank you very much!

The interview was conducted by Steffi Brune, Press and Science Communication Office