International conference “Figure and Ornament: Aesthetics, Art and Architecture in the Caucasus Region, from 400 to 1650″ was held in the Goethe Institute in Tbilisi from September 29 to October 1, 2011. It was organized by the George Chubinashvili National Research Centre, the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz – Max-Planck-Institut, and the University of Basel, with the support of the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation and the Freiwillige Akademische Gesellschaft, Basel.
The conference was dedicated to the various relationships between figure and ornament in the arts of the Caucasus from the Early Christianity until the mid-seventeenth century, in particular in Georgia, Armenia, Albania/Azerbaijan, Eastern Anatolia and Northern Iran.
Ten scholars from Georgia and twenty scholars from various European countries participated in the conference.
FIRST JAPANESE-GEORGIAN WORKSHOP OF ARCHITECTURAL AND URBAN HISTORIANS
Within the framework of the joint research project, the Tokyo Institute of Technology and the George Chubinashvili National Research Centre organized the first First Japanese-Georgian Workshop of Architectural and Urban Historians. The workshop was held on September 21, 2011 in the Japanese Centre Lecture Room at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Ilia State University.
The workshop was opened by Mariam Didebulidze, the director of the George Chubinashvili National Research Centre, Giorgi Sanikidze, the director of the Institute of Oriental Studies, and Shiro Sasano, the professor of the Tokyo Institute of Technology. Two researchers from the George Chubinashvili National Research Centre, Natia Natsvlishvili and Irina Mania presented their papers at the workshop.
The second workshop will be held in 2013 in Tokyo.
“International Award Architecture in Stone” 2011, 12th Edition.
On September 24, 2011, in Verona (Italy) 46a Marmomacc (Verona, 21th– 24th September, 2011) – The Awards Ceremony took place on at the Castelvecchio Museum in Verona. International Award Architecture in Stone, a prize created by Veronafiere-Marmomacc for the best works of architecture done with stone.
The project SVANETI TOWERS – Georgia was the winning project for “Vernacular architecture” Award.
Giorgi Patachuri, researcher from the G. Chubinashvili National Research Centre participated in the project by providing documentation (designs, measurements, drawings, master-plans, photos etc.) and scholarly texts.
Mr. Nika Rurua, the Minister of Culture and heritage Preservation of Georgia, attended the Award ceremony.
The project “SVANETI TOWERS – Georgia” has been included in the twelfth edition of the “International Award Architecture in Stone 2011” – “Glocal Stone, 2011”
Promoted by 46th Marmomacc, International Exhibition of Marble, Stone and Technologies.


























