They include;

Mr. Bill Edwards, curator of the Gordon Museum of Pathology and senior tutor at the King’s College where the largest collection of scientific wax models of Joseph Towne is kept. 
Eleanor Crook, artist in residence at the Gordon Museum and one of the main artistic authorities in the contemporary wax modelling for the last 30 years. 
Mr. Francis Wells, renowned cardio surgeon from Cambridge with a long-standing interest in the Arts and the relation between art and science. 
Dr Francesco Maria Galassi, paleopathologist from the Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, who examines the importance of wax models in the history and evolution of ancient pathologies to the benefit of contemporary medical research. 
Pascale Pollier, Belgian artist, President of AEIMS Association Européenne des Illustrateurs Médicaux et Scientifiques and talented wax modeller. Owen Burke, former medical physicist, photographer and graphic artist.

So far a wonderful variety of national and international speakers, coming from important institutions, have agreed to participate in the congress covering many of the different aspects of this fascinating and peculiar art:

• Madame Tussauds: will present the history of waxworks, its historical importance and psychology.

• Gordon Museum: holds the largest collection of anatomical, pathological and dermatological waxes of Joseph Towne (1806-1879), the first and the only anatomical ceroplastic artist known in the UK. 

• Museum of Zoology and Natural History “La Specola”, Florence: will present one of the oldest and finest collections of anatomical wax models of the 18th century from the ‘new model’ of scientific museum pioneered in the Enlightenment. 

• Museo Olavide, Madrid: will talk about the recently rediscovered collection of Spanish dermatological moulages.

• The Victoria and Albert Museum: will show some of the beautiful, largely unknown, wax models and sketches from the 16th to the 19th century.

• Westminster Abbey: will present the funeral masks and effigies of the Royal Family.

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The approach of conservation and restoration of wax artefacts will be presented by revered institutions such as the Opificio delle Pietre dure of Florence, the Westminster Abbey conservator and the V&A of London.
British artist Eleanor Crook and Belgian artist Pascale Pollier will talk of the art of sculpting in wax, running some wax workshops in the Gordon Museum premises and with and exhibition of contemporary artworks made in this fascinating material. 

This will also be the occasion to introduce the “Pygmalion Society”, the first academic society and registered charity of its kind dedicated to the interdisciplinary academic study of the art and social history of wax as an artistic medium. An organisation with the aim to support and expand all research, publishing and collaboration within the wax medium in its historical, artistic and scientific context. 

The advantageous characteristics of wax have led to the use of this material over the centuries for numerous purposes and it is the aim of this congress to explore many of them.

This project is intended as a fantastic opportunity for the gathering of experts, professionals and artists who are interested and engaged in the study, conservation, development and protection of collections and works of art created in this material.

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Wax Modelling London 2017

President: Roberta Ballestriero (London) 
Vice Presidents: Bill Edwards (London), Eleanor Crook (London)
Organising Committee: Francesco Maria Galassi (Zurich), Francis Wells (Cambridge), Pascale Pollier (Belgium)
Webmaster: Owen Burke (London)