Unrestorable and self-destructive?

If you like conservation of organic materials, or tricky treatments, take a look at this lighthearted but interesting article. A couple of the works depicted do look unrestorable, and are even being called "self-destructive" in the article.
http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2011/feb/23/extending-life-in-the-gallery/

Conservation, reconstruction and healing

The NYT reports on the conservation work being done on the three remaining murals of the Episcopal Trinity Cathedral in Port-au-Prince, in Haiti.  Originally there were 14 murals  but they were almost totally destroyed in the earthquake in 2010. The article, appropriately titled "Haiti's scars, and its soul, find healing on walls" discusses the project carried out through a partnership between the Episcopal Church and the Smithsonian, with the support and enthusiasm of the local population.  

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/23/world/americas/23haiti.html

Looting and damage to artefacts in Egypt

As things start to settle down in Egypt, reports about looting and damage to artefacts and sites start to emerge. For example, Antiquities Minister Zahi Hawass has now confirmed that 18 items have disappeared from the Egyptian Museum, probably stolen during a break-in on 28^th January. The list includes a statue of Tutankhamun.

See the short report on  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12442863

However, it is perhaps more disturbing to read that the theft would be an acceptable justification for the “dispersal” of major artefacts through the world. http://timesonline.typepad.com/dons_life/2011/02/where-does-king-tut-belong.html

I think I have about a thousand problems with this person’s statement but I could see it coming. For now I will only say that if this was to happen in a fair and consistent way, we should start by dispersing not only all treasures but also all wealth.

At the other end are those who argue it is wrong to think of artefacts when human lives have been lost, such as one of the responses to the AAA's "Signs Statement of Support for Egypt"  http://www.aaanet.org/issues/policy-advocacy/Egypt-Letter.cfm  posted on Zero Anthropology http://zeroanthropology.net/2011/02/05/the-american-anthropological-association-and-egypt-its-mostly-about-the-artifacts/ 

Google - Taking virtual tours to a whole new level!

I just discovered an extremely interesting article on the internet about one of Google's newest projects. I'm sure many people have used Google Streetview, and some might even know that through Google Streetview you can visit certain UNESCO sites such as Pompei in a virtual tour. Their newest project is to make it possible for people to take virtual tours with Google Streetview through museums! The article can be read here:

Google Offers Virtual Tours of 17 of the Top Museums Using Street View Technology

"Google's Art Project website is seen on a laptop computer during its launch at the Tate Britain gallery in London February 1, 2011. Google aims to bring the world's great art galleries into the home with a new website that offers virtual tours, the ability to build a private collection of masterpieces and ultra-high resolution images."

"Each of the 17 museums involved also chose one artwork to be photographed using "gigapixel" photo capturing technology, resulting in an image on the computer containing seven billion pixels and providing detail not visible to the naked eye."

"Users can create their own collections, add comments and share their experiences, opening up educational opportunities."

Now I don't believe that viewing these museums through Streetview might cause less people to visit museum. I think it might actually draw visitors to these museums, as they can now 'have a look around in the museum' before deciding whether it is worth visiting or not. Similarly, if you can only afford to spend one hour in the museum, you can figure out beforehand which galleries are most worth visiting.

I'm not sure what to think of the idea of creating your own collection. I'll have to experiment and see how that works, but it would be nice to be able to discuss works of art with other art lovers. I wonder if people would be able to visit each other's collections... It might be a nice idea to be able to show friends around in 'your own virtual gallery' (and here on the left wall, you can see "Sunflowers" by Van Gogh).

Current reburial issues

Legislation forces archaeologists to rebury finds

"The dispute centres on legislation introduced by the Ministry of Justice in 2008 which requires all human remains excavated at digs in England and Wales to be reburied within two years, regardless of their age."

Reburying all human remains (regardless of their age!) because we fear to offend a relatively small group of people seems like such a waste of research potential to me. Especially now that we’re discovering more and more scientific methods in which we can do research on human remains in order to learn more about prehistoric life, it seems illogical to me to rebury these remains and miss our chance of enhancing our knowledge of this field. Not to mention that the majority of people find research that has and is being done on human remains fascinating. Whenever I meet with people and tell them about my excavation experience one of the first questions they ask is “Have you ever found any human remains?”. When I tell them that I study Conservation they ask me questions about bog bodies and mummies. And is the exhibition that includes the Egyptian mummies not the best visited part of the British Museum?

"The ruling applies to any pieces of bone uncovered at around 400 dig sites, including the remains of 60 or so bodies found at Stonehenge in 2008 that date back to 3,000BC. Archaeologists have been granted a temporary extension to give them more time, but ultimately the bones will have to be returned to the ground."

What really frustrates me is that groups like "Honouring the Ancient Dead" (HAD), who are part of the driving force behind this legislation, now have won the right to have these remains reburied based on the fact that these remains are recognized as their "pre-Christian ancestors". We are talking about 3000 year old human remains who are reclaimed by a relatively young religious group (1) who, correct me if I'm mistaken, have never officially asked for scientific research to be conducted in order to be legally recognized as the genealogical descendants of these buried people. Legally they should have no more right to these remains than the majority of the "native population of England".

If you visit the HAD website you can see that they have a list of so-called "projects" where you can read how they have managed to get involved in the reburial process. In the Stonehenge case the HAD has been in regular contact with the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and this contact has evolved to the point where the MOJ has written a letter to the HAD (which you can read on their website) in which they promise the HAD that "pagan communities will continue to be consulted regarding this issue".

Links to various websites

Reburial requirement impedes archaeology

HAD - Honouring the Ancient Dead

(1) I am aware of the fact that certain Pagan groups say that their parents/grandparents/ancestors have managed to keep their religious Pagan traditions alive for thousands of years. However, this has never been proven and the religion has never been officially recognized until rather recently.

Report on damage to cultural heritage in Egypt

Antiquities Chief Says Sites Are Largely Secure

By KATE TAYLOR

Published: February 1, 2011 on the New York Times 

"A vast majority of Egypt’s museums and archaeological sites are secure and have not been looted, Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s chief antiquities official, said in a telephone interview on Tuesday. He also rejected comparisons between the current situation in Egypt and scenes of chaos and discord that resulted in the destruction of artifacts in Iraq and Afghanistan."

See the whole article on http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/02/world/middleeast/02antiquities.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y