Conservation on Contemporary Art

Conservators face technical difficulties when working on contemporary art, as new materials and techniques may be employed in the artworks. Moreover, physical and conceptual properties of these works usually overlap or even compete. Therefore, conservators need to think about the material and immaterial contexts of the work and come up with new decision-making models.

The Role of the Conservator in Disaster Preparation and Response

This poster discusses the role(s) of the conservator in times of crisis caused by natural disaster and their resulting aftermath. The conservator functions as disaster planner, trainer, and organizer during disaster preparation as well as coordinator, consultant, and materials expert during and following disaster.

Participatory Conservation in Post-Disaster Contexts

This poster presents two case studies highlighting the importance of participatory conservation in post-disaster contexts. The first illustrates the benefit of having local networks to safeguard heritage during and following a disaster. The second case study is on training programs for Syrian refugees, which seek to create networks of heritage professionals who may safeguard their culture in the future. 

The House Museum and the Conservator: A Unique Perspective

Historic house museums are global symbols of culture, nationalism, and education and a major part of the museum sector. In contrast to other heritage institutions, their conservation is centered on a tri-part focus, emphasis on preventive conservation, the question of authenticity, and management of open displays. 

Scroll Across the Screen: Opportunities and Challenges for Digitising Cultural Heritage

Digitisation has been widely applied to conservation of cultural heritage. The case of Qingming Shanghe Tu (清明上河圖) illustrates there are opportunities and vulnerabilities brought by the application of digital technology: whilst the advancement of digitisation brings opportunities regarding arts interpretation and investigation, it could challenge the authenticity of object and its appreciation.

'The idea becomes the machine that makes the work of art': problems in the conservation of Sol LeWitt's wall drawings

The problems inherent in the conservation of Sol LeWitt’s wall drawings are presented: their (contradictory) status as an idea for an artwork that can exist without material expression, and their later acquisition of material authenticity. LeWitt’s oeuvre is then considered genealogically, finding for each work both conceptual and material significance. 

Open for Restoration: Conservators as Effective Communicators

The project “Open for Restoration” by the Centro di Conservazione Archaeologica is an excellent example of conservators teaching the public about the importance of conservation in a hands-on manner. CCA conserved the Furietti Centaurs under the scrutiny of the Capitoline Museum’s patrons rather than behind closed doors. 

Values-led Conservation and how it relates to cultural and individual identities

The history of the ground-breaking concept “values-led conservation” is relatively new but its impact on the broad conservation field is magnificent. Although the value assessment is challenging due to the complexity of the contexts of objects, it allows conservators to balance out the voices of the various interest groups.

From anonymous technician to snobbish academic? Exploring the changing nature of conservation expertise and authority

By focusing on national institutions in the UK, this poster explores how the related concepts of expertise and authority feature in the history of conservation. The particular professional trajectory of 'technician to academic' has implications for how the conservator's role is perceived and negotiated today.

Retreat or Re-treat? What price Reversibility, Neutrality and Objectivity when conserving contemporary art?

An evaluation of whether reversibility, neutrality and objectivity are effective as notions in processes where the conservator intervenes in treating an artefact based on knowledgeable decisions. Highlighting that these notions in practice are pushed to the extreme when addressed with material and aesthetic complexities that are present in contemporary art.

Why do conservators exist? Why conservators need to be good communicators in the modern museum environment.

The museum and heritage sectors have seen massive changes since their inception. It is now vital for conservators to develop or improve their communication skills. There is an increasing need for conservators to justify any actions they take, and sometimes their profession. This can only be done if a conservator has effective communication skills.

Are Conservators Holding Culture To Ransom? Hoa Hakananai'a, Stolen Friend of Rapa Nui

It is the duty of conservators to preserve physical and intangible object authenticity? Increasingly attention is turning towards acknowledging the issue of non-Western heritage that is separated from its cultural context. Illustrated in the case of ‘Hoa Hakananai’a’ at the British Museum; a living ancestor or a colonial curiosity?

Recovering Our Heritage At Risk!

Disasters affecting cultural heritage have concerned many generations of conservators. Conservators have played a vital role in bringing knowledge about the physical and social value of cultural materials to a response effort. Despite their efforts, responding to a disaster is one of the most challenging services.

Make it last for as long as you can: A contemporary approach in the preservation of street art

The context of street art’s production is an important factor in the conservation decision-making process. Street art’s diversion from graffiti is evident both in practise and attributed values. This poster shows how street art produced in community programmes is not meant to be ephemeral, but preserved for its socio-historic values.

Reconstructing the San Jerónimos Cloister: Neutrality, Objectivity, and Reversibility in Conservation Decision-Making

This poster addresses neutrality, objectivity, and reversibility in the discipline of heritage conservation, particularly pertaining to the appropriation of monumental architecture into the museum setting. This topic is explored through the case study of the sixteenth-century San Jerónimos cloister, now located within a new extension of the Museo del Prado.