from New Scientist
Art, but not as we know it
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Whenever artists venture into a new medium of creative expression, it is almost inevitable that conservation research and study will follow. Could it be just around the corner that cutting-edge biotechnology will also feature as a subject in the training of tomorrow's art conservators?

from San Francisco Chronicle
Tomorrow's long lost treasures
go to articles part 1, part 2, part 3

It is often with hind-sight that we lament the destruction of architecturally significant buildings, and that is the easy part of any criticism. Foretelling which amongst the currently standing buildings would be significant in time to come - and hence worthy of preservation - can be an extremely unrewarding and brooding task. It might instead be easier to approach the issue by asking a tangential question: "Can we slow the rush into hasty decisions in urban re-building if modern day buildings are built with the intention for them to be utilised for an extended period of time - much like ancient temples and cathedrals?"

from The Guardian
Form or function?
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When preservation efforts render a fully functional building - even one that is widely considered as an architectural icon - useless, then it is, at best, untenable and, at worst, irrelevant.

from The Scotsman
Another gallery show cleans up
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A brief look at an in-situ painting conservation project for the National Gallery of Scotland.

from The New York Times
An Illicit Journey Out of Egypt, Only a Few Questions Asked
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An extended article on the complex web of events surrounding the illegal removal - and eventual return - of an Egyptian funeral stele from Akhmin. This is symptomatic of a larger malaise, as a quote from the article would attest :

"People think that there is an illicit market and a legitimate market," said Ricardo J. Elia, associate professor of archaeology at Boston University and a frequent critic of the antiquities industry. "In fact, it is the same."

from The Observer
Evolution of radar points to HMS Beagle's resting place
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and
from The Herald
Military hardware saves Old Masters
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Two reports on the use of technology to aid preservation efforts. The first highlighted the attempt to locate the sunken HMS Beagle in Essex, England, using ground-penetrating radar to find plausible sites where the historic ship might be buried. The second report looked at the use of an advanced infra-red digital imaging camera to "look" under surface paint layers of artworks.

from BBC News
Traditional knowledge 'in peril'
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This report reiterated a call for the preservation of traditional knowledge by modifying an aspect of the international law on the protection of intellectual property. It is also interesting to note that the notion of the public domain, which promotes the diversity and propagation of knowledge, can be detrimental to the very survival of traditional knowledge, which is often the preserve of a ritually selected few.

from The Art Newspaper
Looters hot on the heels of the bomb disposal experts
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and
Human Rights Act invoked to demolish listed building in the UK
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and
from The Christian Science Monitor
'Pit bull' dogs Iraq Museum looters
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and
from The Wall Street Journal
Saving Iraq's Treasures
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The continuing destruction and pillage of heritage materials happen not because of a lack of national and international laws to limit such damage. Instead, it points to a failure in enforcement, education and fostering a sense of community ownership.

from The Art Newspaper
How the shark got pickled
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A behind-the-scene look at contemporary art production, at its most basic sense of actually making the finished artwork. Perhaps this might signal the establishment of more studios specialising in the execution of (large, monumental or complex) artworks - much like what an engineering company will do for the architect.

from Universes in Universe
Contemporary Art from the Islamic World
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An interesting and wide-ranging set of articles. All the more poignant and necessary because of recent events in Iraq.

from The New York Times
Rockers at an Exhibition
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The rise of music museums points to an increased appreciation of the need to preserve one's intangible cultural heritage. It also recalls an earlier book review which give a glimpse into the fascinating world of Mickey Hart, an ardent songcatcher and sound preservationist.

from The New York Times
Vietnam Slowly Restores Imperial City With a Grim Past
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This site restoration project is another real-life example of how conservation ideals can conflict with actual socio-political and economic reality. It also points to a fundamental need to enter into a dialogue to address questions such as "for whom?" and to what ends.

from The Guardian
Keeping the bull out of the china shop
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James Fenton's is a rare voice, amongst others, arguing for a renewed clarity of the roles of a museum. Confusing the myriad functions and conflating the disparate (public) expectations of a museum can often lead to mediocracy - a case of trying-to-be-everything-to-everyone.

from New Scientist
Kennewick man ruling - politics or science?
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This latest news on the use of ancient remains for scientific research is by no means the last say in this difficult issue. From the UK context, there is the recently published report by the Working Group on Human Remains and reactions to that report.

from Neat New Stuff
Rare Books from the Missouri Botanical Gardens Library
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Introduction from the web-site front page:
"This web site, presented by the Missouri Botanical Garden Library and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, features 46 digitized volumes from our Rare Book collection. Our goal is to digitize and preserve beautifully illustrated and botanically significant books in our private holdings in order to make them available to an international audience. This project will result in a large database of botanical and gardening illustrations and text available to scholars, gardeners, and book enthusiasts through this web site."

from Nature
Superglue from the sea
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Another example of the best materials coming from nature. And imagine a glue which bonds under water!

from Nature
Saving Venice
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The city of Venice faces the very real danger of sinking over the years. To counter that, scientists have proposed pumping carbon dioxide or water directly under the city itself.

from BBC News
Virtual reality brings past to life
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and
from The Guardian
Anger at invitation to contemporary artist
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Two contrasting responses to attempts at merging tradition with the contemporary.

from The Guardian
Trust seeks heritage high ground
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The National Trust of UK is reported to have grown to become the largest organisation in Europe. This also points to a large sector of British society who is concerned with preservation and heritage in the country. An earlier report of a BBC documentary on the National Trust also highlighted how the organisation has attempted to adapt and remain relevant to modern day society.

from Molecular Expressions (TM)
Polarized Light Digital Image Gallery : Fibers

This interesting web-page has a few good photomicrographs of various (natural and synthetic) fibres as they would appear under polarised light. Also go to the main page for a whole range of information on microscopy and other images at the microscopic level - including what beers would look like when enlarged many times over!

from New Scientist
Smog-busting paint soaks up noxious gases
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This might have limited use inside museums, as the neutralising reaction is activated by ultra-violet radiation, which is close to non-existent within museums. One the other ahnd, if this paint is proven to be practical and effective, could it buttress the mentality that pollution is OK, since we have the paints in place to remove it?

from BBC News
Japan film scraps Hitler promotion
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Can art be inherently evil? This news story recalls an earlier story about a controversial art show at the Jewish Museum a couple of years ago. Opinions are varied and polarised, as with all controversies.

from BBC News
E-mail to art gallery in an instant
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The increasingly prevalant use of digital technology seems to trend towards a culture of impatience and impermanance. This might signal the end of the road for preservation and conservation of cultural heritage. Or does it?

from Discovery News
Da Vinci Invented Natural Plastics
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If plastics is defined as a substance making up of a network of long-chain polymers with repeating units of monomers, then drying oils and other natural resins / glue could also rightly be considered a plastics. The use of these natural materials must surely predate the Renaissance. This makes the "discovery" of Da Vinci's recipes less stunning - but it does not detract from the beauty of the resultant substances.

from The Globe & Mail (Canada)
Chinese Buy Back Treasures Looted In 1800s
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It is often forgotten that for cultural artefacts to be displayed or stored in a museum, it involves a willful act of transfer - especially when that museum is located outside of the natural geographical boundaries of that culture from which the objects come from. Often, such a transfer might involve agreement for all parties involved or it might resort to trickery, plunder or other less-than-honest methods. The recorded looting of the Summer Palace in Beijing belongs to the latter. The return of these looted materials become an issue of patriotic pride. And in the case of the Summer Place, it is has also become a matter of entrepreneurial acumen.