from ARTNews Online
Moving Mountains, Walking on Water
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When the outdoor environment is the work of art - much of what has been termed as Earthworks or Land Art - it is perhaps an understatement to say that the conservation of such art is a daunting task, indeed. Perhaps, it is pertinent to clarify: "Why are we considering the conservation of such sites in the first place?" A previous New York Times article discussing Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty raised the particularly vexing question of whether conservation or restoration is even necessary at all, although the work is indeed "deteriorating":

But the idea of doing anything to this artwork worries some people. And the intentions of the artist, who died in a plane crash at 35 in 1973, are not clear.

"When refurbishing earthworks, you don't want to create a Tussaud's wax sculpture," said Robert Storr, a former senior curator at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and a professor at the New York University Institute of Fine Arts. "Earthworks were not made to last forever. There is a danger when restoring them to make a more perfect thing than was originally done."

from Xinhua Online
Digital tech in use to preserve Dunhuang
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This is yet another use of digital imaging technology to re-create a heritage site in order to "preserve" it. This recall similar attempts here, here and here. The need to re-create a virtual replica, however imperfection that solution might be, throws into sharp relief the 2 conflicting trends which plague most, if not all, successful historic and heritage sites.

On the one hand, with the spread of information about the site, visitors would arrive in increasing numbers. And in tandem, accelerated deterioration of the site would usually accompany this increase. Limiting access appears to be the preferred compromise. And with the help of present-day digital imaging technology, much can be achieved in terms of providing an accurate visual representation.

Although much welcomed, in terms of slowing deterioration, this digital act of copying also appears to contrast sharply with the way the act of copying is understood in the Chinese context in achieving a good level of "restoration". In particular:

"But copying is also learning. During the process of copying, one has to give inputs of research, grasp the laws and rhythms of the painting in question and perfect the technique. Only then can the reproduction capture the spirit of the original. Therefore the copiers should have a rich knowledge of the tradition as well as profound expertise and skill; otherwise the reproduction will not transpose both the visual and spiritual excellence of the originals." [see reference article here]

And with limited access, it remains unclear what ramifications that will have on such an approach to restoration work.

Another recent news item also confirms this trend towards restricted access (even for personnel working to conserve the site) as a means to slow deterioration of the Dunhuang site, especially the Mogao grottos or caves. Working together with the Getty Conservation Institute, the University of California has developed very tiny and inexpensive sensor chips - otherwise known as Smart Dust Motes - that can be scattered within the grottos. Using wireless technology, data from all the sensors are then be collected, thus providing a viable means of remote-sensing the real-time environment conditions of the entire space without having to step foot in it.

from The New York Times
Michelangelo's 'David' Gets Spruced Up for His 500th Birthday
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from The Guardian
Thin grey veil lifted from Michelangelo's David, as restorer confounds critics
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from The New Scientist
Michelangelo’s David revealed after clean-up
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Finally, the saga of the cleaning of Michelangelo's David reaches a conclusion of sorts - in good time to mark the 500th anniversary of the placement of the sculpture. It is also interesting to note that one of the criteria held up to mark the success of the restoration project is: "a restoration that does not look like a restoration". If that be the case, then what does it look like? Or is the remark symptomatic of a certain "fear" of criticisms, even of well-intended restoration efforts?

from The Guardian
A renaissance in peril
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Nicolas Serota's brief commentary on the state of UK museums is timely, and especially resonant on the occasion of the International Museum Day (18 May). It is also interesting to recall Serota's earlier comment on the need to avoid "national or social chauvinism" when determining acquisition priorities - in the case of significant paintings in danger of being sold and hence leaving the country.

However, would not the plea for greater funding support for British museums be a kind of "national chauvinism"? But one wouldn't think so, probably. Perhaps, it is inherent in the function of culture (and arts) to, firstly, distinguish - and some would say "discriminate" - that which is culture (or art) and that which is not; and secondly, to differentiate the "good" from the "bad", or what might be termed as connoisseurship - and some would say "elitism". The parameters might shift with historical and social contexts, but the essential function remains.

Efforts to expand these parameters, so that they are more inclusive (such as folk art) and less discriminating (as in social history), are obviously praiseworthy. However, that will be relative in terms of degree, but will not demolish the fact that culture (and art) is essentially about categorisation and connoisseurship, which would entail a sense of judgment and comparison.

from The New Yorker
A Picasso Face-Lift
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A short article on the on-going conservation work carried out on Picasso's "Les Demoiselles d’Avignon" at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It is also interesting to note that the decision to conserve the painting was taken after it went on show in a blockbuster show, and didn't look too good besides other paintings.

100th Weblog Posting on APERTUM

As this is the 100th posting, I thought the space should be given over to comments from readers and users of this weblog. Please add your thoughts at the link to the comments page of this posting. And this will greatly help in gauging reactions to this weblog and its contents.

* How useful are the postings and the topics covered?
* Have the ensuing comments and discussion been helpful?
* Is the frequency of postings adequate? Or too much?
* Are there other information or web-site links related to preservation and heritage that would be useful to look at?
* Any suggestions for improvement?

All manner of comments and ideas are greatly appreciated!

Over the last 3 months or so, sometimes it feels a bit like a monologue, with brief interludes of dialogue and discussion. This does not seem ideal, or am I badly mistaken? Now is the time to have your say!

from Nature News
Bugs go spelunking
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As biomineralisation becomes better understood in the natural world, its usefulness in the field of stone conservation would also inevitably increase. So instead of just reaching for a solution of synthetic resins for use as a consolidant, conservators can also pull out the vials of specially cultured bacteria in treating deteriorated stone surfaces!

from The New York Times
Skyscrapers in Cyberspace: Maps and History Online
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It is only when individual artefacts are accessed and linked in a meaningful way that a collection can come to life and takes on a special significance - whether in a real-life physical space, such as the museum, or in virtual space! An important argument to ponder over is that the presentation of collections, especially in an online environment, is less about technological challenges but more of a communication design problem :

As museums digitize their collections and cram their Web sites with images of artworks, archaeological artifacts and other cultural treasures, they also must decide how people can sort through the material. Most museum sites offer a search engine and a few chronologically organized virtual exhibitions. But museums, always cost-conscious and often conservative, are rarely inclined to experiment with how information is presented onscreen.

This also brings up another interesting issue, as museums embark on digitisation efforts, always fearful of being left behind in this technological race. Would the need for digitisation now drives conservation work priorities - perhaps in tandem or more likely in competition with exhibitions and their conservation needs? Would aretfacts be expected to be properly conserved before digital images are taken?

from New Scientist
Micro-sculptures give metal the Velcro touch
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An interesting method of joining different materials without the use of adhesive. This is achieved by etching the surfaces with a controlled electron beam which melts the surface. And in moving the beam in a very specific manner and speed, regular projections are left on the surface which acts as "hooks" for "adhesion" to take place between treated surfaces. See a close up graphics of the process here.

from The New York Observer
The Brooklyn Museum Gives Open House On Dumbing Down
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Yet another highly polemical article - targeting the recent re-launching of the Brooklyn Museum - which decries the trend of cultural institutions invoking "community relevance".

from Reuters News
Mini Airship Hovers Inside Ancient UK Cathedral
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A neat idea for photographing large structures in order to record actual condition without risking life and limb on scaffoldings! This would also be useful for extremely large or inaccessible outdoor sculptures. Adding a real-time video feed could also enable the ground-crew to focus in on certain problematic sections in greater detail instantaneously.

from BBC News
Tate boss questions 'saving' art
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refer to BBC News
Government bans painting export
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refer to BBC News
Saving art for the nation explained
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In the UK, to export any 'cultural goods' of fifty years' age and above to another country would require a special licence. This requirement was born out of a need to keep works of significance and value in the country. Ever since this rule was enforced, a number of works of art have been 'saved' by funds raised through public appeals to acquire them. The director of London's Tate gallery, Nicholas Serota, challenged this existing mentality by asking for an objective assessment of the motives of such a practice.

"The belief that a work is always better seen in a british public collection than in a foreign public collection needs to be tested by reasoned argument rather than simple appeals to national or social chauvinism."

He also suggested that resources could be spent on 20th century and contemporary art.

To me, this chain of events and comments is interesting because it questions the relevance of a certain allocation of limited resources. Of course, what is 'relevant' depends very much on the priority focus set by the country's cultural institutions and authorities. A country who is long and rich in its past heritage has to balance its needs of preserving the past while continue building on the present. Also, the idea of social chauvinism, really, how far are we accepting of the idea that stewardship and preservation of a country's cultural and heritage resources can be both within and out of the country?

from Wired News
Bunker Holds a Mountain of Movies
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Using a de-commissioned government underground facility as a converted storage facility for audio and visual materials in the collection of the US Library of Congress sounds like a really useful idea. Besides ensuring that highly flammable cellulose nitrate film materials are properly contained behind strong rooms, being underground will also make it easier to cool internal temperatures for the long-term storage and preservation - as is done at Corbis' Film Preservation Facility (also see previous Wired News article).

from The Art Newspaper
The days of single ownership are over
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Joint acquisitions of artworks, although not the norm yet, may catch on as museum institutions have to deal with an ever-shrinking acquisitions budget. Besides the legal details and display agreement, what could potentially be a point of contention is the "best" way to preserve or conserve an artwork - especially one which is made from problematic or ephemeral materials. This will surely add a new dimension of complexity to any art conservator's job.

from New York Times
Is Sculpture Too Free for Its Own Good?
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Although a highly selective and brief overview (using examples of sculptures currently on show in New York City), the article manages to bring across the highly diverse range of materials and artistic concepts that shape sculptures in the twentieth and, without doubt, in the twentieth-first century. (There is also an audio visual presentation accessible via the article's side-bar.) However, what is left very much unsaid is the increasingly complexity of materials and artistic concepts that present-day sculpture conservators have to contend and engage with effectively in order to see to the preservation of these artworks.

from Wired News
CDs, DVDs: Human After All
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Digital preservation has some urgent work cut in determining the reliability of CDs and DVDs as storage media. Lost of digital information can result the physical deterioration of materials used in the making of these discs.

Some tips for safekeeping these optical storage media :

- use write-once-only discs (CD-Rs or DVD-Rs) rather than rewriteable ones (CD-RWs or DVD-RWs);
- do not use adhesive labels on discs;
- write on discs with water-based or alcohol-based pens;
- do not bend discs;
- handle discs by the edges only;
- do not stack, scratch the label side or cause discs to rub against each other;
- store discs vertically in good-fitting cases which do not have a gripping stud in the centre;
- store discs in a cool and dry place;
- and where possible, store in an oxygen-free environment to reduce risk of oxidation of the metallic (aluminum) layer

This is one clear example that digital preservation must also address the issue of preserving actual and tangible materials, in addition to virtual data or information.

from The Artful Manager
The high cost of being 'free'
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and
from BBC News
Museums count cost of going free
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It is highly perplexing when a progressive cultural policy, such as universal free admission to national museums in England, becomes a victim of its own success. By doing away with admission fees, museums experienced a higher number of visitors never seen before - a 72% increase at the last count since December 2001, when it all started. This unexpected "success" has stretched resources for the maintenance of the museums' displays and premises. Together with the cut in revenue previously generated from admission fees, museums are also hard pressed for fresh funding avenues.

from Wired News
Warm Toes Are Happy Toes
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This new invention, which uses a blend of conductive and non-conductive fibers, could easily be modified to become a larger heating pad. Drawing electrical power from dry-cell batteries, this unique blend of inter-connected fibers can be heated in a uniform manner while being safe (due to the low voltage needed) and highly versatile. It could spell the end of the search for an affordable "hot table" for use in the conservation lining of paintings.

from The Journal Gazette
History in the making as homes court tourists
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It goes without saying that a world of difference exists between being relevant and being populist. It will indeed be a sad day when museums and heritage institutions jump onto the touristic bandwagon at the expense of their core responsibilities of "preservation and education". Giving the visitors what they want does not in any sense constitute being relevant. And it might also turn out to be unsustainable after all when the initial rush of pop-culture-excess is over.

from The Guardian
The dilettante tendency
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This serves to confirm what most people who work in a museum probably already know - you cannot get rich on a museum job (or in the UK, at least - but might also hold true elsewhere)! However, a more disconcerting trend is that the decrease in financial compensation is driving away the more disadvantaged sector of the population from working in heritage institutions, when it is now that a more diverse voice is needed in this field.

from The Art Newspaper
Building on the grandest scale: an Albertopolis for the Gulf
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Meet Sheikh Saud Al Thani of Qatar
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It is a rare occasion to encounter museums building on a grand scale in this day and age. But Qatar is indeed unique in simultaneously planning for 5 museums and amassing a collection of the finest artefacts from around the world - all led by a single man's efforts and, of course, copious amount of financial resources.

from sp!ked
Art for inclusion's sake
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In this rather long but hard-hitting polemic, Josie Appleton argues that the cultural policy of social inclusion, currently the rage and mantra of cultural institutions in the UK, assumes a certain condescension (or even contempt) towards the museum visitor. It presupposes that the minority population are somehow unfulfilled until a visit to a museum is completed. Instead, Appleton proffers that:

"This is not a question of whether ethnic minorities should go to museums, or whether museums should show exhibitions about immigrant history or Islamic art. Of course they should - on both counts. But minorities should go to a museum exhibition because they are drawn by its subject matter, not because the museum is counting their heads. And museums should show exhibitions about Islamic art because this is of general relevance and interest, not as a way of attracting the 'right' kinds of visitors."

Probing the underlying premises of the present cultural policy in the United Kingdom and comparing it with that of an earlier age, Appleton concludes:

"Whatever the shortfalls of nineteenth-century cultural policy, at least people got decent paintings out of it. At least there was an aim to broaden everybody's horizons and refine their appreciation. Today's elite, by contrast, seeks to showcase mundane artefacts, and propagate the most trivial and divisive instincts."

One might be tempted to dismiss all of these arguments as being relevant only in the British context. But might not these opinions also ring true if we substitute "non-museum-goers" for "ethnic minorities"?

from The New York Times
Preserve Performance Art? Can You Preserve the Wind?
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Towards the end of the article, the writer attempts - in a throw-away manner - to link "conservatism" to efforts in the conservation of contemporary art - such as performance, conceptual, and ephemeral art - which are created specifically to negate the notion of direct material significance and preservation (in a museum). Even if we allow for that comment - which must be said to be uncritical and unsubstantiated - it should still give us, who are in the field of art and heritage conservation, pause for thought. Perhaps, such throw-away remarks arise because we have missed opportunities in articulating what is it that drives our work - not some broad empty label of "conservatism" or even "preservation", but a more nuanced and considered understanding of materials, significance and interventions. There is surely a need to enter into an introspection of what is it that we assume that we do.