from Archaeology -
Carved in Living Color
go to article

Using ultra-violet light examination - a technique that is commonly employed in conservation documentation - evidence of paint application could be detected on Greek marble sculptures, which were once thought to be unpainted. But whether one feels that such "re-colouring" adds to or detracts from the historical understanding of these sculptures will depend on the interplay between one's rational sense and aesthetic taste.
.

from Wired -
Vinyl May Be Final Nail in CD's Coffin
go to article

The return of the good old vinyl records could actually spell good news for the preservation of audio-based (intangible) heritage. This is because it is still possible to "read" from degraded or damaged vinyl discs and to reconstruct the sounds - see earlier post here. Whereas, the longevity of CDs and DVDs is still a matter of debate and contention - see earlier post here.
.

from Wooster Collective -
The Laundry Detergent Paintings of Craig Paul Nowak
go to article

An amazing use of the effect of ultra-violet fluorescence, which is an optical property commonly exploited in the examination of materials prior to conservation treatment. In this case, the optical brighteners used in ordinary laundry detergent becomes the artist's medium (and message).
.

from The Plain Dealer -
Paint experts say it's very unlikely Pollock had access to pigments patented after he died
go to article

When technical analysis is at odds with connoisseurship, it unnecessarily plays up the seeming separation of (and power play between) a humanistic and a scientific approach in the study of art. In actual fact, art has to be understood as occpying that intersection between taste and materials, combining both creative ideas and skillful execution.

Also see earlier post here.
.

from The Telegraph -
Shanghai: Art Deco capital - for now
go to article

It will take plenty of political and popular will for Shanghai, which is emphatically leading the economic charge in China, to escape the fate that had befallen the other modernist cities and be considered as the last vestige of Art Deco architeture in the world! Leaving it to free market forces will undoubtedly ensure that architecture remnants of the Art Deco movement will be merely textbook curosities.
.

from Wired -
Neutron Beams Search for Da Vinci's Lost Masterpiece
go to article

from Los Angels Times -
Scientific tools hunt for lost Da Vinci art
go to article

A brief look at using the technology of Neutron Activation Analysis to "pierce" through an existing wall, hoping to uncover one of Leonardo's known but missing fresco.

Als see earlier post here on the use of Neutron Activation Analysis in the examination of museum artefacts.
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from Underwire -
'Reverse Graffiti' Artist Creates Tunnel of Skulls
go to article
go to video

An interesting take on "cleaning" as art, and how the act of overall cleaning and washing, in this case, "destroys" the work of art.
.

from The Guardian -

After 2,500 years, Parthenon treasures move to new home
go to article

Should we give the Parthenon marbles back?
go to article

Should London finally lose the Parthenon marbles?
go to article

Another step in the saga of the Parthenon marbles. See earlier posts here.
.

from GCI Newsletter -
Outdoor Sculpture
go to contents page
download PDF format (3.6 MB)

The latest from the Getty Conservation Insitute, looking at various issues of outdoor sculptures and their conservation.
.

from The Christian Science Monitor -
A new endangered species: Modern architecture
go to article

When modern buildings become less useful or totally unusable, then does that makes it easier to demolish them, putting aside for the moment that most would also see these buildings as "ugly"? Or perhaps only when such a building has fallen into dereliction, only then can its "preservation capital" start to rise? And adding to that, the inherent ideological thrust of modern architecture does not help a bit:

"Many Modern buildings were designed for a specific purpose – Modern architects value function over form – making renovation for another use even more expensive."

from The Art Newspaper -
Hirst to fix another formaldehyde installation
go to article

Yet another artwork needing the artist's, or more likely the artist's assistants, attention. Such extensive repairs would obviously challenge, and rightly so, the convention of "minimal intervention" in the practice of conservation.

Also see Hirst's response in The Guardian and earlier posts here and here.
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from The Guardian -
Storms blamed for Venice's falling masonry
go to article

Yet another example (also see previous post here) of global climate change as a factor in hastening the deterioration of heritage sites and monuments. Perhaps, a greater awareness of the need for the conservation of our common natural heritage has to be integrated with the efforts in the conservation of our historical heritage. Otherwise, one without the other would be utterly futile.
.

from The New York Times -
Bilbao, 10 Years Later
go to article
go to slide-show

For better or for worse, the plight (or plague) of the superbrand museum is to stay for some while. And a telling quote:

"We don't know anything about Bilbao besides the Guggenheim. We've arrived half an hour ago, and went straight to the Guggenheim. Aside from the museum, we don't have any plans."

So much for the supposedly regional regenerative benefits of the famed Bilbao effect. What a shame if this is what we mean by "lifestyle destination"!

See also article in New York Magazine - "How to Rebuild the Guggehiem"
.

from The Washington Post -
Is There a Future for Old-Fashioned Museums?
go to article
go to images

At the end of the day, given all the expectations heaped onto museums - as sites of experiential learning, as venues for an enlightened lifestyle, as institutions for memories preservation - the one aspect which must differentiates the museum from all other knowledge-based institutions is the fact that museums are , first and foremost, about collections and artefacts whether on-line or off, tangible or otherwise.

For other related articles on the proliferation of virtual museums:

from The Guardian -
Virtual museums buddy up online
go to article

from The Art History Newsletter -
The Virtual Museum
go to article

from 3pointD.com -
Open-Source Museum Opens in Second Life
go to article

from Wired -
Dresden's World-Class Art Gallery Duplicates Itself Online
go to article

from Learning In Real Time Blog -
Second Life for Museums
go to article

from Museums and the Web 2007 -
A Second Life for Your Museum: 3D Multi-User Virtual Environments and Museums
go to research paper
.

from The Guardian -
How old masters are helping study of global warming
go to article

Not quite the usual article about the conservation of heritage - but an equally, if not more, important aspect of conservation, with implications reaching outwards on a global scale.
.

from BBC Radio 4: Material World -
Memories For Life
go to programme web-page
listen to programme (Real Audio format)

An overview of the multi-disciplinary project to look into digital preservation for the masses. Another grass-root attempt to widen the scope of preservation decision and priority outside of the usual bastion of "elite content". For more information on the Memories For Life project, visit their web-site.

Also see related article on how the pervasiveness of "prosthetic memories" is actually modifying our human experience of the world.

from The Boston Globe -
The advantages of amnesia
go to article
.

from Conservation Awards -
2007 winners
go to web-page
go to newsletter (PDF format)

Learn about this year's winners and shortlist for:

Award for Conservation

Award for Care of Collection

Student Conservator of the Year

Digital Preservation Award

Anna Plowden Trust Award for Research and Innovation

.

from New York Times -
World’s Languages Dying Off Rapidly
go to article

One inherent challenge that efforts in the preservation of intangible heritage has to contend with is the sheer impermanance and, hence, extreme susceptibility to loss of such heritage forms.
.

from The New York Times -
Nothing Down, $0 a Month, Hammer Required
go to article

An interesting idea to match architecture enthusiasts with the need to maintain architectural gems. The scheme is a clear example of how heritage preservation solutions need not always be about generating more cash to pay for such efforts. Sometimes, money really can't buy everything.
.

2007 URA Architectural Heritage Awards
go to press release
go to web-site

Yet another round of the award which, perhaps, is Singapore's unique and consistent contribution to re-definition of the term "conservation" as both a pragmatic pursuit and end-point.
.

from The Guardian -
Germany issues catalogue of missing art works in push for return of war booty
go to article

A timely reminder that looting of cultural heritage is not the exclusive domain of "evil" regimes.
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from The New York Times -
Provocateur’s Products Roll Off the Assembly Line
go to article
go to slide-show

When the artist no longer has the final control over his art creations, but relies instead on short-term unnamed contracted workers - rather than on long-term and recognised assistants - then it can only signal a tough road ahead for obtaining useful and critical information on materials and techniques for conservation and preservation purpose. Perhaps there is an inverse relationship between the size of the art bubble and conducive conditions for long-term preservation of those art.
.

from The Guardian -
Rush to modernity 'devastating China's cultural heritage'
go to article

A farcical replay of heritage devastation, once carried out during China's cultural revolution, this time as "cultural renovation".
.

from Bloomberg News -
Looted Qing Dynasty Horse May Fetch HK$80 Million at Sotheby's
go to article

Shame on Sotheby's for such bare-faced and crass commercialism. And the cheekiness to add that: "What we wish is for the item to return to the hands of those who love it." Sounds like money talks - especially to the tune of HK$1 billion - and knowing that China may be willing to pay (or not), having paid HK$15 million before to get back a related artefact also auctioned at Sotheby's, or someone else seeking to make an impression on the Chinese political elite.
.

from Newsweek -
"I'm Not a Service Company"
go to article

Following on the last post, an interview with the man who made the Guggenheim brand (in)famous. And quoting a revealing passage from amongst the rambling and deluded answers:

"Will the Guggenheim make any efforts to include local arts and culture in the museums?"
"That's not my option. I'm not a service company. What we do at the Guggenheim has an objective to be one of top elite cultural institutions in the world. We set out a conscious global strategy."

And this is the reason why if Singapore is still keen to grow her own artistic talent base, then a Guggenheim museum must never be allowed to be built here at all cost.

See earlier posts here, here and here.
.

from The New York Times -
The Restorers’ Art of the Invisible
go to article

When a museum becomes increasingly famous - or infamous, depending on one's cultural outlook - the actual building fabric takes on an aura of an over-size artefact.
.

from The New York Times -
Italy, a Land of Earthquakes, Works to Protect the Priceless From the Unexpected
go to article

A laudable effort to ensure the physical security of antiquities and heritage sites against the unpredictable force of nature. The proposed integrated approach to protect the building structure, as well as significant frescoes and decorative elements would be a necessary one:

"The key thing is that a building doesn’t collapse during an earthquake. But if the building is culturally important — having, say, a significant fresco — then making sure it doesn’t collapse isn’t enough. You have to limit the damages too."

.

from The Philadelphia Inquirer -
For museums, pressure to be popular
go to article

Yet another take on the tension between a museum's mission and external realities:

"Resolving the inherent tension between the museum's traditional role - collecting, conserving and exhibiting top-quality aesthetic objects - and the need to show museum-goers a good time has become the most difficult aspect of contemporary museumship. ... Yet for the most part, this attempt to be all things to most people hasn't succeeded: Permanent collections continue to be starved for attention."

. And one might add that when permanent collections are sidelined, then long-term preservation and planning suffers.
.

from The Guardian -
Heritage row on selection of Darwin's home
go to article

Bell tolls for Hemingway treasures as Cuban house caught in sanctions trap
go to article

The stately wrecks of England
go to article

Three different angles on the effort to preserve heritage sites that have encountered various problems. A sobering reminder that the intrinsic value of heritage and preservation is neither universal nor self-obvious. Perhaps it is now, more than ever, that communication and persuasion skills must be considered as essential, alongside technical competencies, within the heritage preservation profession in order to cross political, social and financial hurdles.
.

from News@Nature -
Magnets harnessed to clean artwork
go to article

A new development in the cleaning of painted surfaces, which can potentially be applied to other surfaces as well. This new method would solve the problem of chemical residue that might disfigure or react with the surface being clean.
.

from The New York Times -
A Gift Offer for Artists in China: Museums
go to article

A new spat of proposed museum-building in Sichuan, China, trying to cash in (perhaps, literally) on the fame and fortune of contemporary Chinese artists. On the one hand, it is a welcomed development in showcasing contemporary art in China, but on the other hand, there is a nagging underlying suspicion that the bubble in the contemporary art market in China is driving such a decision, which for obvious reason, would not be sustainable.
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from The Wall Street Journal -
The Wall Between Art World Realms Is Going, Going . . .
go to article

A clear-sighted article arguing for why museum and blatant commercialism do not mix - even if separated in discreet institutions - to the detriment of museums' function and mission.
.

from Detroit Free Press -
New Van Gogh painting discovered; another called a fake
go to article

from The Boston Globe -
Hidden van Gogh found at MFA
go to article

Not very often does a paintings conservator help to re-write a small part of art history, but it happens. One can see an x-ray image of the "lost" painting by Van Gogh at the Boston's Museum of Fine Art web-page .
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from National Geographic News -
Digital Music Project Races to Save Tibetan Folk Songs
go to article

A lethal combination of politics and encroaching modernisation makes this volunteer-run project to record Tibetan folk songs before they disappear a difficult task. But nevertheless, the progress so far is remarkable, thanks in part to, of all things, modern digital recording and internet technology.
.

from The Guardian -
Floods threaten ancient and historic sites
go to article

A reminder of what we do to the global climate can lead to a direct impact on efforts in the preservation of our historical and cultural heritage. The unrepairable and permanent destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans should suffice as an example.
.

from Technology Review News -
Glue with an On-and-Off Switch
go to article

A new adhesive, still very much in development in the lab, that can be unstuck by adjusting the pH level. This could be a great way to ensure that practical conservation treatments, such as repairs, could be safely undone in the future when a better method or material comes along!
.

from National Geographic News -
Great Wall of China Overrun, Damaged, Disneyfied
go to article

from Bloomberg.com -
War, Tourists, Climate, Gazprom Threaten 100 Sites, Fund Says
go to article

from The Guardian -
Shrines devastated as militants target Iraq's ancient heritage
go to article

Rush to modernity 'devastating China's cultural heritage'
go to article

Unesco considers Tower for danger list
go to article

Continual devastation to the world's built cultural heritage - some probably preventable, while others, perhaps, inevitable - is an ominous sign that long-term concerns are sacrificed for short-term gains. The road to universal preservation of the cultural heritage of the world is still a very long one, indeed.
.

from 24 Hour Museum News -
Survey reveals almost two-thirds of adults use museums, libraries and archives
go to article

from The Guardian -
Top museum directors praise free admission
go to article

Culture is not an industry
go to article

Overthrow the tyranny of targets: minister's message for the arts
go to article

from The New York Times -
Seducing France Into Affairs of the Art
go to article

A heartening reiteration of efforts to encourage the use of heritage venues amongst the general population. The support for culture and heritage, in more ways than one, is political - in keeping a vibrant sense of national identity, as tourist attraction, and as a catalyst to create buzz in the urban fabric.
.

from The Art Newspaper -
Baghdad Museum reopens to staff
go to article

Extreme times call for extreme measures in preserving heritage - to the point of sealing up the entire museum in order to protect the collections. However, the deteriorating internal environmental conditions - accumulation of groundwater and humidity - makes sure drastic actions unsustainable. Hence, the re-opening of the Baghdad Museum is not a celebration of the end of a difficult period, but an exposure to further risks of destruction.
.

from The Guardian -
Preserving old games is a service to humanity
go to article

Not very clear about the part that having preserved old copies of arcade games is beneficial to the human race. Otherwise, a timely reminder that it is popular culture content that will drive the main bulk of any digital preservation effort.
.

from EurekaAlert -
From rags to riches, or how undergarments improved medieval literacy
go to press release

Conservation-quality boards are called ragboards, for a reason - in that quality paper and boards are made, literally, from cotton rags. Now a scholar has speculated that the spread of printing, made possible by the availability of cheap paper (as opposed to the expensive and labour-intensive animal skin parchment) which is made from, of all things, undergarments. Do they ever wash them before recycling?
.

from The Guardian -
Russian capital's architectural gems bulldozed
go to article

from The Guardian -
At home with Moore
go to article
go to audio slideshow

from Dallas Morning News -
Restoration will set things Wright
go to article

from The Guardian -
Heritage row on selection of Darwin's home
go to article

from The Guardian -
The building that God forgot
go to article

A slew of articles related to the field of architectural conservation.
.

from The Guardian -
David gets a wash in public
go to article

Yet another high-profile cleaning project - recalling the earlier attempt to Michaelangelo's David (see earlier posts, here and here). However, this time, a laser cleaning technique will be used.

Weblog tweaking

For the curious:
As I had to redo a substantial chunk of the links on the side-bar, I thought that I might as well refresh the look of the weblog - although I just did that about 6 months ago. The image used in the title bar is a snapshot of the Singapore River waterfront, with colours adjusted and stretched.

Weblog Migration

For all readers: I'll be migrating the current blog over to blogspot as I have hit the webpage limit of my internet account. Disruption will probably occur over the next few days. So do bookmark the new link - apertum.blogspot.com - and continue browsing. For those who grab posts via a feed reader, do check the new link to get the correct feed URL. Cheers!

from The New York Times -
Report Faults Oversight by Smithsonian Regents
go to article

An update on the re-organisation of the Smithsonian Institution, after the departure of the chief executive (see earlier post here).

from The Guardian -
National Gallery takes to the streets
go to article
go to pictures

Definitely an attention-grabbing way in museum publicity - and (almost) literally taking the art to the public ... in public spaces:

It's not often that you come across a Caravaggio or Van Gogh while walking around London's Soho, but for the next 12 weeks, the National Gallery is taking its masterpieces to the streets. In a bid to give the public a taste of the collection, the gallery has hung life-sized reproductions around the capital. Each painting is framed and accompanied by an information plaque, and passersby can phone a number for an audio guide of the works.

What a wonderful idea - brightening the urban-scape and promoting the museum in one fell swoop!
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from Institute of Conservation (UK) -
Conservation Awards 2007
go to short-lists

Once again, the annual awards given out for outstanding conservation and digital preservation projects in the UK. Results will be announced on 27th September at the British Museum.
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from Conservation DistList -
British Library Centre for Conservation Microsite
go to web-site

An additional web resource for heritage conservation. You can also watch videosof conservators at work ! (Thanks to Conservation DistList for the prior alert).
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from Radio Singapore International -
Heritage Conservation Centre
go to programme notes
go to MP3 (2.29 Mb)

A nice (audio) overview of the work that goes on behind the scene.
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from Sydney Morning Herald -
Don't shoot the Texta messengers
go to article

Steve Grody's new illustrated book Graffiti L.A. is out now.

I confess - I have a thing for graffiti. It all began when my to-die-for lecturer talked about graffiti in one of my urban geography classes. From there, street arts and graffiti have always been on my outlook lens. Living in clean, (almost)utopian suburbia of Singapore, there aren't many chances to meet street arts so much often. In fact, before uni, I didn't know how "graffiti" look like. Maybe there was some underground making of provocative street art going on but they weren't unlikely to make friendly headlines in the mainstream media in Singapore. We are simply taught that tagging on public properties is strictly unlawful. And in whole wide world, graffiti is labeled as an anti-social activity in the orthodox urban planning dictionary.

While in Sydney, i witnessed many impressive graffiti works whose forms transcended into "bold, colourful designs as beautification of locations that will normally considered urban blight." Those expressions tales a whole lots of social problems which many cities are facing - poverty, social marginalisation, political struggle, self-identity, masculinity etc. Behind each mural carries significant tales, as much as John Denver missed his countrytown while singing his "Country Road"!

"Surf or Die" , 2006
- undying passion of surfing culture in Australia






"I've a dream", 2006
-the aboringinals' longing for peace while struggling with the present urbanity.







The role of "place" put graffiti in another debate. I don't know any museums that have housed graffiti works but its art identity has been always been contested under a spatial art-political regime. I ask:
- Is graffiti an art creation? Is this "out-of place" form simply not an art?
- Will its status quo be redefined as an "art" only if it enters into the "sacred spaces" of a art gallery? from out-of-ghetto image to the high-end art....?
- will its meaning change under a process of displacement from its street ghetto to the art gallery?

I await comments, responses and those who already have a read on the new book. Peace.
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from Washington Post -
Saving Our Digital Heritage
go to article

This article asks - which also can be taken as as a sort of counterpoint to the earlier post on the on-going effort by the British Library to archive a snap-shot of e-mails, although not directly related in any way:

"Responsible preservation of our most valued digital data requires answers to key questions: Which data should we keep and how should we keep it? How can we ensure that we can access it in five years, 100 years or 1,000 years? And, who will pay for it?"

These are also questions that museum collections must face up to, albeit phrased slightly differently.
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from People's Daily Online -
China establishes initial database for intangible cultural heritage
go to article

Another effort in the Herculean challenge of preserving cultural expressions. Documentation and database lists are but an initial aspect of the overall effort. The long-term goal is for such cultural expressions to find contemporary relevance. And this daunting task can be a bit less so if we see such cultural expressions as a kind of "commons" which must entail the responsible use and preservation by everyone.

This long-term goal of preservation might run counter to current notions of intellectual property, which hinges on legislative measures to facilitate commercial exploitation in the first instance (see related links on WIPO site on "Traditional Knowledge" and "Traditional Cultural Expressions"). The dilemma could arise, say in a hypothetical situation, when an original ethnic group could not continue its intangible cultural expressions, but another public institution or non-profit organisation wishes to, then would this mean that the effort would have to be cleared through an endless series of legislative measures and commercial licenses? This sounds like a death knell for intangible heritage preservation efforts.
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from The New York Times -
British Library, You’ve Got Mail, and It’s Not Spam
go to article

Another effort at digital preservation and this time using the unique medium of e-mail to document a sample of "everyday" (and some might say "mundane") life. The larger objective of the entire exercise being to build "the first archive of its kind" as a sort of "electronic time capsule".

"The British Library is famous for its collections of 'official history.' What’s great about the collection of e-mail messages is that it’s a 'democratic resource' that shows how people really lived."

The claim that this collection of messages are somehow representative is perhaps a result of wishful thinking. It would be more accurate to qualify that it "shows how people with access to e-mails really lived" in a world where only 12% have access to a computer.
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from News@Nature.com -
Plastics for posterity
go to article

A brief round-up of the 3-day conference, "Plastics: Looking at the Future & Learning from the Past", held at the Victoria & Albert Museum.

See also an earlier related article ("Plastics Preservation at the V&A" by Brenda Keneghan) in the V&A Conservation Journal.
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from The Guardian -
Tate Modern has sold its soul - and us - down the river
go to article

A sharp critique of the latest programme development at the Tate Modern, especially the move to feature more of the private collection of the Swiss Bank, UBS. There is a larger and more complex issue of securing funding, which is not helped by the UK government's latest move to divert more funding away from the arts and heritage in preparation for the London Olympics. Nevertheless, the author argues that:

"Tate Modern belongs to the British people. Its space cannot be sold, its codes must not be breached simply because the government doesn't care to support it as it should."

This line of criticism also brings to mind an earlier article in the New York Times (see previous post) which also regaled against the commercial excess and frenzy in US museums. Perhaps the larger and more pertinent question ought to be: "What can be done about the situation?"
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from Tate Modern - Talks & Discussions -
The Sound of Materials
go to web-page
MP3 recording (89.9 MB)

from Tate Modern -
What can matter be? A podcast about materials, science and art
go to web-page

The talk discusses the art and science of sounds and the influence of different materials on the production of sound, while the podcast (self-service) tour offers the listener a quirky take on the the physical and material aspects of various collections and premises within Tate Modern.

The podcast tour was done in conjunction with Mark Miodownik, who first set up the Materials Library at King's College, London (see earlier post for additional information). An article was also written up in Materials Today (PDF article , 1.4 MB) on one of the exhibit being examined - "Artist's Shit" by Piero Manzoni.

Both the talk and podcast tour highlight an often neglected aspect of our aesthetic experience, which is the realisation that the choice of materials and their physical construction often exert a significant influence on the final aesthetic experience, be it visually, acoustically or tactually. Hence, the physical deterioration of materials in artworks - which art conservation efforts seek to slow and reduce - will also inevitably affect the aesthetic impact of artworks in time to come, whether intended or otherwise.
.

from BBC News -
'History itself has been lost'
go to article
also
Blaze ravages historic Cutty Sark
go to article
also
In Pictures: Cutty Sark
go to photos

A sad update. See earlier post on the conservation and significance of this tea clipper docked at Greenwich.
.

from The New York Times -
Sculpture (and Nerves) of Steel
go to article
go to audio clip

A behind-the-scene account of the installation of Richard Serra's massive sculptures at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Makes one wonder where does art end and engineering begin?

Also, see a time-lapsed video of a couple of sculptures installed in the MoMA Sculpture Gardens. (Link courtesy of Modern Art Notes)
.

from GCI - Conservation Newsletter -
Volume 22, Spring 2007: Environmental Management
go to contents
download PDF (4.6 MB)

from Tate Research Papers -
"Historically Accurate Reconstructions of Artists’ Oil Painting Materials"
by Leslie Carlyle and Maartjee Witlox
go to article

A few interesting articles updated recently. From the Getty Conservation Newsletter, a whole issue dedicated to the idea of passive environmental control, all the more relevant in the context of today's increasing concerns with sustainability and depletion of natural resources. In the Tate Research Papers, an article which discusses the relevance of material and scientific analysis in the context of art historical research.
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from The Sunday Times -
Behind the scenes at the British Museum
go to article

One more example of the institutional transformation (of a museum) beginning with a deep sense of passion, intellectual honesty and inspired leadership. Copious amount of funding is not, and cannot be, a necessary starting condition - that comes afterwards. It makes one wonder if the rush to build museums in a top-down fashion is doing it the wrong way round and, perhaps, for all the wrong reasons.
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s/pores: New Directions in Singapore Studies
go to online journal

Citizen Historian: The Unrewarded Amateur Conscience
go to online journal

Archives & Social Studies: A Journal of Interdisciplinary Research
go to online journal

Beginning Preservation: A forum for discussing preservation and conservation
go to weblog

Added several links on the sidebar which point to online journals and weblog that may be of interest.
.

from Royal Microscopical Society -
InFocus
go to web-page

There are a few articles, available on-line, related to the examination and technical analysis of paint / pigment samples from the newsletter of the RMS.

Issue 1, March 2006

"Forensics and Microscopy in Authenticating Works of Art"
Peter Paul Biro
go to PDF article, 930kB

"Microscopical techniques applied to traditional paintings"
Joyce H Townsend and Katrien Keune
go to PDF article, 1.6MB

"Scientific dating of paintings"
Nicholas Eastaugh
go to PDF article, 1.1MB


Issue 2, June 2006

"'Not a day without a line drawn': Pigments and painting techniques of Roman Artists"
Ruth Siddall
go to PDF article, 1.2MB

"Historical pigment research: the work of the Pigmentum Project"
Valentine Walsh & Nicholas Eastaugh
go to PDF article, 1.4MB


Issue 3, September 2006

"Microscopy and archival research: interpreting results within the context of historical records and traditional practice"
Jane Davies
go to PDF article, 340kB
go to supplement, 35kB

"Advanced microscopic techniques for the characterisation of pigments"
Robin Clark & Tracey Chaplin
go to PDF article, 423kB


Issue 4, December 2006

"18th Century church altarpieces in the Algarve, Portugal: A comparison of the historical documents to the results of the microscopical analysis"
Isabel Pombo Cardoso
go to PDF article, 1.9MB

from Museum, NUS Centre for the Arts -
Seminar Series on Exhibitionary Practices in Singapore:
Contexts, Processes & Trends
go to web-page

I have just uploaded the audio recording of a talk that I gave as part of the NUS Museum Seminar Series back in March 2007. (MP3 file, 13.3 MB; PDF of slides, 882 kB)

"The Relevance of Conservation in Museums"
go to web-page and links

There are also links to various resources that may be of interest.
Do leave your comments or feedback. Cheers!
.

from The Art Newspaper -
Elton John concerts in Venice raise concern about possible damage to St Mark's Square
go to article

from The Guardian -
Fears for Gaudi masterpiece as rail tunnel approved
go to article

Another 2 examples of the fragile cause of architecture conservation in the face of relentless urban development and activities.
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from Washington Post -
Smithsonian Will Charge For Butterfly Pavilion
go to article

from The Art Newspaper -
Sweden: Entry fees deter visitors
go to article

from The Guardian Art & Architecture Blog -
Free entry is still just the ticket
go to post

Yet a couple more ripples in the perennial debate on whether museum visitors should be expected to pay for entry.

The issue may be that museums are expected to fulfill several expectations:

1. Success is gauged by headcount;
2. Content is driven by research and mission; and
3. Funding is determined by (socio-political) relevance.

Taken in isolation, these expectations are reasonable and likely to be achievable. But when taken in combination, that's where most museums could potentially fumble, resulting in a confusion of mixed signals of what a museum should do or be about.

Also see previous posts and discussions on this web-log:

Switzerland is a nation of museum lovers

Art for inclusion's sake

The high cost of being 'free'

Down with this access pottiness

Should Art Museums Always Be Free? There's Room for Debate
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from yesterday.sg -
Panel discussion about heritage on Radio Singapore International
go to web-post

A couple of recent radio interviews related to museums in Singapore. It may be the sign of the times that museums are now "officially" a life-style centre. Whose life-style was that again? And are we in danger of confusing the means with the end?
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from National Geographic News -
New Layer of Ancient Greek Writings Detected in Medieval Book
go to article

Another update on yet another manuscript found previously erased from the well-known Archimedes Palimpsest (see earlier posts here and here). This time, Aristotle's text was found, in addition to earlier texts by Archimedes and Hyperides that were found using multi-spectral imaging and image analysis.
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from The Art Newspaper -
Getty sets standards in China
go to article

An update on the long-term project at Mogao, near Dunhuang, where the Getty has been very sensitive not to be seen as imposing a Western approach to site and heritage conservation on the local context. Even if nothing else, the crafting of a set of site conservation guidelines, also known as the "China Principles" would be an advance on the progress made in the thinking of the large-scale preservation of heritage sites. Also see the Getty project web-page.
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from Adbusters
Anabolic Art: Underground Chinese Art Meets Footloose Global Capital
go to article

The hike of globalisation in China, well, isnt quite as well-perceived as its comparative theorem has offered. The regular boost of art flavour in the country is a far cry from the representative works of its local artists. Rather, art is just a commodity to be owned as "ours". Adbusters has recently published an article which speaks the ugly side of globalisation. Although Adbusters isnt a legitimate channel for art news but i think this article carries a valid notion.

from Materials Today -
Managing Change: Preserving History
go to article (PDF format, 7.8MB)

Another article to add to the overview of conservation science as a discipline (also see earlier post). What is interesting is that this is published in an on-line newsletter dedicated to materials science - perhaps indicative of the gradual understanding and acceptance of the work of the conservation scientist.
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from The International Council of Museums -
International Museum Day 2007
go to web-page

The theme for this year's International Museum Day, which falls on 18th May 2007, is "Museums and Universal Heritage". Not entirely sure of the appropriateness of the theme in the light of various complex issues today that various countries and museums are facing over repatriation of artefacts in collections.

That earlier mode of museum collecting was predicated upon that notion of a universal human culture and history, hence the right of the more advanced and developed nations (meaning European and North American) to declare themselves as worthy, hence rightful custodians and students of these ancient artefacts. This would be construed as patronising, to say the least, and offensive in today's terms.
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from The New York Times -
Umbrian Umbrage: Send Back That Etruscan Chariot
go to article

Serendipity has it that 2 earlier posts (here and here) form the context of this article which highlights the claims of a town in central Italy to the ownership of the Etruscan chariot which was painstakingly restored after much research at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

The underlying irony is that if the chariot had not been taken out of Italy (legally or otherwise) and given pride of place in the museum, its historical significance could in all likelihood be lost, hence avoiding a contest of wills all together. A victim of its own "success", maybe?
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from The New York Times -
Do You Know Where That Art Has Been?
go to article

Yet another article on the sometimes dubious antiquities trade which attracts and support the illicit trade in antiquities. However, whit sets this article apart from others on the same topic is that it is featured in the business section of a prominent newspaper.

Two other earlier audio programmes from NPR which also discussed the complex and entangled web of antiquities trade and the attempts to stamp out illicit activities.

"Getty Villa: Elegance Hides Darker Story"
20th January 2006
(go to web-page)

"A Trove of Stolen Treasure"
17th May 2006
(go to web-page)
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Passing 400 blog posts

The 400th blog post had been posted, that's an average of 1 post every 3 days over the 3 last years since this blog has been up.

With the recent change of Goggle Blogger back end support, I took the opportunity to revamp the look of the blog, as well as tagging all previous posts. Hope this will make searching and browsing easier.

In the migrating process, I think some people with access to post on this blog might have been removed. Please let me know and I'll reinstate access to those who would like to contribute.

Happy reading and posting!
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from The New York Times -
One Picture, 1,000 Tags
go to article

from The Chronicle Daily News Blog -
Metropolitan Museum Will Let Art Historians Use High-Quality Digital Images Free
go to article

from National Public Radio -
Preservation of Digital Art Poses Challenges
go to podcast

PLANETS - Digital Preservation Research and Technology
go to web-page

Museums and the Web 2007
go to conference web-page
go to online conference papers

With the increasing spread of digital technology, museums and archives have also begun to consider the impact and implications of its use - both in preserving digital works created by others and also creating their own digital interfaces in allowing easier access to information.
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from The New York Times -
A More Precise Version of Your Chariot Awaits
go to article

An interesting project, which was recently concluded at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, which reconstructs and improves upon earlier attempts in putting together an archaeological artefact. This is a classic manifestation of the primary underlying principle of heritage conservation which is that later generations will have a better method and solution to our present-day problems. Hence, it is to be expected that conservation or restoration treatments be improved upon over time - not that previous restorers or conservators were incompetent, but that we all make do in the best possible way with what we have today.
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from New York Times -
Arsenic and Old Photos
go to article

An interesting article on the work of Dusan Stulik at the Getty Conservation Institute on the identification and compilation of materials used in the making of photographs. Dusan's work is in part driven by the ubiquitous popularity of digital photography resulting in "an impending disaster in photographic conservation and scholarship: the abandonment and loss of many decades’ worth of information about traditional photos as the switch was made to digital." The endpoint is a reference publication:

"[...] sometime in the next few years, a door-stopping Atlas of Analytical Signatures of Photographic Processes, a chemical characterization of every known (and, until now, some previously unknown) means of making pictures."

See also information from GCI's website on the Research Project on the Conservation of Photographs.
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from The New York Times -
A Museum Takes Steps to Collect Houses
go to article

from Artnet -
Collecting Video Art
go to article

Two differnt aspects of collecting but with a common (probably unintended) aim - creating trouble for conservators! But then who's complaining if this is for the greater good?
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from Art Newspaper -
Smithsonian art museums have reached a “critical point”
go to article

from The New York Times -
Embattled Smithsonian Official Resigns
go to article

Not necessarily one thing leading to another, but there is no denying that the only way to sustain a world-class museum organisation is to build one which is highly focused on being a world-class museum rather than something else. Then again, aren't museums no longer fashionable, hence the rise of lifestyle venues, instead?
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from Guardian -
Jewels in the crown to be protected. But who will pay heritage price?
go to article

Another step taken in the UK to strengthen efforts made to preserve historic buildings and sites. However, identification and registering of such sites, can only be the first step towards preservation. It serves nobody any good if a site is ear-marked but left derelict due to inadequate resources. The underlying difficulty has to do with the issue of private property (rights) versus public heritage (responsibilities). The two need not be mutually exclusively, but for all intent and purpose, is usually perceived as such.
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from Art Newspaper -

First art fair in Dubai attracts Indian, American and Iranian buyers
go to article

The Gulf: Major collectors and new museums
go to article

A couple of related articles which undoubtedly confirms the rise of the Middle East Arab countries as the next regional powerhouse in the ever exploding art scene - all made possible by eager patronage backed by stupendous amount of funds. No wonder its a case of who gets in through the door first for European and American museums.
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from Tate Research -
Carlos Garaicoa Case Study
go to web-site

An update on a new project over at the Tate on the attempt to preserve an installation artwork by the Cuban artist, Carlos Garaicoa. Quoting the short introduction posted on the Conservation Dist List:

"The site includes video interviews with Carlos Garaicoa, the curator and conservators. In addition to exploring some very practical decisions that needed to be made regarding the display and conservation of this work, the site also investigates aspects of Garaicoa's practice and issues connected to the international art scene and Biennale culture. The site aims to provide information of interest to a general audience as well as provide technical information not commonly available to the public."

A previous project documenting a Bruce Nauman's installation artwork can also be accessed from the "Inside Installation" main page on the Tate web-site, which also links to an up-coming symposium and web-cast on "Shifting Practice, Shifting Roles? Artists' Installations and the Museum" (previously posted here).
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from New York Times -
Olympic Construction Unearths Ancient Treasure Trove
go to article

A triumph of sorts for preservation - even in the face of crass commercialism in the run-up to the Olympics in Beijing. This is a welcomed contrast to earlier callous attitude towards heritage preservation in this over-heated economy where history is often perceived to be standing in the way of progress.

"There are two enemies of antiquity protection," said Xu Pingfang, president of the China Archaeological Society. "Construction is one. Thieves are the others. They know what they want, and they destroy the rest."

from Guardian -
Iran's rich architecture and rare treasures threatened by possible US strikes
go to article

As the time approaches to recollect the reprehensible act of invasion, a timely article to remind one and all of the devastation of war that can be wrought on our shared world heritage - lest we forget.
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from The New York Sun -
The Art of Saving Art
go to article

An interesting article which gives a glimpse into the processes and considerations of conservation work. Jim Coddington from MOMA and Margaret Holben Ellis from The Morgan Library & Museum talks about the challenges of conservation.
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from New York Times -
Is That Just Some Game? No, It’s a Cultural Artifact
go to article

A sure sign of the coming of age of popular culture is when it is seriously considered for preservation. This we can say of video and arcade games, while still mindful of the complexity of the task ahead:

"[P]reserving video games presented certain challenges. For example the hardware that games are played on changes so frequently that there are already thousands that can only be played through computer programs called emulators, which, while readily available on the Internet, technically violate copyright laws."

from New York Times -
What Surrounds a Legend? A 3,000-Pound Gilt Frame
go to article

An interesting look at the restoration of a frame which is regarded not only historically but also as a "legendary" artefact - surely a "crowd-puller" in the making. Also notable is the length that the Metropolitan Museum is going through in order to accommodate the restoration of the over-sized frame.
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from Bloomberg -
Berlin Museums Chief Attacks Louvre for Abu Dhabi Venture
go to article

from The New York Times -
The Louvre’s Art: Priceless. The Louvre’s Name: Expensive.
go to article

from The New York Times -
Museum for African Art Finds Its Place
go to article

from The New York Times -
Welcome to the Museum of My Stuff
go to article

A slew of museum-related articles - from the global, to the local (in New York City), to the "micro".
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Challenging Building: the search for solutions
go to web-page

A recently concluded conference looking at issues of environmental control and risks.particularly in the context of adaptive re-use of historic buildings for museum collections.

You can read the articles on-line. Alternatively a PDF version of all the post-prints can be downloaded here (PDF file, 1MB).

The list of papers as follow:

Tim Padfield
"How to design a museum building that protects the collection without destroying itself"
on-line article here

Jane Brunning
"Denbighshire Record Office: an essay in pragmatism"
on-line article here

Jonathan Ashley Smith
"Current thinking on environmental standards"
on-line article here

R.E. Child
"The new Waterfront Museums Swansea: Teething problems and solutions"
on-line article here

Gerallt D. Nash
"Introducing heating into re-erected traditional buildings"
on-line article here

Heather Perry
"Hot Hot Hot in the summer"
on-line article here

Jane Henderson
"Newtown Textile Museum: You will need to wear a woolly?"
on-line article here

[ Thanks to Conservation Dist List for the prior alert. ]
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from The Art Newspaper -
Views of Russia’s crumbling modernist heritage
go to article

The pervasiveness of an awareness of and active participation in heritage conservation, in all its different forms, would surely be a sign of a stable and highly developed socio-political community. With the collapse of societal infrastructure, heritage preservation becomes easily expendable and, hence, neglected.
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from The New York Times -
Harvard Analysis Casts Doubt on Works Said to Be Pollocks
go to article

from The New York Times -
A Pollock, in the Eyes of Art and Science
go to article

Two related articles about a recent scientific analysis done on a set of recently discovered paintings attributed to Jackson Pollock. However, the analysis raised question about the attribution, which in turn is not accepted by the art historian who had put forward the attribution.

This points to a fundamental difference in terms of approach:

"In the wider art world, traditional scholarship is beginning to accommodate science a little more willingly. But some experts say the friction between the two is not only about turf wars but also about fundamental differences in culture [...] [P]art of the problem was that “art historians basically do not collaborate” while science demands it."

from San Francisco Chronicle -
Human knowledge eroded as endangered languages die
go to article

With the disappearance of languages, not only is knowledge lost, but a vital indication of a vibrant human existence - diversity. And the up keeping of diversity cannot be achieved by decrees or institutionalising a set of protocols. It has to be a "grass-root" effort involving the community. See also previous post on the UNESCO project to put together a handbook on the documentation and preservation of languages.
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from The Art Newspaper -
Why a clean-up would be a clear-out
go to article

On the eccentricities of the art market - or funny money, in another guise - as it is feared that the recent surge in the auction prices of contemporary art (in Asia and elsewhere) will inevitably become unsustainable. This sounds like a bubble in the making, and the complicity of the museum world is thus implicated:

"Museums play a complex and ambivalent role in the ecology of this [art] market. The curatorial community is outraged when it suspects that the imprimatur of a museum is being used to increase the market value of works in private ownership that it has borrowed, displayed and catalogued. [...] Many curators nevertheless spend considerable time advising collectors on acquisitions and many collectors’ decisions on their own acquisitions (and their donations of related works) are informed by what they learn about who’s hot and who’s not in their capacity as museum board members."

from The Art Newspaper -
Louvre curators condemn “collections for rent” schemes
go to article

from The Art Newspaper -
The Louvre’s loans to Abu Dhabi are soft power in action
go to article

Two opposing views on the inevitable rise of the culture of museum loans - for dissemination of knowledge but also with other (not so cultural) intentions. See also previous post.
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from The New York Times -
Paints’ Mysteries Challenge Protectors of Modern Art
go to article

The latest on the research of modern paints started at the Getty Conservation Institute by Dr Tom Learner when he was a visiting fellow, and has now recently (re-)joined the Getty from the Tate. Go to the research project web-pages here.
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from Tate Online Events -
Shifting Practice, Shifting Roles? Artists' Installations and the Museum
go to web-page

The last in the series of symposium organised as part of the European-funded project "Inside Installations: The Preservation and Presentation of Installation Art" (see web-site). Incidentally, this last symposium, held at the Tate Modern, will also be web-casted on 22 March 2007, at about 5:15pm (Singapore time).

[ Thanks to Conservation DistList for the prior alert. ]

from The Independent -
British Library to start charging
go to article

from The Guardian -
Cuts threaten services at British Library
go to article

from The Telegraph -
British Library could start charging scholars
go to article

from The Telegraph -
Don't let the British Library starve
go to article

from The Guardian -
Culture cuts hurt everyone
go to article

from The Guardian -
Can we afford cuts to the British Library's funding?
go to article

from La Scena Musicale -
Waiting for the axe to fall
go to article

A spate of articles commenting on the recent threat to cut funding of the arts and heritage, affecting the museums in the UK and the British Library.It's back to the stone-age if this goes through.

[ Thanks to the Singapore Heritage Mailing List for the initial news. ]