from The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
Picking up the pieces of broken art
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An article revealing a ordinary day of a artifact conservator.
If there is a ranking of the most underrated occupations, the conservators would easily fall into any of the placings. Doing the unusual finding-fault work, it is unknown to many others that conservation is not just another routine day job. It requires good eyesight for microscopic details and indefinite length of patience and a pair of healthy lungs for inhaling the chemicals. Not easy work after all, one proper finished (and satisfied!) conservation work could take from a few hours to forever. Yet every attempt to doctor a broken artwork is done with in respect of and preservation of the artisit's original intention.
Many before me tried it, so i cant really complain that I'm doing the most frustration work in the world.
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Hi there, my virgin comment for this blog. Should be ranting on my forlorn blog but nontheless here's my own little experience!
ReplyDeleteMost of my friends say that my conservator job is interesting, albeit they never knew such a job ACTUALLY existed. Now, people with a more cynical note would wonder if that's a job for real? What kind of job is that? Will you ever get a pay raise? Then comes the puzzled look and more question marks to come.
Like what you say, the job is seriously underrated. Unless people actually know the nature and improtance of this job, its really hard for them to appreciate it. But I don't blame them afterall I only friended conservation when I went for the HCC tour with the Nus history club members.
** It actually took my Dad a month to truly understand what am I working as!
I've come to terms with it and I'm happy that I'm treating my voiceless patients under guidance. I just have to constantly come out with the right words or a perfect template as to explain what a paper conservator does and how is it like to people around me. =)
I reckon the local art scene isnt as big as the West, let alone the awareness of art conservation. But it's growing. It has to.
ReplyDeleteI often feel art conservation as a part of the art forensic. Cum with technology, there is always new discovery or another explanation at looking literature within the regime, which is the fun of the work! Sometimes it raises a few hairs of my colleagues or bite off some nails. All in all, it makes holy science more interesting than a couple of dead theories. As i see, science limits no boundaries, same goes art too. That's probably why i can never be an accountant.
On the other hand, I'm elated to witness the maturing of modern or popular art here. There, at some corners of this tiny spot on the map, art-making is real.
And one month to understand isnt long.I'd say your dad is a clever one there. It probably takes some dinosaur ages to explain to others.
Cheers...