from The Christian Science Monitor -
A new endangered species: Modern architecture
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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
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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
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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.
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from The New York Times -
Bilbao, 10 Years Later
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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"
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from The Washington Post -
Is There a Future for Old-Fashioned Museums?
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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
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from The Guardian -
How old masters are helping study of global warming
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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.
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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
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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

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from New York Times -
World’s Languages Dying Off Rapidly
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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.
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from The New York Times -
Nothing Down, $0 a Month, Hammer Required
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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.
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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.
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