A P E R T U M

2011-01-02T06:00:00.013+08:00

New Systems for Document Public Art
from Witty's Blog: Wikipedia, History, Museum -

An interesting series of open-access projects that uses intangible digital media to bring attention to tangible public sculptures and art. This not only generates more attention and awareness of the artworks, but can also be easily implemented in many, many other contexts. Every city should have one or more of such projects running!

go to article
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2010-12-31T08:25:00.000+08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

My apologies for the long hiatus - a combination of crazy work-load and other distractions.

At this juncture between the new and the old, it is as good a time as any other instant to revive the effort that has started this blog.

So, just to wish one and all a great start to the year!

2010-05-03T08:26:00.000+08:00

from KFSK Radio -
Conservator works on Alaska documents
go to web-page
go to audio (MP3)

When the museum or archives cannot come to the conservator, the (paper) conservator goes to the museum and archives. Maybe this could be the model to help smaller museums and heritage centres that cannot afford permanent in-house staff.
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2010-03-21T23:04:00.000+08:00

from The New York Times -
Tile by Tile, a Mural Is Saved
go to article

A paint-staking project in relocating a ceramic tile wall mural, prompting the insight:

"Anything artistic that goes in a subway should be put on some type of removable support."

A lesson in there somewhere for all urban transport authorities?
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2010-03-20T23:21:00.000+08:00

from The New York Times -
A Rebel Form Gains Favor. Fights Ensue.
go to article

It is indeed an ironic twist that performance art - the art form which resists commercialism by being stubbornly rendered as not collectible - is now facing questions about its core value as some artists insists on reperformance, sometimes using the guise of preservation to deflect criticism.
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2010-03-02T06:00:00.000+08:00

from Getty Conservation Institute -
Art as Evidence:The Scientific Investigation of Works of Art
go to web-page and video

A good overview of issues and possibilities with current technological advances in the examination of artworks. Even as technology surpass our understanding, the primary question remains: "For what ends?"
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2010-03-01T22:44:00.000+08:00

from The Guardian -
How the National Trust is finding its mojo
go to article

"The perennial battle inside the trust has always been that between conservation and access, preservation and enjoyment. 'But really, it needn't be,' insists [Mark] Harold [, regional director at National Trust]. 'Not every room in every built property has precious textiles. We own lots of land; not all of it is equally sensitive.'"

Possibly a lesson for museums - not to operate solely on the basis of preempting damage as if all artefacts are masterpieces but to recognise that all preservation decisions are inherently biased. The point is to be open about what values guide those decisions - for better or for worse.
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2010-02-02T23:28:00.000+08:00

from Tate Research -
Tate AXA Art Modern Paints Project (TAAMPP): 2006-2009 Research summary
go to Research Summary (PDF, 563 kB)

A summary of the extensive research into acrylic paints and how various conservation cleaning treatments affect the physical properties of acrylic paint films.
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2010-01-24T23:19:00.000+08:00

from The New York Times -
Online, It’s the Mouse That Runs the Museum
go to article

It is less about being populist than understanding that if it is the victorious that writes history, then authority is not winning people over as it has been before.
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2009-12-31T06:00:00.000+08:00

from The Observer -
Enlightened age for the arts in Britain is cast into shadow
go to article

And to end the year with an eye on what is happening in UK museums that could serve for all as a lesson (from the past) and a warning (from the future), perhaps:

"The culture shift began with free entry to museums and has developed down the years to force once standoffish institutions to engage with wider School trips, outreach and working with diverse communities have come to rank as highly as research and fundraising."

And,

"The fear is that a collapse in private philanthropy combined with a political arms race of expenditure cuts and quango-bashing could soon return our galleries and museums to the dark days of charges, closures and pandering to the familiar."

2009-12-30T21:38:00.000+08:00

from The Guardian -
China loses thousands of historic sites
go to article

"The last 20 years have been the worst time for cultural heritage site protection with the rapid development. It is even worse than in the Cultural Revolution"

Intense urban development finishing what misguided ideology could not ... and, then some.
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2009-12-28T21:47:00.001+08:00

from The New York Times -
An Italian City Shaken to Its Cultural Core
go to article
go to images

"Shortages of money, political will, architectural good sense and international attention — along with a distinctly Italian predilection for a kind of magical thinking — threaten to finish what the quake started."

This is yet another case-in-point for national efforts in setting aside funds and identifying expertise before crisis happens.
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2009-12-11T22:01:00.000+08:00

from The Art Newspaper -
Heritage marketing: Love is not enough
go to article

Heralding the rise of a new breed "museum worker" - the interpretation expert - whose job is to make historical information more tasteful and digestible for the (imaginary?) general public. What a load of condescending bung!
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2009-12-05T08:14:00.000+08:00

from The Royal Academy of Arts -
Conservation: Principles, Dilemmas and Uncomfortable Truths
go to web-page
download talks and discussions

"Conservation today is as much about conserving intangible values as it is about conserving material culture, yet the Codes of Ethics for conservators fail to guide them in understanding and prioritising such values."

Still no answers to be had, but this is a first step in opening up a space for honest discussions within the profession - rather than hiding behind "mantras" derived uncritically from such "codes of ethics".
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2009-11-29T23:48:00.000+08:00

from The New York Observer -
Copy That! Wait, Don't. Whitney Ponders Problem of Replication in Modern Art
go to article

Yet another take on the issues surrounding the preservation of contemporary art. Perhaps, it is more useful to see such diverse preservation efforts not in a monolithic or unified way but as pragmatic measures in the race against time. Let's argue less about (impossible) philosophical ideals and think more about setting acceptable standards beyond which all manner of approach is (to be) welcomed.

See earlier link to various papers published online on the 2007 conference held at the Tate mentioned in the article
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2009-11-18T08:01:00.000+08:00

from New York Times -
Digging Into the Science of That Old-Book Smell
go to article

A non-destructive method of detecting elevated levels of harmful chemicals inherent in the paper. If proved consistent, this could be potentially useful in prioritising and targeting efforts in the preservation of paper-based artefacts.
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2009-11-17T10:30:00.000+08:00

from Getty Conservation Institute Newsletter -
Conservation of Modern and Contemporary Art
go to contents
go to PDF (6.7 MB)

A timely overview of some of the latest research directions and thinking in the preservation of contemporary art and materials.
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2009-11-11T22:04:00.001+08:00

from The New York Times -
When Ancient Artifacts Become Political Pawns
go to article

"But the larger truth is that all patrimony arguments ultimately live or die in the morally murky realm of global relations, meaning that modern governments like Egypt’s and Iraq’s may win sympathy today by counting on Western guilt about colonialism when asking for the return of art from ancient sites within their current borders. At the same time there’s no international clamor for Russia to return storerooms of treasures it stole from Germany at the end of the war, or, for that matter, for Sweden to fork over the spoils of a war 350 years ago with Denmark. It’s about emotion, not airtight logic and consistent policy."

Perhaps, the way to take all these twists and turns of events is to realise that when a field of professional work becomes sufficiently mature, petty politics moves right in. Welcome to the world ...
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2009-10-31T22:33:00.000+08:00

from The Art Newspaper -
Disposing of cultural artefacts in university collections
go to article

Treating all artefacts in a collection as "equally valuable" would seem like an enlightened approach - but in fact it is a mask to hide unthinking wasteful practices and a deep reluctance to make (and live with) subjective decisions.
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2009-10-21T18:43:00.000+08:00

from Art21 Blog -
Concepts Around Interviewing Artists: a Discussion with Glenn Wharton
go to article

A good and clear overview of the issues pertaining to the use of artist interviews as a strategy in the preservation of contemporary art. In the final analysis, such interview should be treated less as documentation (which is a 1-way process akin to trying to uncover the artist intent, whatever that might mean) and more as an exercise in building understanding (as a 2-way interactive and collaborative process).
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2009-10-20T23:37:00.000+08:00

from -
Rice [University] students changing art of art storage
go to article

Definitely a good idea that could be expanded and made useful for museums everywhere. However, the part about - 'next steps include filing for a patent and exploring "a startup or some sort of venture."' - does not sit well with the open spirit of sharing in the museum and heritage fields.
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2009-10-18T22:59:00.000+08:00

from The New York Times -
Foundation Helps Archives to Go Online
go to article

A timely reminder that preservation of heritage and historical materials do not just happen by themselves - no matter how much good intentions there are.
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2009-10-10T12:18:00.005+08:00

from V&A Museum -
Conservation in Action videos

Short videos with information on the conservation process of various interesting artefacts in the museum collection.

Conserving Tippoo's Tiger
by Nigel Bamforth, Senior Conservator, Furniture and Wood Conservation

go to video

Conservation of a Tunic from Egypt
by Elizabeth-Anne Haldane, Textile Conservator

go to video

Gaekwad of Baroda Uniform
by Sarah Glenn, Textile Conservator

go to video

A 'Thousand Nailed' Chhatra (Parasol)
by Jennifer Barsby, RCA/V&A Conservation course graduate

go to video
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2009-10-09T21:17:00.002+08:00

from The Guardian -
Dance would die without the internet
go to article

"One reason that dance struggles to establish itself as a discipline is the relative paucity of its archive: more than any other art form, it is constantly being lost to history. To build a body of knowledge, you need to gather bodies of evidence, reference material, records. There is an obvious way forward – record more dance on video and put more of it on the internet. It won't just be of academic use; the greater availability and increased profile of dance material will surely benefit audiences and promoters too. This is good not just for individual works or choreographers or companies or colleges, but ultimately for dance itself."

Another example of why an open approach to preservation is necessary.
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2009-10-05T21:30:00.003+08:00

from IIC Conservation News -
AIC Conservation Catalogs Collaborative Knowledge Base
go to site

A nice collection of various technical conservation information gathered over the years by members of the American Conservation Institute. This has now been opened as a collaborative project - potentially enlarging the pool of knowledge, if we can avoid the bitter bickering Wikipedia-style.

Link from IIC News.
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2009-10-02T21:37:00.003+08:00

from Getty Conservation Institute -
Documenting Spiral Jetty
go to article

A nice overview - literally - of the need for continual visual recording of the iconic artwork as part of its preservation. Additional information to be found in the captions of the slide images.

See earlier posts on the Spiral Jetty here.
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2009-09-30T06:00:00.003+08:00

from Delta-V Blog -
Lunar Self-Cleaning Material
go to article

Mimicking a naturally occurring surface coating for man-made structures - in there lies a solution to the preservation of outdoor cultural and heritage artefacts, surely.

See earlier post on self-cleaning coating technologies.
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2009-09-28T20:38:00.002+08:00

from Art 21 Blog -
Imaging Conservation at the Guggenheim: A Discussion with Carol Stringari
go to article

A glimpse into the work and ideas of the conservation profession. In particular, the pressing issue of "preservation" (as opposed to tangible restoration) of contemporary art.
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2009-09-19T20:58:00.002+08:00

Conservation Online back online!
go to new web-site

The invaluable resource for the conservation profession has been made accessible again by the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation. Kudos to those involved and the tremendous effort in sustaining this initiative. One can only hope the next migration will not be too soon...
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2009-09-13T22:43:00.001+08:00

from The New York Times -
An Old Spanish Master Emerges From Grime
go to article

Yet, once again, the quality of an artwork (and proper attribution) is enhanced by appropriate and sensitive conservation work.
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2009-09-09T06:00:00.003+08:00

from The Guardian -
Digging deep
go to article
go to subject web-page

A case of ground-up knowledge activism, literally, which is a more sustainable approach to ensuring the long-term viability of archaeological work. Deep-pocket funding can often attract the "wrong" kind of attention and its share of fair-weather "champions".
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2009-09-07T21:58:00.001+08:00

from The Guardian -
Sound archive of the British Library goes online, free of charge
go to article

In the words of the library's curator, Janet Topp Fargion:

"This project is really exciting. One of the difficulties, working as an archivist, is people's perception that things are given to libraries and then are never seen again – we want these recordings to be accessible."

Hear, hear...
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2009-09-04T21:18:00.005+08:00

from National Museum Directors' Conference (UK) -
NMDC adopts guidelines to reduce museums’ carbon footprint
go to news post

With the greater awareness of how the implementation of museum preservation measures can often lead to very inefficient use of energy - and contributing to global environmental problems - museums in the UK have taken the first necessary step in acknowledging the issue and committing to implementing sensible guidelines to balance the needs of preservation and limited natural resources.

The 4 pertinent principles of the guidelines are:

- Environmental standards should become more intelligent and better tailored to clearly identified needs. Blanket conditions should no longer apply. Instead conditions should be determined by the requirements of individual objects or groups of objects and the climate in the part of the world in which the museum is located;

- Care of collections should be achieved in a way that does not assume air-conditioning or any other current solutions. Passive methods, simple technology that is easy to maintain, and lower energy solutions should be considered;

- Natural and sustainable environmental controls should be explored and exploited fully;

- When designing and constructing new buildings or renovating old ones, architects and engineers should be guided significantly to reduce the building’s carbon footprint as a primary objective.

See also:
Full document of NMDC guiding principles for reducing museums’ carbon footprint
Paper presented by Sir Nicholas Serota, Director, Tate, May 2008.
Paper by Mark Jones, Director, V&A

Link via IIC News.
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2009-08-27T06:00:00.003+08:00

from The Art Newspaper -
Civic Society Initiative launched in the UK, with added social networking tools
go to article

The news is not so much in the use of Twitter ... (oh, please...). Rather, the survival of civic societies (liken to your neighbourhood-sized National Trust) in the UK points to an ingrain sense of heritage and urban preservation - done at the local level and from the ground-up - which avoids all the pretensions of corporate-speak that has become the norm for heritage agencies, here and abroad.

See also Civic Society Initiative web-site and briefing paper (PDF format).
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2009-08-25T21:47:00.003+08:00

from The Guardian -
Scottish laser pioneers lead way in preserving world heritage treasures
go to article

There is still the nagging suspicion that once a monument has been "preserved" as data points from a scan - then efforts to maintain the actual site might lapse. After all, would not a digital copy be a more accurate and truer representation - so why bother?
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2009-08-23T21:37:00.002+08:00

from Technology Review -
Bone-setting Glue
go to article
go to video

A glue that works underwater - and is activated by the rise in pH level of the surrounding water when released. There must be a use somewhere in the conservation of heritage materials. And there must also be plenty of other examples of useful materials to be had from the weird and wonderful world of nature.
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2009-08-17T20:19:00.002+08:00

from The Art Newspaper -
America is changing—but are its art museums?
go to article

If diversity is only skin-deep - literally - then the danger is that ideas (and ideologies) become polite, in order to be correct.
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2009-08-12T22:10:00.002+08:00

from The Toronto Star -
Why settle for imitations of the past?
go to article

Apart from the argument from a historical perspective, architectural preservation has a new-found and timely justification:

"The most sustainable thing you can do is keep an existing building. When you destroy an older building you are actually destroying the energy used to construct that building. And the amount of energy required to build is phenomenal."

2009-08-05T06:00:00.000+08:00

from Wired Magazine -
Protect and Preserve: Mobile Art-Conservation Van Helps Save Treasures
go to article
go to web-site

It is more of a mobile (EU-funded) conservation **science** lab, for technical analysis, rather than one which carries out actual conservation treatment. But still impressive, nonetheless.
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2009-08-03T06:00:00.000+08:00

from Technology Review -
Terahertz Transistor Could Usher in Era of Cheap Surveillance Video Cameras
go to article

An update on development in an imaging technique that had been found to be useful in the technical examination of historic cultural artefacts. Beside being able to reveal hidden features (much like x-rays), the detected signals could also potentially indicate the type of material being examined.

See earlier post on tetrahertz (or T-ray) imaging here.
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2009-07-31T06:00:00.002+08:00

from The New York Times -
Linguist’s Preservation Kit Has New Digital Tools
go to article

With the increasing ease and declining cost of using digital recoding technology, could we be overwhelmed by unanalysed and undifferentiated data, which are just as ineffective in advancing the efforts of intangible heritage preservation.
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2009-07-29T06:00:00.000+08:00

from The Independent -
The collapse of Moscow: Architectural heritage being destroyed
go to article
go to photos

"But the rapid development of Moscow has not been unequivocally positive; it has come with haphazard building practices, low-quality constructions and the neglect or destruction of historical buildings. [...] The crisis is not limited to the capital. Historians and activists say that Moscow's poor example has been aped across Russia. Of most concern is St Petersburg, the Tsarist capital whose elegant centre was spared the usual Soviet replanning and is free of monolithic concrete structures. Now that is changing."

A clear case of how apathetic heritage preservation practices are not only "contagious" but can be disturbingly prevalent.
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2009-07-27T20:26:00.003+08:00

from The New York Times -
Stripping Away the Darkness as Murals Are Reborn
go to article
go to slide-show

As inevitable aging of the varnish sets in, the building decor was adjusted to match the darkening shade:

"[O]ver the years the surfaces grew darker. And as the murals’ topcoat of varnish deepened, the maintenance staff painted the undecorated parts of the walls a darker color to match. After the north corridor lobby murals were cleaned, [...] the color scheme for the whole interior was out of whack."

Now, the cycle starts again - and conservation treatment somewhat plays a "renewal" role rather than one of mere preservation.
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2009-07-25T23:24:00.003+08:00

from The Art Newspaper -

Crisis in conservation programmes as another UK course closes
go to article

Closure of the Textile Conservation Centre will be a tragedy
go to article

Perhaps the closures are not unique to training of conservators but part of a more pervasive phenomena which saw a significant shift in "academic" (or should that be vocational; or economic) priorities in institutions of higher learning.
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2009-07-24T06:00:00.003+08:00

from Modern Art Notes -
Examining the latest threat to Spiral Jetty
go to post

from Art21 Blog -
Extending the Conservation Framework: A Site-Specific Conservation Discussion with Francesca Esmay
go to interview

When an artwork is up against the natural elements and man-made chnages, will it stand a chance of being around in time to come?

See earlier posts here.
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2009-07-22T06:00:00.001+08:00

from Slate -
Does Plastic Art Last Forever?
go to article

Faced with a run-away effect of trying to preserve the "unpreservable", conservators working in this field could unwittingly be portrayed as eccentric or just plain out of touch. This is not helped by comments from well-meaning conservators, such as: "Everyone else in the world is trying to get rid of them and we're trying to preserve them."

Instead, conservators should face up to the reality of having to decide when something is not worth preserving anymore - as in when the costs outweigh the benefits (potential or otherwise). It is understandable that conservators would balked at having to make such decisions - which is why it is especially crucial and urgent to start the dialogue, starting in conservation training schools.
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2009-07-20T06:00:00.003+08:00

from The Art Newspaper -
The Getty puts panel painting into perspective
go to article

Something which conservation, as a profession, should spend more time thinking about and taking effective actions - before it is too late.
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2009-07-17T06:00:00.000+08:00

from Guardian -
Legal row over National Portrait Gallery images placed on Wikipedia
go to article

A most unfortunate approach where copyright is totally irrelevant in the age of ubiquitous information. The National Portrait Gallery is coming out of this looking like a big bad bully. Instead, the use of a suitable Creative Commons license - allowing for non-commercial use with acknowledgement of authorship - would have been more palpable.
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2009-07-16T15:35:00.000+08:00

from Technology Review -
Pink Silicon Is the New Black
go to article

A marked improvement (with significant cost reduction) in the development of sensors for imaging purpose:

"Black silicon can absorb light over a wider spectrum than can normal silicon--from low-frequency visible light through near- and short-wave-infrared wavelengths that would normally pass right through regular silicon. Another property, called photoconductive gain, gives black silicon much greater sensitivity to light. These properties have identified black silicon as a way to make smaller, cheaper, and lighter silicon-based light detectors and to replace more expensive materials used in infrared detectors found in fiber-optic links, security systems, and elsewhere."

The "elsewhere" allured to in the last sentence would include applications in the technical examination of paintings - akin to peeling back the layers of paint in an attempt to better understand the painting, as well as the working process of the artist.

See separate article for a sense of what infra-red imaging can do in terms of technical examination of paintings.
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2009-07-15T06:00:00.005+08:00

from Guardian -

Museums' future lies on the internet, say Serota and MacGregor
go to article

Museums on the internet? Get real
go to article

Museums, up to mid 20th century, were the epitome of access, as artefacts were made available for scrutiny while on (open storage) display. However, with the ubiquitous reach of the internet culture, content became paramount and archives, rightly, took over the role of championing open access.

The singular issue of online access for museum collections would be the lost of reference and context to a human scale that accompanies viewing of artefacts in actual museum galleries. And that scale refers to qualities of size, depth, texture, transparency, colour, amongst others.

For stalwarts of the museum industry to declare - somewhat overconfidently - that the future of the museum lies (solely?) on the internet is akin to forecasting the death of the book - definitely rational but probably pre-mature. The internet is surely a means rather than an end.
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2009-07-13T06:00:00.003+08:00

from Arts in Houston -
MFAH does conservation work on Anselm Kiefer painting in public
go to blog post

Link via Modern Art Notes.
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2009-07-10T06:00:00.000+08:00

from The New York Times -
Incandescent Bulbs Return to the Cutting Edge
go to article

A much needed improvement in energy consumption for museums when that spot of lighting of artefacts that can only be achieved using good old incandescent light bulbs.
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2009-07-08T06:00:00.001+08:00

from The Telegraph -
World's oldest Bible published in full online
go to article

from IIC News -
Earliest Christian Bible virtually restored
go to article

Codex Sinaiticus
go to web-site

In this project, the minimal conservation treatment rendered - repairs made to the pages so that they could be photographed, and nothing more - was crucial in enabling a wider dissemination of the context via electronic means. Would the understanding of "minimal interventuion" in another era (say, without computers) be different? Or has to be different...
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2009-07-06T06:00:00.003+08:00

from The Telegraph -
Westminster Abbey to be given a corona in first change for 250 years
go to article

Adding onto an iconic architecture need not be tantamount to "destruction" of heritage if one can recognise and practice with a heightened sensitivity towards - and deep understanding - of history, context and materials
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2009-07-04T06:00:00.000+08:00

from Wired Magazine -
Packing It In: Why the Foam Noodle Couldn't Cut It in the Protection Racket
go to article

What a waste when something goes under - not because of its an inferior product but because of the failure of gaining a foothold in the market. Perhaps it also points to the innate (and irrational, at times?) cautiousness within the museum and art logistic sector.
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2009-07-03T22:10:00.000+08:00

from Emerging Tech -
Robo-furniture eats household pests
go to article

Every museum should have one ... or more, if budget allows.
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2009-07-02T06:00:00.002+08:00

from The Guardian -

Street clutter threat to conservation areas
go to article

The English Heritage patient
go to article

Decay of conservation areas in England
go to audio interview

Highlighting an aspect in the preservation of urban environment that is usually overlooked - streets.
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2009-06-30T06:00:00.002+08:00

from Art:21 Blog -
No Preservatives: The Clocks’ Tic Tic Tic …
go to article

An insider's view (with monthly updates in a new column, "No Preservatives: Conversations and Conservation", by Richard McCoy) on the issues surrounding efforts and approaches in the preservation of contemporary art.

"[E]ven when guidelines are established as to how an artwork can change over time, the concept of authenticity and correct representation is still complicated and open to some level of interpretation."

As conservators increasingly embrace the use of scientific tools and techniques in conservation work, more than ever, the subjective nature of conservation work is - and has to be - made apparent and necessary. Apparent, because human decision-making processes are subjective in nature. Necessary, because we should neither delude ourselves nor pretend otherwise.
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2009-06-28T20:34:00.003+08:00

from The New York Times -
Making Things Work
go to article

Although not a direct comment on the work of conservators, but it resonates to a large degree:

"The fact of the matter is that most forms of real knowledge, including self-knowledge, come from the effort to struggle with and master the brute reality of material objects — loosening a bolt without stripping its threads, or backing a semi rig into a loading dock. All these activities, if done well, require knowledge both about the world as it is and about yourself, and your own limitations."

Which, perhaps, explains why I'm happy doing what I do ...
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2009-06-21T22:48:00.002+08:00

from Technology Review -
A Camera from a Sheet of Fiber
go to article

Not quite earth-shattering preservation news, but a potential new technology for imaging and real-time sensing. With specially engineered sensors (for light, specific colour, temperature or other possible parameters) incorporated into a fabric sheet, such a device could record data pertaining to pollution, moisture, light and temperature - factors which have detrimental effect on materials.

The 2-dimensional array of sensors could also give an actual map of how the monitored parameters change and interact over time. And being thin, the fabric sheet could be attached as a temporary skin onto any surface of interest - stretched behind paintings; pinned onto walls; wrapped around sculptures; stitched into showcases etc.
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2009-06-18T21:20:00.004+08:00

from MIT News -
MIT engineers find way to slow concrete creep to a crawl
go to article

A somewhat troubling thought ... What would become of architecture preservation if buildings actually lasts 16,000 years?

Link via BLDG BLOG
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2009-06-10T06:00:00.005+08:00

from The New York Times -
A New Concept in Handling Art
go to article

Just as Switzerland - the last bastion for the trafficking of "antiques" without provenance - is tightening their act to ensure that illegally excavated and exported antiquities are more closely monitored, Singapore goes in and fill that gap by offering an even more lax set of regulations - effectively encouraging the next generation of shady deals with accompanying questionable ethics.

"In 2005, Switzerland enacted strict federal legislation, based on a 1970 Unesco international convention against art and antiquities trafficking. The legislation, prompted by scandals and foreign criminal cases involving stolen works trafficked through Switzerland, regulated Swiss free ports handling cultural goods and set criminal penalties for violators. But Singapore opted out of the Unesco Convention in 1985 and chose not to sign a 1995 international agreement on the repatriation of stolen or illegally exported cultural goods."

Ironically (and disturbingly), Singapore's foremost government-funded agencies for art, culture and heritage (the National Heritage Board and National Arts Council) are in cahoots in implementing the scheme by each taking "a 5 percent stake" in the venture. What a shame ...
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2009-06-08T23:34:00.002+08:00

from 60-Second Science -
9,000-year-old brew hitting the shelves this summer
go to post

Finally, putting archeological hard work and knowledge to good use - recreating ancient brews. Cheers!
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2009-06-05T18:03:00.003+08:00

from IIC News -
Sound and Image Collections Conservation website launched
go to post
go to SOIMA's website

From the web-site:

"ICCROM’s SOIMA (Sound and Image Collections Conservation) programme responds to the urgent need for a coordinated international action for safeguarding the endangered audiovisual collections in its Member States. [...] Initiated in 2006, the programme has identified three priority areas of activity: Training, Awareness generation/dissemination, and Research."

Apart from such top-down (institutional) approaches in determining the methodologies used and contents being preserved, a bottom-up approach which engages the community and users at large would surely be more viable and sustainable in the long-term.
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2009-06-03T06:00:00.002+08:00

from The Getty Conservation Institute -
Ethical Dilemmas in the Conservation of Modern and Contemporary Art
go to web-page and video

"We live in a society that does not always value the signs of age. Many modern and contemporary works of art were either intentionally meant to be ephemeral, or were made from new and untested materials that have turned out to be dramatically unstable. The resulting deterioration of these objects raises difficult questions about their conservation."

2009-06-01T22:23:00.003+08:00

from The New York Times -
Digging (Against the Clock) for History
go to article

Achieving results, despite of (or perhaps because of) a quick-in-quick-out approach. Maybe something similar to shake up the often sleepy pace of art conservation ...
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2009-05-29T23:22:00.002+08:00

from New York Times -
To Protect an Ancient City, China Moves to Raze It
go to article

"Demolition is deemed an urgent necessity because an earthquake could strike at any time, collapsing centuries-old buildings and killing thousands."

Sounds like managerial-speak gone mad ... or an excuse to carry out political purging under the cover of "preservation".
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2009-05-26T21:36:00.004+08:00

from The New York Times -
Polaroid Lovers Try to Revive Its Instant Film
go to article
go to slide and audio show

Reviving the production of Polaroid films would be a certain hit with photographers and artists. However, it could also offer valuable lessons in a specific aspect of understanding how industrial production balances science with pragmatic concerns - something which heritage preservation could benefit from.
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2009-05-21T20:50:00.004+08:00

from The Guardian -
Mies van der Rohe: demolish or not?
go to article

"Only in architecture do we contemplate, and frequently carry out, the destruction of works by the discipline's most esteemed proponents. [...] That's the trouble with architecture. You can store a tape or a picture – even a kidney stone – pretty easily. But buildings take up valuable space. They often prevent the existence of other newer, better buildings."

Perhaps this dilemma points to the danger of an "either-or" approach in thinking about heritage preservation - either we preserve (all?) or we risk going down the path of loosing all. Such an attitude hides the fact that some things are better left to go away quietly over time - in a dignified manner, if there is one.
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2009-05-16T21:38:00.003+08:00

from The New York Times -
Scorsese Will Distribute Restored Films via Internet
go to article

from hangingtogether.org -
An open Smithsonian, all around
go to post

Two different projects - one arising from the public realm while the other is an off-shoot of prior commercial work - that strongly challenge the relevance of today's (or was that yesterday's) copyright laws which aim to restrict access in the name of commercial rights.

Commercial gains and unfettered access need not (and should not) be mutually exclusive:

"The more audiences see these films, the more they want to see other films like them," Mr. Scorsese said. "Then what happens is the audience changes, which means the movies that are being made change."

And again:

"[O]pen access actually drove sales upward through awareness of the collection which, in turn, generated knowledge about other museum resources."

Is there a lesson in all these for the museum, heritage and preservation "industries"?
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2009-05-13T22:29:00.003+08:00

from Time -
Copied Paintings Plague Vietnam's Museum
go to article

"During the Vietnam War, the museum's own restoration department was a virtual copy factory — a fact that museum officials past and present freely admit. ... Ironically, Vietnam's practice of reproducing noteworthy works was originally carried out to rescue the country's artistic heritage during wartime."

This is blatant mismanagement, through and through!
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2009-05-11T06:00:00.002+08:00

from Agence France-Press -
Famed Nefertiti bust 'a fake': expert
go to article

from A+E Interactive -
Is famed Nefertiti bust a fake?
go to article

from Art Info -
No, No, Nefertiti
go to article

Not exactly a scientific proof of a fake - but rather, using various scientific tools to support the hypothesis of a fake. This needs further verification and tests to proof otherwise, to see if the hypothesis of a fake holds.
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2009-05-08T06:00:00.000+08:00

from The Independent -
Is Unesco damaging the world's treasures?
go to article
go to images

When too much of a good (but irrelevant) "thing" becomes a danger ...

"The World Heritage seal is a guarantee of preservation. At least that's the perception. But now many within the conservation community are convinced Unesco is failing. They say the moribund organisation is teetering on its once sound foundations as its principles and priorities crumble under the weight of bureaucracy and outside influence. The World Heritage emblem has come to represent a grandiose marketing tool – fodder for "things to see before you die" coffee-table books."

2009-05-06T06:00:00.000+08:00

from The Sydney Morning Herald -
Picture this: a holiday at home, where entertainment is free
go to article

Perhaps, the tide is turning for museums in that there is a greater appreciation of museums - not just as an alternative "lifestyle" but an integrated way of living and knowing the world. Or, perhaps, it is just circumstances that are driving up "awareness" and "visitorship numbers" which will evaporate when good times roll back round?
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2009-05-04T21:39:00.005+08:00

from The Independent -
Please look after our Turners, Mr Wen
go to article

This could well end up as a classic case-study of how in the rush to please/fawn (a trait, or character flaw, that politicians primarily exhibit) coupled with a total disregard of sensible concerns and pragmatic measures points to a cultural disaster in the making.
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2009-05-01T06:00:00.000+08:00

from CeROArt -
Taking the wrong path: learning from oversights, misconceptions, failures and mistakes in conservation
go to article

Using examples from wall painting conservation in Denmark, Isabella Brajer takes a courageous dive into a topic that seldom gets its deserved discussion in conservation work - mistakes and failures.

"Undoubtedly, mistakes have been made in the conservation profession, as in many others. Controversies, such as those involving the cleaning of Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, or his marble sculpture David, show that a wide range of positions exists, critical of both the technical and theoretical aspects of conservation. It would be a shame if such controversies would discourage conservators from sharing their difficulties and erroneous decisions with colleagues."

It must surely take a strong woman or man to admit as much.

2009-04-29T06:00:00.003+08:00

from Technology Review -
Ultrasound to Go
go to article

A promising miniaturised technology used for medical diagnosis that could also be applied to the documentation and condition assessment of the building fabric of historic sites.
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2009-04-27T06:00:00.002+08:00

from Archaeology -
The Past in High-Def
go to article

A nice overview of surface imaging technique, with an eye towards documentation of sites, monuments and ancient structures for preservation purposes.
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2009-04-26T06:00:00.005+08:00

from Scientific American 60-Second Science Blog -
Have scientists discovered Spider-Man's secret to superstrong silk?
go to blog post
go to scientific paper abstract
go to podcast

Reinforcing an already naturally strong material could have multiple uses, including "invisible" repair in some conservation treatments - if the threads last.
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2009-04-24T06:00:00.000+08:00

from Slate -
Robert Altman Made a Movie About a Lunar Landing?
go to article

Continuing the earlier thread of documenting unrealised works as an important (but overlooked) aspect of preservation. Being able to order a single copy of previously released movie, without having to play hostage to larger marketing issues and distribution, is now a reality - a boon for both scholars and archivists. All thanks to technology.

Go to the Warner Archive Collection.
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2009-04-23T23:45:00.006+08:00

from New York Times -
Mapping the Cultural Buzz: How Cool Is That?
go to article

Someone is taking Richard Florida seriously. Where are the next hip places, where are the elite classes agglomerating, what is the next big thing? Somebody has made use of Getty Images to map out the clusters of the creative sectors in US and has suggested that a new geography of creativity is emerging. You want to be cool and get paid, you jolly well be there??
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2009-04-22T21:27:00.004+08:00

from The New York Times -
Yes, It’s Beautiful, the Italians All Say, but Is It a Michelangelo?
go to article

In times of dwindling funds, the question of responsible acquisition becomes more acute:

"The government would better serve future generations by preserving Italy’s vast patrimony rather than investing in isolated works of art."

And the price-tag? A cool 3.3 million euros (or almost S$6.5 million).
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2009-04-19T21:28:00.003+08:00

Graphics Atlas
go to web-site

A new initiative by the Image Permanence Institute at the Rochester Institute of Technology, which incorporate a module to aid visual identification of photographic prints and sections on the history and technology of the photographic printing process.

The content in several sections are still being added. So will be good to revisit later. A link to the web-site will be added to the side-bar of this blog. A promising resource, all in all.

Link via Cons DistList.
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2009-04-17T21:25:00.004+08:00

from The Guardian -
Henry Moore Foundation to showcase public art proposals that never made it
go to article

An interesting archive of what could have been commissioned to grace various public spaces in the UK:

"The archive covers a crucial period in British art, and maps the shift from monuments which may be quite contemporary in style but are made in very traditional materials like stone and bronze, to ideas which may not impact on their surroundings in any permanent way - such as Anya Gallaccio's proposal for beds of white flowers at King's Cross."

Much could also be learn from what-was-not and not just from conventional heritage artefacts of what-has-been.

2009-04-11T06:00:00.005+08:00

from The Guardian -
New digital library to display world on a website
go to article
go to images

Launched by UNESCO, the World Digital Library is already facing an uphill task in terms of securing long-term funding and making decisions as to what would be included in the library.

"For the WDL to fulfil its potential, observers say it must not allow itself to be drowned out amid competition from other online cultural projects. Its aim is to focus on the very best of what each country has to offer."

Perhaps elitist in tone, but necessarily practical.

2009-04-09T06:00:00.003+08:00

from The Guardian -
Italy earthquake has caused 'incalculable' damage to cultural heritage
go to article
go to images

A reminder that human history and heritage is of no interest, whatsoever, to Nature.
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2009-04-07T16:33:00.004+08:00

from New York Times -
ArtBabble Site Opens Window to World of Museums
go to article
go to ArtBabble site

Keeping up with the YouTube generation - and not necessarily a bad thing.
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2009-04-05T16:26:00.006+08:00

from New York Times
Keeping Art, and Climate, Controlled
go to article

More acquisitions, more galleries, more storage spaces, it has been a high price to keep the museums and the conservation centres substainable these days. Before the price of keeping the collection continues to soar, the musuems and conservation centres are forced to re-think of creative solutions to keep the maintenance fees low.

2009-04-03T06:00:00.001+08:00

from Science News -
Long Live Plastics
go to article

Addressing the need for further collaborative research on the deterioration and preservation of plastics, an international project, called POPART - short for Preservation of Plastic Artefacts in Museum Collection - was set up last year with funding from the European Commission.

The web-site is rather sparse at the moment but hopefully, there will be a range of useful information coming out of this project. A link to the web-site has also been added to the side-bar of this blog, under "Conservation and Museum Web-Sites & Weblogs" for future access.
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2009-04-01T21:47:00.004+08:00

from The Washington Post -
Ralph Appelbaum's Transformation of The Museum World Is Clearly Evident
go to article

An intriguing take on the museum designer as being complicit in that drive towards museum as "message" - and less as material content.
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2009-03-30T21:24:00.002+08:00

from NUS Museum -
Peranakan Chinese in Globalising Southeast Asia:
The Cases of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia
go to conference web-page
go to conference programme (PDF)

Just to announce a one-day conference organised by NUS Museum Baba House in conjunction with the Chinese Heritage Centre.
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2009-03-30T06:00:00.002+08:00

from CBS News -
Bye, Tech: Dealing With Data Rot
go to article

Keeping Up With Data Rot

from The New York Times -
Should You Worry About Data Rot?
go to article

Not an optimistic view, given the mismatch between the amount of personal digital artefacts being created and the effort given over to implementing an intuitive, reliable and cost-effective process of digital archiving.

"Data rot refers mainly to problems with the medium on which information is stored. Over time, things like temperature, humidity, exposure to light, being stored not-very-good locations like moldy basements, make this information very difficult to read. The second aspect of data rot is actually finding the machines to read them. And that is a real problem."

Link from The Long Now.

2009-03-28T14:45:00.002+08:00

from The Research Channel -
Reading the Unreadable
go to web-page

A nice video showcasing the use of advanced imaging technology and computer processing, whereby fragile documents could be "unrolled" virtually without having to subject the original material to physical stresses and handling.

link via ConsDist List.
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2009-03-18T06:00:00.000+08:00

from The Times -
Oligarch leads fight to save Russia's neglected 'Utopia'
go to article

An encouraging development - hopefully not just for the short-term - of private-sector (or should that be cash-rich sector) initiative in the preservation of architectural heritage in Russia. And, tapping into notions of popular culture and consumption, no less:

"In Russia the usual safeguards about heritage aren't there. The law doesn't work. So you have to fall back on fashion to save these buildings. These buildings are cool. Repeat it a thousand times till they get the picture."

Let's hope that this really works ...

2009-03-16T22:24:00.002+08:00

from The Times -
Why museums have become our home from home
go to article

An interesting take on the shifting role of museums - becoming one of a "secular" civic - and civilised - space which fulfills a social function previously taken up by churches, town halls and schools.
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2009-03-13T22:22:00.002+08:00

from SEED -
The Amazing Race
go to article

Following from the earlier post, yet another attempt at raising awareness of the disappearance of languages and the urgent need to document, if not preserve, them - albeit appealing to a more populist base.

"[K. David] Harrison [who co-runs the Oregon-based Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages] says his goal is to 'assist small and underrepresented languages in crossing the digital divide.' Recording the languages and giving them a presence on the Internet helps maintain and grow the number of speakers, he says, and lends some 'prestige' to speaking a minority language."

2009-03-11T06:00:00.004+08:00

from Smithsonian Magazine -
15 Must-See Endangered Cultural Treasures
go to article

There's no better way to combine a holiday and heritage awareness. Then again, the current sad state of Angkor Wat and the Lascaux caves - due to overwhelming tourist exposure - sends a note of extreme caution.
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2009-03-09T06:00:00.000+08:00

UNESCO Interactive Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
go to website

Part awareness-raising and part documentary. Hopefully, such efforts could help to instigate a sense of urgency in the race to preserve the world's languages.

Link via Google Maps Mania.
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2009-03-06T21:56:00.006+08:00

from Indianapolis Museum of Art -
Sebastiano Mainardi: The Science of Art

Two interesting videos on the restoration of a Renaissance painted altarpiece and the subsequent exhibition that was built around the process.

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2009-03-05T21:48:00.000+08:00

from Spiegel -

Cologne Archive Building Collapses
go to article

Archive Collapse Disaster for Historians
go to article

Sad yet incredible news!
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