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This paper examines the preservation and curatorial approaches explored for the exhibition Silent Explosion: Ivor Davies and Destruction in Art at Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales (November 2015–March 2016). The collaboration between the artist, curator/researcher, and conservators is considered and the evolving and flexible way in which transient pieces were presented/re-presented is described. The paper offers a case study in the context of this exhibition and argues that regardless of whether it is in traditional media (such as painting) or as time-based media (unstable and open to interpretation), Davies' work challenges a perception of artworks as finished, single-authored objects.

In 2013, The Better Image (TBI) was contacted to examine A Play of Selves, a unique work created by artist Cindy Sherman during her graduate studies in 1975. The work is composed of 244 paper doll-like photographs of Sherman that are presented within 72 frames. During initial condition checks, it was noted that a number of individual elements had begun to show signs of chemical staining. Over the course of 2013/2014, a collaborative response was developed with the help of the artist, the artist's printer, the representing gallery, TBI staff and the owner. The main goal was to address the physical and chemical issues present and preserve this work for future exhibition and study. Determining an effective decision- making model based on a hierarchy of values was crucial before undertaking any conservation treatment, as there were several invested parties, each with a different perspective. The focus of this paper is the interplay of our responsibilities as conservators with the concerns of the artist, her g...

Exhibitions in general and loans in particular still appear to be driving median and relatively tight climatic parameters for collection environments. This paper explores the impact of international loans on the adaptation of more sustainable climate control strategies. By offering a description of the complexities and (un)certainties associated with international loan policies that moves beyond the climate parameters, it explores why a more pragmatic approach to environmental control strategies is impeded. It describes how the Getty Conservation Institute’s Managing Collection Environments initiative is addressing this impasse and gives some suggestions for moving the debate forward.

Light sensitive objects will fade on display. Collection managers and curators face the dilemma whether to spread fading over several similar objects or sacrifice one. This paper describes an exper...

A 2014 exhibition of Meric Algun Ringborg at Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden, exploring identity and belonging involved the making of facsimiles. The installation included a sound work, booklets to be taken, and a book to be read. Exhibition copies were created of personal letters for open display which were not to be touched. Contrary to the artist's wishes, the work was constantly handled. Made for this one installation, the facsimiles transcended the exhibition and were returned with the work to the artist. The paper examines issues of authenticity and control from a conservation standpoint, and details discussions surrounding reproduction in contemporary art museum conservation practice.

In recent years Qatar has invested a significant sum of money on exhibitions of contemporary artists and public art. This paper discusses decision-making processes in the conservation of contemporary artworks installed in newly emerging art markets such as Qatar, where there are no established practices. In 2014, Richard Serra's East–West/West–East, an installation of four vertical plates made of weathering (Corten™) steel, which span one kilometre at heights so as to reach the level of the surrounding gypsum plateaus, was installed in the Brouq Nature Reserve near Zekreet desert, two kilometres from the sea in the western part of Qatar. The artwork is already considered by some a landmark for the isolated area. The plates have started to develop protective corrosion layers, although Corten™ is not completely corrosion resistant when located near coastal sites. They have also started to bend and are heavily inscribed by visitors. Conservation of public art is complex, as site-specific artworks are linked ...

In 2004–5 Robert Gober cast two sets (male and female) of reclining human legs in beeswax with individually inserted human hairs. These legs are part of a larger multi-component installation where each set of legs is installed in a bathtub filled with running water. Gober exhibited the legs at the Matthew Marks Gallery in 2005 after which they were acquired by MoMA. The legs have been shown twice since 2005; in 2007 in Basel at the Schaulager Museum, and in 2014–5 at MoMA for the Robert Gober retrospective. The legs have experienced a range of significant conditions including wax discoloration, wax efflorescence, algae bloom, soiling, pitting, and hair loss. This paper will overview the legs’ fabrication and discuss their exhibition and treatment histories.

Based on a nationwide investigation of the current state of preservation of museum objects in China, around 51% of the 35 million museum objects show different degrees of deterioration. Although treatment of objects is necessary, treatment alone is not sufficient. In China's present situation, preventing damage to museum objects is much more cost-effective than allowing damage to happen and then treating it. The number of museums in China is increasing very fast: 23 000 exhibitions are held, 600 million visits are made, and 35 000 archaeological objects are excavated nationwide, each year. At the same time, these museums are widely distributed and have different levels of resources. We need both technical knowledge and preventive conservation to safeguard our precious museum objects. This paper introduces research achievements in preventive conservation, and traces the development of this discipline in China. Starting from the classification of museums in China, legislation is detailed on preventive measu...