Lizzie Frasco
Bachelor of Arts, Department of the History of Art
University of Pennsylvania
Dates
January 2008 – May 2009
Title
The Contingency of Conservation: Changing Methodology and Theoretical Issues in Conserving Ephemeral Contemporary Artworks with Special Reference to Installation Art
Download
http://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&context=uhf_2009
Keywords
Installation Art, Ephemeral, Non-traditional materials, conservation theory, conservation ethics, documentation, replica, artist’s sanction
Abstract
Art conservation is ‘contingent’ in that it must change and adapt according to the art that is being produced and therefore preserved. Today’s neon lights, foil, newspaper, synthetic paints, soil, glue, and Magic Marker are uneven and unpredictable in their degradation and thus require a non-traditional and often unusual approach in their conservation. While much has been written on how and why works made of such materials must be conserved, little has been written on the impact that non-traditional conservation methods can have on the meaningful and expressive content of such complex works of art. This research, utilizing pre-existing case studies and interviews with conservators and curators, seeks to identify the current practices for conserving contemporary ephemeral art and to consider the theoretical and ethical implications of these very practices. This analysis readily differentiates between the intentional and un-intentional change in the meaning of a work of art due to conservation or preservation practices, and the outcomes and challenges of both types of occasion are discussed. Topics touched upon include the use of the replica, the validity of the artist’s sanction and the role of documentation. Interviewees mainly work in the United States and include Jim Coddington and Glenn Wharton from the Museum of Modern Art, Carol Mancusi-Ungaro from the Whitney Museum of American Art and Jen Mergel from the Boston Institute of Contemporary Art.
Language
English
Supervisors
Dr. Renata Holod, Dr. Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw, Professor Colette Copeland