Dear INCCA Community,
Greetings to everyone!
We want to start by extending a special invitation to Students and early career conservators to sign up for the sixth INCCA Student Café, which will focus on time-based media artworks. From digital storage risks, equipment obsolescence, performance documentation and emulation strategies, this Café invites participants to explore the many facets of preserving complex time-based media artworks for future generations. The Café will feature up to 5 speakers, each with 5 minutes to outline their research or project. We welcome all types of projects, including MA and PhD research, work placement/internship case studies, or conservation treatments. Please fill in the participation request form by 31st August 2025. The INCCA Student Café pt.5 will be hosted online via Zoom on 23rd October 2025, 4pm CEST and will not be recorded.
INCCA also recently hosted a Talk with Monica Marchesi and Vivian van Saaze, followed by a smaller Special Interest Meeting on their guidelines: “From Bits to Ink - Preserving and Printing Digital-Based Photographic Artworks”. In the INCCA Talk, Monica and Vivian presented their research project on the (re)printing of photographic artworks where they explored the theoretical implications of reprinting as a conservation practice and as an exhibition practice. Monica then outlined their guidelines, comprising two diagrams, one titled “preservation of digital files” and the other “(re)printing of digital-bases photographic artworks”. Their aim is to raise awareness among collection caretakers about the specific care required for digitally based photographic artworks, developing a guideline flexible enough to be useful across various users, institutions, and artwork types.
The talk ended with an inspirational Q&A and led to the smaller INCCA Special Interest Meeting. The interactive session was limited to 20 participants led by Monica and provided an opportunity for in-depth discussion and valuable feedback exchange on the “From Bits to Ink” guidelines and its future use by the conservation community. Read more about the project here.
On another note, we would like to congratulate our Steering committee member Rachel Rivenc on her groundbreaking new book on celebrated contemporary artist Cai Guo-Qiang. Her book provides the first material study of the artist, known worldwide for his use of subversive materials, particularly gunpowder. The book is based on in-depth interviews with the artist and studio assistants, as well as extensive examination, sampling, and scientific analysis of a wide range of artworks. Written for conservation scientists, conservators, specialists in contemporary art history, museum curators, collections managers, practicing artists, collectors, and art enthusiasts, this book offers insights into the life, methods, and materials of a leading figure in the art world.
All the very best,
INCCA Steering Committee
