Conservation theory and ethics

Para aprofundar as interpretações sobre o valor de antiguidade definido por Alois Riegl (1858-1905), fazendo frente à complexidade do conceito, este trabalho investiga as formas como o conceito se apresenta em O Culto Moderno dos Monumentos, de 1903, e em outros cinco textos do autor, escritos entre 1899 e 1905. A abordagem compreende ainda o mapeamento das convergências e divergências entre as concepções sobre o tema nas obras de Riegl, Georg Dehio (1850-1932) e Max Dvorak (1874-1921), seus contemporâneos, com quem ele estabeleceu vívido diálogo intelectual. Num primeiro nível de leitura, identificamos e exploramos as transformações do conceito de valor de antiguidade ao longo dos textos de Riegl, desde sua formulação preliminar em 1902, passando pela definição mais difundida de 1903, até a relevante revisão de 1905. Naquele ano, ele diminuiu a ênfase dada às marcas do tempo como atributos do valor de antiguidade e passou a buscar seu sentido principal na continuidade concreta entre gerações humanas – e não mais na relação do sujeito com um tempo abstrato, universal. Propôs também, enfaticamente, o caráter universal da preservação. Essa revisão se insere no debate público sobre preservação de monumentos travado entre o autor e Georg Dehio, em que este último propôs o nacionalismo como razão da preservação e o primeiro lhe contestou, por meio da universalidade do valor de antiguidade. Esse debate é, portanto, central para a apreensão do pensamento preservacionista de Riegl. Num segundo nível de leitura, correlacionamos o conceito e seus elementos ao conhecimento disciplinar então disponível e ao contexto político do Império Austro-Húngaro. Assim, identificamos como sua obra primeiro se distancia e depois se reaproxima do pensamento de John Ruskin (1819-1900). Concluímos, ainda, que, apesar do alinhamento de Riegl ao contexto político de então, sua teoria deita raízes em sua própria reflexão histórico-artística, descartando uma interpretação de mera conformidade. As conclusões permitem avançar diante das interpretações disponíveis do conceito de valor de antiguidade, no que tange à sua transformação ao longo da obra de Riegl, às suas relações com o pensamento de Ruskin e à sua inserção no contexto austríaco de então.

O texto revisita o valor de antiguidade, conceito proposto por Alois Riegl em O culto moderno dos monumentos (1903). Para compreender as variações do conceito, ao longo da obra do autor, e em que atributos dos monumentos ele se manifesta, analisamos dez textos de 1899 a 1905, vinculados à sua produção teórica e à sua atuação prática. Identificamos dois novos atributos do valor de antiguidade, além da superfície envelhecida (único atributo referido pela bibliografia corrente): a forma antiquada da obra e as alterações deliberadas por ela sofridas. Adicionalmente, identificamos os desenvolvimentos do conceito de valor de antiguidade na obra de Riegl, desde as percepções iniciais (1899), passando pelo valor de atmosfera (1902) até a formulação madura (1903) e os ajustes posteriores, formulados em sucessivos textos, até seu falecimento (1905). Isto amplia o conhecimento disponível sobre o autor e atualiza as ferramentas disponíveis para processos técnicos de valoração do patrimônio cultural. Palavras-chave: Alois Riegl; Valores patrimoniais; Valor de antiguidade; Pitoresco; Teoria da conservação.

Transformations and extensions of age value in Riegl's work: weathered, old-fashioned and altered monuments.

Abstract. This text revisits age value, a concept proposed by Alois Riegl in The Modern Cult of Monuments (1903). In order to understand the variations in this concept throughout the author's work, and in which attributes of the monuments it manifests itself, we analyzed ten texts from 1899 to 1905, related to his theoretical production and his practical activities. We have identified two new atributes of age value, in addition to the weathered surface (the only attribute of age value referred to in the bibliography): the old-fashioned appearance of the artworks and the deliberate changes they underwent. Besides that, we have identified the development of the concept of age value in Riegl's work, from its first impressions (1899), through atmosphere value (1902) to its mature formulation (1903) and its subsequent adjustments, formulated in successive texts, until his death (1905). That widens the knowledge about the author and updates available tools for technical processes of heritage values assessment. Keywords: Alois Riegl; Heritage values; Age value; Picturesque; Conservation theory.

The Istituto Superiore per la Conservazione ed il Restauro (ISCR) has always been involved in the diffusion of Cesare Brandi's restoration theory and practice in the international panorama. Since 1950 Brandi's theory has spread through model interventions, scientific advice and the tutoring of international students. Those factors lead also to an increase of trust and esteem towards the ISCR. In the 21st century, the ISCR started to be involved in the establishment of new conservation schools by foreign countries. Moreover, it promoted translations of the "Teoria del Restauro" (theory of conservation) book in English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, Serbian, Russian, Chinese, Japanese and Polish. This permitted a deepened understanding and integration in the local culture of Brandi's theory, rather than the direct execution of the fifties. For those reasons, today the Italian conservator-restorers face the new opportunity and growing perspective: looking at Brandi's theory in direct contact with the cultural context in which is being applied, through the dialogue with local, highly trained professionals. The importance of this dialogue has become particularly evident during collaborations with eastern countries, with a particular interest in which part of the theory can merge and which will diverge with the religious and cultural principles. Especially, the experience of the ISCR in Ajanta in India (2004-2018) and Kathmandu in Nepal (after the 2013 earthquake) will be discussed.

"Fragile" is what we call fragile material as well as vulnerable social constitutions. The fragile oscillates between affirmative evaluations and unsettling connotations. Nathalie Bäschlin puts forward the thesis that the fragile has developed into a category of values in its own right, which has a lasting influence on our view of art and the formulation of the task of preservation. She questions the historical context, the motivations that have drawn our attention to fragility, and how the examination of fragility permeates the practice and discourse of museum conservation.

In approaching authenticity, the conservation field tends to be scientific, seeking certainty, and conservation science has been playing ever more important role. While the conservation science methods and techniques, its "tool-box", are frequently discussed, the foundational ethos of the scientific inquiry that distinguishes science from other intellectual pursuits is not. In our post-truth society, where alternative facts compete on an equal footing with fact-checked and peer-reviewed research, reliable knowledge has acquired enormous value when communicated well. When formulating authenticity questions and interpreting scientific data, it is critically important to first define the realm of inquiry, as different disciplines may characterize the same phenomena in equally correct, but incommensurable ways. Exploration of the realm and foundational ethos of science has lacked in conservation theory to date, which creates communication problems for stakeholders with different backgrounds: curators, conservators, art historians, scientists, who need to produce knowledge across disciplines and collectively. To bridge this knowledge gap, the authors take an approach from the philosophy of science and discuss what makes the scientific inquiry distinct from other intellectual pursuits. The paper explores the major 20th c. approaches to define science, and notes that these approaches were largely incompatible with each other and succeeded mainly by leaving something behind, and, perhaps the only thing that disagreeing science philosophers agree on is that a scientific method does not really exist. To define the present-day conservation science paradigm, the paper proposes adopting a new concept of scientific attitude as a demarcation criterion, most recently introduced by the science philosopher Lee McIntyre (2019). The criterion, based two simple aspects: care for empirical evidence (a) and willingness to changes theory in the face of a new empirical evidence (b), offers a flexible matrix that allows inclusion of both natural and social sciences, and remains open for additional criterions, which will be highly instrumental in developing the disciplinary matrix for conservation science in the resolution of authenticity questions.

In September 1997 a strong earthquake shook the Italian regions of Umbria and Marche, in central Italy. The 13th century Basilica of San Francesco of Assisi was harmed, the precious frescos on its vault reduced to wreckage. The work of restoration began immediately. Hundreds of conservators scoured the rubble for remnants of the paintings. This painstaking work of retrieval led to the recovery of thousands of tiny fragments, most of which no bigger than a one-euro coin. Analysing the fragments and relocating them to their original position took years. In 2006, however, the restoration was finally completed. Though this is certainly a heartening story, it is also a surprising one in many respects. The question is, particularly, why the restorers put such effort to recollect the frescos’ original pieces, no matter how scattered and unrecognizable they were. In this paper I suggest that their reason for doing so was based on a widespread interest in art appreciation for what I call ‘material authenticity’. What is this interest from a philosophical point of view? And how does it affect decisions regarding conservation? My contention is that our concern for material authenticity, whilst culturally-dependent, is based on some deeply entrenched ideas we have about what artworks are ontologically. These ideas, placing great value on the substance of which artworks are physically composed, have informed conservation in the past, and despite recent challenges, continue to be the main principle behind conservation theory today

In this paper, I consider some implications of Peter Lamarque’s ontology of art for the theory of artworks’ restoration and conservation. My basic assumption is that the way we conceive of an artwork’s identity impinges directly on the actions that are taken with regard to the conservation of the work. For example, if we take the work to coincide with the physical object touched by the artist, even the smallest intervention will alter what “the artist made”. Conversely, if we take the work to coincide with an a-temporal image-type contingently embodied in a material support, restoring it can make it look closer to what “the artist made”. None of these options, I argue, is fully satisfying, because neither is able to take into account the fundamental reason why we are concerned with conserving artworks: the fact that, as Lamarque (2010, p.4) suggests, these are not merely physical objects, nor simply ideal images, but rather culturally emerging objects, whose existence depends on appropriate social conditions. Conceiving artworks as symbols of webs of collective meanings (Sagoff 1981) implies that conservators should focus more on preserving a work’s collective values than the object’s hypothetical original condition. This, I contend, doesn’t mean that care for physical integrity should be ruled out, but only that this form of preservation is insufficient if the artwork’s cultural significance is not similarly taken into consideration.

Some ideas on the ethical principles of restoration and the rules currently applied. The underlying ethics of
restoration and conservation rest on the principle that works of art must be handled as documents of the past and the information and values they impart preserved unchanged wherever possible. Much assistance in applying these comes from information obtained from specialist literature and training. These ethical guidelines offer the best way to preserve the cultural
value of the objects concerned. This issue has been one of importance to the restoring profession and remains so, but with the
best will in the world, shortcomings in applying scientific knowledge (techniques of assistance) can mean less opportune solutions and procedures are chosen.
A restaurálás, konzerválás alapvető etikai szempontjai azon a tényen alapulnak, hogy a műtárgyakat a múlt dokumentumaiként kell kezelni, az általuk hordozott információkat, értékeket lehetőleg változatlan formában kell megőrizni. Ennek a gondolatnak a megvalósításához rendkívül sokat segítenek a szakirodalomból és képzések során szerzett szerzett információk. Az etikai elvek segítségével és betartásával a legjobban meg tudjuk őrizni a tárgyak kulturális értékét. A restaurátor szakma fejlődése közben ez a kérdés mindig is jelen volt és fontos szerepet tölt be a mai napig,
de a legjobb szándék ellenére is, a tudományos háttér (segédtudományok) megfelelő felhasználása nélkül, kevésbé jó
megoldásokat és eljárásokat is lehet választani.

Esta semana en Raíces recibimos a Renata Schneider, restauradora del Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, miembro de la Coordinación Nacional de Conservación del Patrimonio Cultural y co-autora con Valérie Magar de la publicación Construir teoría. Memorias del Simposio de Teoría de la Conservación-Restauración, publicado recientemente por el mismo instituto. Tratamos de entender los orígenes y las orientaciones de esta recopilación de ensayos. Además de tratar la necesidad de actualizar conceptos y prácticas patrimoniales, nos preguntaremos la relevancia de una visión integral y compleja de los objetos y edificios en uso.

Vrijeme kontinuirane upotrebe prostora nekadašnjeg Dioklecijanova mauzoleja u funkciji kršćanske crkve, koje po novim otkrićima dotiče čak 5.-6. stoljeće, upućuje da je kroz cijelu svoju povijest bio početna točka općih liturgijskih obnova te u tome mjesto domišljatih rješenja preinaka prvotnog prostora građevine koje su u njemu ostavile jedinstvene materijalne tragove. U današnjem trenutku su izazovi istraživanja i očuvanja toga prostora golemi, budući da je on, koji je pravi spomenik povijesnog trajanja- postao mjesto protoka nebrojenih posjetitelja kroz godinu, zadržavajući pri tome gusti ritam liturgijskih funkcija jedne katedrale koja je ujedno i centar metropolije, kao i niza drugih funkcija. Poneseni tim izazovima žurimo s obnovom i premalo vremena posvećujemo izučavanju njegove kompleksne i enigmatične povijesti, dijelom i zbog manjka povijesnih izvora. Ipak, smatrajući da je najveći izvor podataka, osim arheoloških atrefakata koji se s njim povezuju i napose istražuju- upravo on sam, njegova materija i tragovi na njoj- istup i članak je angažirani oblik iznošenja takvog stava, kroz takav pogled je i kritički osvrt na tekuće restauratorske zahvate, a ujedno i promoviranje takve metode izučavanja te prijedlog modela očuvanja povijesnih tragova koji bi se mogao primijeniti na istraživanja i modele obnove mnogih naših drevnih kamenih spomenika i ambijenata.

Nowadays the conservation of natural environments – where conservation means all those scientific grounded practices aimed at the protection and restoration of natural environments, ecosystems, and flora and fauna species – has become a rather urgent issue. Ethical reflection can support the conservation enterprise by providing some conceptual and analytical tools to clarify and promote the strategies adopted by conservationists. Two issues in particular are explored in this contribution. The first is related to the definition of the object of conservation, that is, biodiversity. The second concerns the value dimension in coservation.
in conservation.

Contemporary conservation-restoration practice is affected by theoretical and ethical principles and by social factors. They are often discussed separately, but their effect on the processes of conservation-restoration is complex and intertwined.
This paper offers an overview of the development of professional codes of ethics in conservation-restoration and as they relate to and inform professional competences. It looks at how ethics and competences are defined and link with professional education. It also discusses relationships with other professions in the preservation of cultural heritage and the need for clarification on the role and obligation of these respective professions. The legal and social issues they generate at a European level are touched upon.

The documentary 'Time Has Not Helped' provides insight into the specific issue of the 'Door' sculpture produced by Branko Ružić at the Sisak Steelworks Fine Artists Colony in 1984. Through the story of the 'Door', the movie talks about the research that has to precede any conservation-restoration work on outdoor sculptures.

The movie was filmed in Sisak, Zagreb, Slavonski Brod and Split. Those with speaking parts are (in order of appearance): the former steelworker Đuro Tadić (director of Sisak Stan, a company that is one of the successor firms to the collapsed Sisak Steelworks), the historian Vlatko Čakširan (director of Sisak Municipal Museum, the institution that cares for the collection of outdoor sculptures created within the Sisak Steelworks Fine Artists Colony), head of research into the Ružić 'Door' Sagita Mirjam Sunara (Assistant Professor at the Conservation-Restoration Department of the Arts Academy in Split), Ružić's daughter Rajka Zlatarić, artist and university professor Ante Rašić (Ružić's student and friend, and one of the participants in the 1984 Sisak Steelworks Fine Artists Colony), art historian Romana Tekić (director of the Slavonski Brod Art Gallery), conservator-restorer Neven Peko (Sisak Municipal Museum) and metalworker Mario Korzo (owner of Obrt Korzo – Sisak).

Research, screenplay, interviews, production: Sagita Mirjam Sunara
Camera, sound, editing, directing: Dragan Đokić (Studio Baranda)
Poster design: Nikola Križanac

Hanna Hölling’s interview with the architect, heritage scholar, and artist Jorge Otero-Pailos explores how cultural transmutations condition the presence of transitional objects that are physically unstable. The conversation, which forms Chapter 10 of the book The Explicit Material: Inquiries on the Intersection of Curatorial and Conservation Cultures, took place between Jorge Otero-Pailos and Hanna Hölling on 23 August 2017 in Los Angeles and New York. It developed in the context of the process of “explicating the material” for this book, by addressing theoretical aspects from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. It complements the previous contributions authored by conservators, curators and researchers of material culture with the perspectives of another individual who straddles various fields. Otero- Pailos' artistic practice is intimately connected to his theoretical reflections on material culture and its preservation.

This book brings together a range of perspectives on material transitions, observing and explicating the myriad transformations that works of different kinds may undergo: changing contexts, changing matter, changing interpretations, and display. By making a point of the vibrant materiality of objects— their liveliness, power, and ability to change—the book aims to contribute to the conversation that confounds the continuing assumptions that artworks and artefacts are made of static, inert matter—inactive, stagnant, and passive ‘objects’ of investigation, subordinated to hygienic orders of museum vitrines or of preserved historical sites. Instead, it becomes clear that being material, they exist as complex constructs of material relations. In the words of the cultural historian and geographer David Lowenthal, the notions of ‘material permanence, wholeness, … and original authenticity have been increasingly supplanted by appreciative acceptance of temporal transience, processual transformation, varying contextual circumstances, life-cycle mutability, [and] erosive and corrosive agency’ (see Lowenthal, ‘A sea-change rich and strange’ in this volume). Most importantly, a close study of these internal material relationships, often through the trained eye of the conservator, curator, or other specialist offers a more nuanced reading of cultural artefact, which may lead to fundamental rethinking of the aesthetic and formal interpretations it is given, not to mention issues of authorship, authenticity, and permanence.