About the Book
'Conservation: Principles, Dilemmas, and Uncomfortable Truths' presents multi-perspective critical analyses of the ethics and principles that guide the conservation of works of art and design, archaeological artefacts, buildings, monuments, and heritage sites on behalf of society. Contributors from the fields of philosophy, sociology, history, art and design history, museology, conservation, architecture, and planning and public policy address a wide range of conservation principles, practices, and theories from the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, encouraging the reader to make comparisons across subjects and disciplines. By wrestling with and offering ways of disentangling the ethical dilemmas confronting those who maintain and sustain cultural heritage for today and tomorrow, 'Conservation: Principles, Dilemmas, and Uncomfortable Truths' provides an essential reference text for conservation professionals, museum and heritage professionals, art and cultural historians, lecturers and students, and all others invested in cultural heritage theories and practices.
Alison Richmond, as a Senior Conservator in the Victoria and Albert Museum and Deputy Head of the Conservation Department at the Royal College of Art, maintains teaching and research roles in conservation theory, principles and ethics, and has developed decision-making tools for conservators. She is an Accredited Conservator-Restorer (ACR), a Fellow of the International Institute for Conservation (FIIC), and a Trustee of the UK’s Institute of Conservation (Icon) since 2005.
Alison Bracker received her PhD in the History of Art from the University of Leeds, and manages the Events & Lectures programme at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. As co-founder of Bracker Fiske Consultants, she advises on the presentation, description, documentation, and care of artworks comprising modern media, and lectures and publishes widely on the theoretical and practical issues arising from the conservation of non-traditional and impermanent materials in contemporary works of art.
Table of Contents:
Introduction, Alison Bracker, Alison Richmond; Chapter 1 Auto-Icons, Rée Jonathan; Chapter 2 The Basis of Conservation Ethics, Ashley-Smith Jonathan; Chapter 3 The Aims of Conservation, Chris Caple; Chapter 4 The Reconstruction of Ruins: Principles and Practice, Nicholas Stanley-Price; Chapter 5 Minimal Intervention Revisited, Salvador Muñoz Viñas; Chapter 6 Practical Ethics v2.0, Jonathan Kemp; Chapter 7 Conservation Principles in the International Context, Jukka Jokilehto; Chapter 8 The Concept of Authenticity Expressed in the Treatment of Wall Paintings in Denmark, Isabelle Brajer; Chapter 9 The Development of Principles in Paintings Conservation: Case Studies from the Restoration of Raphael’s Art, Cathleen Hoeniger; Chapter 10 A Critical Reflection on Czechoslovak Conservation-Restoration: Its Theory and Methodological Approach, Zuzana Bauerová; Chapter 11 The Problem of Patina: Thoughts on Changing Attitudes to Old and New Things, Helen Clifford; Chapter 12 Archaeological Conservation: Scientific Practice or Social Process?, Elizabeth Pye; Chapter 13 Conservation and Cultural Significance, Miriam Clavir; Chapter 14 The Cultural Dynamics of Conservation Principles in Reported Practice, Dinah Eastop; Chapter 15 Why Do We Conserve? Developing Understanding of Conservation as a Cultural Construct, Simon Cane; Chapter 16 Heritage, Values, and Sustainability, Erica Avrami; Chapter 17 Ethics and Practice: Australian and New Zealand Conservation Contexts, Catherine Smith, Marcelle Scott; Chapter 18 Conservation, Access and Use in a Museum of Living Cultures, Marian A. Kaminitz, W. Richard West, Enote Jim, Curtis Quam, Eileen Yatsattie; Chapter 19 The Challenge of Installation Art, Wharton Glenn, Harvey Molotch; Chapter 20 Contemporary Museums of Contemporary Art, Jill Sterrett; Chapter 21 White Walls, Tina Fiske;
About the Author :
Alison Richmond, Alison Bracker
Review :
"A recommendable book for all those who have interest in contemporary conservation thinking and a must suggestion for a gift box, competent library, students' complementary reading material or just for the vocational conservator." Christabel Blackman, E- Conservation magazine "A timely contribution to a complex and evolving debate." Mary M Brooks, ICON News "Having read the book I began to see how museum conservators could benefit from the contributions and perspectives provided by those in related disciplines. In this respect the collection of papers reads like a journey, commencing with Ruskin and Morris, and concluding with a paper on Andy Goldsworthy and Installation Art, but travelling by way of the archaeology of conservation, cultural significance, and issues surrounding the presentation of indigenous artefacts. In short, the book achieved its aims. There is much that provokes thought and argument spread across its twenty-one chapters." Keith Emerick, Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites
