Damage, Decay, Conservation

Few human-made things last in their original form. Artworks and other artifacts change over time. Some are inherently unstable. Some are purposefully modified. In others, factors including heat, light, or moisture affect their constituent materials. Some are damaged by human action, whether accidental or intentional. Humans respond to these changes in various ways, whether accepting them, ignoring them, or seeking to arrest them or to restore affected items. This course focuses on issues arising from human conservation intervention in artworks, buildings, and sites from many societies and time periods. We shall consider Western conservation practice in museums, the art trade, sacred places, and buildings of various kinds. We shall seek answers to questions such as: How do changes to artworks and other artifacts occur, and what are those changes? What are criteria for intervention? What forms of examination facilitate intervention? Whose values affect the definition of these criteria, and the resulting practices? Whose values might conflict with those that promote intervention (for example, some traditional societies, religious communities, and contemporary artists)? What agendas (such as nationalism, tourism promotion, reconstruction after armed conflict) affect conservation and restoration decisions? How responsive are conservation institutions to theoretical and ethical concerns? 3 credits. Satisfies the chronological requirement. MDP