The Artist's voice, authenticity and conservation theory
The artist's original intent is a concept in flux. It has taken on different meanings and values over time and its application in the conservation context is a topic of contention.
Dr Erma Hermens,Creativity, Regulation, Enterprise and Technology
The concept has by and large been identified with the authentic ‘state’ of the object: its original material constitution, linking authenticity and thus the artist’s intent to the integrity of that physical fabric over time, set in its own cultural context. Yet in non-traditional, contemporary art forms, the physical fabric may be absent, conceptual, replaceable, floating. Present conservation theory moves away from one state of authenticity - the moment of production - towards, amongst others, a tautological theory confirming an authentic state at any given moment (for example S. Muñoz Viñas, Beyond Authenticity, 2009) or, for example, uses an anthropological approach with an emphasis on object biographies etc. The concept of authenticity, and by implication the artist’s original intent, in these theories occupies a wide range of positions and interpretations.
Yet, the issues behind these theories are becoming more and more complex through the advances in conservation science and rapidly changing conservation methodologies, as well as the new approaches towards interpretation, display and ‘use’ of collections by the cultural heritage sector. This, and the increasing importance of public outreach, can result in challenging conservation and display demands. The concept of authenticity as a criterion used for conservation practice is in urgent need of re-evaluation.
Since 2009, History of Art at the University of Glasgow has started building up a database of artists’ interviews with a strong focus on material choices and significance of methods: the what, the why, as well as the future of the physical fabric or, indeed, its transience or absence. ARTIST ROOMS provides an excellent opportunity to expand on this by continuing the interviews with living artists with an emphasis on the meaning of materials. This can be part of artists’ interviews conducted by Tate and NGS. However, research will also document the artists’ voice of those no longer alive through existing interviews, statements, manifestos and other visual and written sources, concerning their artistic practice, material choices and their meaning. Several ARTIST ROOMS partnership projects focus on materials identification, and thus would provide data on the ARTIST ROOMS works that can be combined with the interviews and research into the ‘artist’s voice’, to create a holistic documentation of ARTIST ROOMS.
The rich resource of material and theoretical data collected above feeds into a more wide-ranging research objective addressing questions on the place of artists’ intent and authenticity in modern and contemporary art production and conservation. Working with this material, and analysing and critiquing modern conservation theory and existing decision making models, the ARTIST ROOMS research will support the formulation of a theoretical framework. We shall also address the changing role of conservators and their collaboration with curators in contemporary art conservation and collecting, and as a co-producer working with artists, as well as address issues of intellectual property and copyright that are increasingly urgent in a virtual, digital world, and with conceptual ephemeral art and processes of re-installation, replicating etc.
Results of this interdisciplinary research approach would inform ARTIST ROOMS conservation, ways of displaying and interpretation, as well as provide invaluable material supporting a theoretical framework for contemporary art conservation.