Philosophy of Conservation

The analysis by microscopy of the compositions and microstructures of geomaterials found in historic structures and buildings is integral to archaeological, art-historical, conservation and restoration-related investigations, and supports decision making for material replacement and repair. In archaeology there is a need to elucidate past social, economic and technological processes, and to understand the environmental impacts of past human activities related to materials use. Standard light and electron microscopy are most commonly employed, but high resolution methods such as transmission electron and three-dimensional tomography such as µ-CT are also being used. Experimental and novel developments, where they overlap with advanced materials science, are uncommon. The application of scientific characterisation frames cultural heritage value, reinforcing our understanding of authenticity and integrity. Characterisation is constrained, in turn, by the values system that operates in ...

Our culture of appreciation of old buildings today is a product of the heritage culture of the (broadly speaking) eighteenth-century Central European (white, male, educated) upper class. While we find it pleasant and historically informative to have buildings well preserved, we find the absence of critical questioning of the practice surprisingly absent, although we observe an increasing number of academic discussions in the field of heritage studies, informed by decolonisation, climate change activism, and sustainability issues. Critical artistic practices have too been venturing into heritage and memory politics. The extensive costs of preserving old architecture raise eyebrows mainly only in the far-and alt-right circles, but as late reactions by parts of the global community, such as the attacks on statues as part of the Black Lives Matter movement, signal, there might be a change coming regarding our relationship to the built material past. We offer a reading of the history of the phenomenon, which will make it easier to, first, see it as an ethnic and class construct, and then sketch out a new perspective on its metaphysics, from memory to identity, to discourse. We include voices external to the world of heritage-one that is still run by a privileged group that often claims to speak for others, and whose aims and practices are often, at least for now, accepted by others. We then proceed to discuss what kind of a role a curatorial approach could have in questioning and rethinking the idea of preserving.

Mineral specimens have a dual nature, both as a scientific resource and an aesthetic pleasure. Combine this with a long history of sampling for study, and the developed nature of most specimens on the commercial market, and it is difficult to relate to the ethical principles of conservation when cleaning minerals.

The City of Edinburgh, capital of Scotland, owes its unique character and sense of place to its spectacular geological setting, its people and its buildings. The cityscape is defined by its rocky natural landscape, moulded by glaciers, and by the fabric and varying architecture of the city's buildings which employed much indigenous building stone. The local sandstones, some of the finest in Britain, supplied the majority of buildings constructed within the World Heritage Site of the New and Old Towns. Today's challenge is to plan for development of a thriving city whilst ensuring that both the stone-built heritage and the historical spirit of the city are maintained for future generations. Appropriate stone selection and safeguarding of resources form a vital part of good conservation practice.

Abstract. The City of Edinburgh, capital of Scotland, owes its unique character and sense of place to its spectacular geological setting, its people and its buildings. The cityscape is defined by its rocky natural landscape, moulded by glaciers, and by the fabric and varying architecture of the city’s buildings which employed much indigenous building stone. The local sandstones, some of the finest in Britain, supplied the majority of buildings constructed within the World Heritage Site of the New and Old Towns. Today’s challenge is to plan for development of a thriving city whilst ensuring that both the stone-built heritage and the historical spirit of the city are maintained for future generations. Appropriate stone selection and safeguarding of resources form a vital part of good conservation practice. Historical background to the City of Edinburgh The City of Edinburgh, Scotland UK, once described as the ‘Grey Athens of the North’, is characterised by stone. Spectacularly set in ...

Our culture of appreciation of old buildings today is a product of the heritage culture of the (broadly speaking) eighteenth-century Central European (white, male, educated) upper class. While we find it pleasant and historically informative to have buildings well preserved, we find the absence of critical questioning of the practice

It. Estetica della conservazione-restauro; Fr. Esthétique de la conservation-restauration; Germ. Ästhetik der Konservierung-Restaurierung; Sp. Estética de la Conservación-Restauración. The label refers to the philosophical and aesthetic debates surrounding the conservation and restoration of artworks, buildings, and other artefacts of cultural interest. Conservation-restoration practices include interventions aimed at safeguarding objects against physical alteration, ruination, and decay as well as measures facilitating their continued accessibility, appreciation, and understanding. While artefacts and artistic items have always been mended and repaired, conservation-restoration is a relatively modern discipline, dating back to the period between the 18th and 19th centuries. Today, conservation-restoration is recognized as a distinct profession, requiring technical skills and familiarity with several scientific procedures. In itself, however, the activity of restoring and conserving artworks also raises concerns that are primarily conceptual in nature (Cometti 2016; Scott 2017).

Geomaterials under the microscope: a colour guide by Jeremy P. Ingham is a superbly illustrated text that will introduce many practitioners of mineralogic, petrographic and micromorphologic subdisciplines of geosciences to the intriguing and fascinating 'world' of the microscopic examination of a wide range of building materials. Ingham has assembled a formidable set of colour photographs illustrating building materials under normal conditions and conditions of deterioration due to wear, weathering, traffic and general long term disintegration, disaggregation and various forms of stress 'decay'. There are nine chapters dealing with building stone, roofing slate, aggregates, concrete, concrete products, floor finishes, mortar, plaster and render, bricks, and bituminous mixtures. In addition, Ingham provides two excellent appendices that deal with suppliers of petrographic equipment, training and literature as well as staining and etching techniques. The book runs to 192 pages and contains 370 colour thin section photographs. Geomaterials are defined as 'processes or unprocessed soils, rocks or minerals used in the construction of buildings or structures (Fookes, 1991). Likewise, man-made construction materials manufactured from the above geomaterials are included in this text. Although one can use the term text; in many ways this book is an excellent desk-top manual for anyone interested in geomaterials. This book has been written by a practising expert and reflects the interest and passion that the author brings to his subject not only in the larger details but in the many small but exceptional points of interest required when viewing and understanding these complex geomaterials. Before discussing each of the chapter in this book it is worth pointing out that throughout the book there is constant and useful reference to British, European and American standards in terms of petrographic examinations of geomaterials, as well as ASTM tests requirements and specifications. These standards and specifications are well laid out in a series of excellent tables. Chapter 1 provides an excellent overview of the field of geomaterials that discusses the relationship between the dominant geological construction materials and their many and varied uses. Likewise various petrographic techniques, image analysis methods, sampling procedures and, critically, sampling and thin section preparation are covered. With a set of 77 superb images of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rock types in thin section, Chapter 2 covers almost all building stone materials that one is likely to encounter in the construction industry. The images are accompanied by excellent figure captions and a complimentary text. Tables linked to the rock types deal with various classifications, and ASTM testing results. A rather delightful chapter on Roofing Slate follows (Chapter 30). In North America the use of

In this paper, I focus on the question of whether authenticity is fully established in the process of the creation of an artwork: namely, at its initial point of existence. If our answer is affirmative (1), we commit to the idea that authenticity is determined by the work’s creator; thus, it is considered a given, exempt from historical flux. If our answer is negative (2), we take authenticity to be a combination of initial creation and temporal change; in
this sense the work is considered a ‘historical being’. These two conceptions come from opposite ontological perspectives on the identity of artworks. In examining them we will gain insight into how different conservation narratives can be considered and configured in conceptual terms. One’s interpretation of what makes an artwork authentic will greatly influence how to go about preserving or restoring it.

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.

The assessment of a deteriorating masonry structure should lead to an objective evaluation of condition. This process is however inevitably subjective due to human interpretation. The condition of the substrate and the required repairs cannot be guaranteed and may vary from building inspector to inspector. For conservation works the determination of repairs is a function of condition but also directly relates to the underpinning framework of building conservation philosophy. These are also fundamentally subjective.

The analysis by microscopy of the compositions and microstructures of geomaterials found in historic structures and buildings is integral to archaeological, art‐historical, conservation and restoration‐related investigations, and supports decision making for material replacement and repair. In archaeology there is a need to elucidate past social, economic and technological processes, and to understand the environmental impacts of past human activities related to materials use. Standard light and electron microscopy are most commonly employed, but high resolution methods such as transmission electron and three‐dimensional tomography such as µ‐CT are also being used. Experimental and novel developments, where they overlap with advanced materials science, are uncommon. The application of scientific characterisation frames cultural heritage value, reinforcing our understanding of authenticity and integrity. Characterisation is constrained, in turn, by the values system that operates in cultural heritage. International charters and conservation philosophy necessitate the application of science to contextualising conservation. However, the appearance of science in heritage work has also led to the performance of science for its own sake ('endoscience', sensu Muñoz Viñas, Contemporary Theory of Conservation, Routledge, 2011). This moves some to suggest that there is a disconnect between scientific work and its practical value. Apparent communication problems between scientists applying microscopy and other stakeholders require changes to management of material characterisation in heritage projects.