PRESERVING ARCHIVE - A Theoretical Study of a Site-specific Composite Installation Artwork Sofia

Abstract

This thesis is a theoretical study of the installation artwork Archive exhibited at the Gothenburg Museum of Art. The artwork is site-specific and is created by about 240 different objects, all found in the non-public spaces at the museum. The thesis aimed to investigate the different aspects of the artwork that needs to be considered for a conservation treatment, how the variations of the materials in the artwork may be preserved as well as how a deinstallation and re-installation can be executed. Through a combination of literature studies, interviews and analysing of photographic documentation, information about the artwork was documented. The collected information was chosen by consulting a documentation method created for installation artworks. The results showed that the artwork has to be understood in a complex way, including not only visual and material aspects, but also the relation to the site, the history of the objects and the relation between the artwork and the viewer. The result also showed the variety of properties in the materials, and how this might pose a risk to the artwork as a whole. Problems with the structural composition was identified, as the objects in the artwork are secured in each other and in a supporting framework in an unsystematic way. An assumption could be drawn from photographic documentation in what order the objects are placed, and a suggestion of this order was presented. Conclusions drawn were that, before a conservation treatment, all of the aspects of the artwork must be considered, and how the treatment may affect them. Treatments that appear controversial within traditional conservation theory may be acceptable if it is done to benefit the artwork as a whole, and such ideas are investigated in a development of conservation theory for contemporary art. The variety of the materials showed that some of the objects in the artwork benefited more from the climate conditions, while others may be in higher risk of deterioration. There were also some uncertainties about the materials, as the chemical composition is unknown and as the majority of the materials are hidden from sight. A conclusion was drawn that further material analysis should be executed, and that a condition assessment should be done concurrent to a deinstallation to understand what material state the artwork is in. The uncertainties around the structure and assembling of the artwork lead to a conclusion that a de-installation is possible, but that detailed planning is necessary. These uncertainties would also puts the artwork and the objects at risk, and the importance of conservators being involved was established.