ATT BEVARA DET SOM INTE KAN BEVARAS Konservering av levande material i modern konst Linn Björklund

Abstract

The post war era and industrial revolution opened up a freedom in the art field and created an unpredictable art landscape. The creativity that it unleashed among artists would later become a main concern for those who managed such artifacts as museums, galleries and collectors. Art that is considered temporary, ephemeral art, constitutes a large part of what is today classified as modern art. Change has become an essential component of artworks in this category since its properties might make them changeable, fragile or difficult to recreate. What role does artist talks play in conservation and what is the current knowledge about the preservation of works of art in ephemeral materials as well as living organisms? This thesis is based on literature studies, an artist interview and correspondence with conservators in large art institutions. In addition to this material, I have done my own documentation and ocular examination of an artwork containing a living organism, Topografin mellan vandring och flykt by Patrik Bengtsson. A work of art is an investment for a museum and builds up the collection which the institution would want to preserve. The ephemeral nature of some of these works pose interesting dilemmas as it becomes a matter of whose opinion weighs most heavily, the artist's or the institution's. There is no general regulatory framework for the preservation of ephemeral art, nor for art containing living organisms. It is therefore important that the conservatory profession is an outward looking activity that is constantly seeking new information and is part of a network with other professions in order to guarantee the preservation of cultural heritage