Cultural Encounters and Explorations: Conservation's 'Catch-22'

Principal Investigator - Ms. Elizabeth Pye

Senior Lecturer in Conservation,

University College London, Institute of Archaeology

Cluster website - www.ucl.ac.uk/conservation-c-22

SUMMARY OF RESEARCH

Conservation and collections care are deeply affected by pressures to provide greater access to heritage objects for people now, but at the same time to make sure that objects survive for future users. This highlights a paradox which could be called conservation’s 'Catch-22'.

Access to heritage objects brings social benefit
Greater access brings greater social benefit 
Greater access brings greater damage
Greater damage brings reduced social benefit

People interact with heritage objects in many ways: children are encouraged to handle objects to bring the past to life; museum visitors are eager to see ‘the real thing’, artists are inspired. Increasingly, encounters with objects are used as triggers for oral history, and are considered to have a restorative function in reconnecting people with their pasts (cultural wellbeing), or in reaching people who are isolated through age, health, social exclusion or sensory impairment (therapeutic wellbeing). However, we know relatively little about the nature of any benefit that may be derived from these encounters, nor do we know enough about the effect on the heritage objects themselves. This has limited our ability to establish effective conservation strategies.

The purpose of this research cluster, therefore, is to explore the issues associated with physical encounters between people and objects. It examines our understanding of changes to the physical object, our ability to define and measure condition, our conception of deterioration and loss, and the implications for current and future use of collections. This is balanced by exploration of the social/cultural benefit gained from these encounters. A further purpose is to explore the impact of remote encounters with digitised objects on the policy, practice and ethics of collections care and management. A key objective is that this research should guide future strategies for heritage conservation.

Details of scheduled events:

Monday 30th March 2009
UCL Institute of Archaeology   
Workshop 1 - Physical Encounters: What Do We Mean By Condition? 
Led by Principal Investigator Elizabeth Pye

Thursday 30th April 2009  
UCL Institute of Archaeology    
Workshop 2 - Physical Encounters:  What Do We Know About Damage And Loss?
Led by Co-Investigator Jonathan Ashley Smith

Tuesday June 2nd 2009

UCL  Institute of Archaeology 
Workshop 3 - Physical Encounters: Increased Benefit Or Increased Risk?  
Led by Co-Investigator Dean Sully

Wednesday 23rd September 2009

What’s the Damage? Physical Encounters: Increased Benefit or Increased Risk?

For further details, or to register your interest, please contact Hazel Gardiner - h.gardiner@ucl.ac.uk