Newsletter of the ICOM Committee for Conservation working group

“Art Technological Source Research”

Vol. 2 (2006), nr. 1 (June)

 

 

Meeting in Cambridge (UK)

Present: Mark Clarke, Jo Kirby Atkinson, Stefanos Kroustallis (calling from Spain), Ann Massing, Cheryl Porter, Marie Louise Sauerberg, Ad Stijnman, Paul Woudhuyzen, Renate Woudhuyzen-Keller

Place: Hamilton Kerr Institute, Whittlesford, Cambridge.

Date: 12 May 2006.

 

Agenda

·       ICOM-CC issues

·       Madrid symposium

·       ATSR issues

·       Possible new institution

 

ICOM-CC issues

- Name ATSR: the ICOM-CC DB suggested we take another look at the name of the working group. Concerning the background of our name see the definitions given at the ATSR website under About Art Technological Source Research. Further discussion made clear ATSR is fundamentally concerned with both the research of sources relating to the production of works of art, as well as the technology for the production of works of art. The working group does not research the history of technology, but is concerned with ‘art’ in its universal meaning, i.e. those human activities which tend towards an aestheticism, in other words the Fine Arts. It was considered that the title of the working group is perfect the way it is, but as a further refinement Art Technological Sources Research was suggested.

- ICOM-CC membership: the advantages and disadvantages of personal and working group membership of ICOM-CC were discussed. Advantages are voting right (one person one vote) in ICOM-CC meetings, free entrance to many museums worldwide, reduced fee for ICOM-CC conferences and internal contacts. Disadvantages are that retired people cannot stay voting member of ICOM and therefore can no longer benefit from free museum entrance, despite the sometimes life-long support given to Council & Committee. PW will prepare a letter to the ICOM-CC DB about this. (Student) Friends do not have voting rights and do not have free museum entrance (see: http://icom-cc.icom.museum/About/Membership/Friend/). In general a big distance is felt towards the ICOM board.

 

Madrid symposium

Progress of symposium: SK called from Spain to inform the meeting about the present state of the organisation of the ATSR symposium in Madrid on 05 & 06 October 2006. All goes well, information is widely spread in Spain and available through a number of international websites and newsletters. There is a lot of interest from professors of Fine Art, art historians, conservators and museum curators, from Spain, the rest of Europe and the United States. Comments are received because of the already fixed lecture program, as many people would like to contribute papers. There is, however, the possibility for demonstrations and posters during the symposium (deadline 01 July 2006), and there is the possibility to publish papers in the conference proceedings. Unfortunately, LC cannot attend the symposium and consequently will not be able to lecture; the coordinators are looking for a replacement. The expenses for the symposium are not yet covered by subventions, but the organisation is supported by the Universidad Complutense in finding solutions. Further support is sought with the Ministery of Education. It is emphasised that one of the aims of the symposium is to discuss whether art technological source research is a new discipline or that is should be part of art historical training. Another aim is to inform the audience at large and the Spanish audience in particular about the possibilities of art technological source research. The coordinators of the symposium could receive little or no support from either ICOM-Spain nor the ICOM-CC DB for their organisation. This is not a complaint towards the local committee or the DB, but it is felt that it should be discussed in ICOM-CC meetings how working groups can be supported in the organisation of their activities. This is not about financial support, but about support for logistics, fund-raising, finding a meeting place, etc.

 

ATSR issues

- Membership: everyone showing an interest in the activities of ATSR is invited to participate in our network; all new participants are kindly invited to apply for ICOM membership; all ATSR related information is disseminated to every participant in the network; all participants are invited to join in ATSR activities. EC and MLS are compiling a list of participants with their address data, ICOM-card numbers, possible membership of ICOM-CC and their interests in the field of art technological source research. This list is for internal ATSR use only. The DB will receive a list of those participants who are members of ICOM-CC. These only will have voting rights in ICOM-CC meetings and may profit from ICOM-CC benefits.

- MC’s website hosting ATSR is working well. The ECHN website is still in the air but not active, while the webmaster does not reply to messages sent. AS will contact DO to ask about the present situation.

- All participants in the ATSR network receive information on matters concerning art technological source research on an irregular basis. The titles of books and articles, and the URLs are compiled into a uniform list by MCh, whereafter the list will be placed on the ATSR internet pages.

- ATSR members are invited to contribute to the annual Art Matters. Those interested should contact the editor Erma Hermens.

- A course book to be used at academic level by art historians and conservators is compiled presently. The book initiated from ideas circulating within ATSR, some of the authors are members of the working group, and EH and HW are in the editiorial team. Publication is planned for 2007.

- The symposium, Craft treatises and handbooks: the dissemination of technical knowledge in the Middle Ages, was held in Córdoba 6-8 October 2005. Several ATSR members lectured there and the proceedings will be published in 2007.

- Some kind of joint activity between the Paintings and ATSR working groups was suggested at the end of the ICOM-CC conference in The Hague last September. This was canceled again and Paintings will organise a meeting on its own.

- Hans-Christoph von Imhoff paid attention to ATSR and source research in his column in Restauro, issue 3, April/May 2006, p. 142-145.

 

Possible new institution

Art technological research in general has received growing attention in the past few years, reason why the issue was raised whether it would be eligible to found a new network or institution concerned with this kind of research. ATSR called a pre-meeting with the intention to hear opinions on whether to organise a one-day meeting about the founding of a new institution on art technological research during the ICOM-CC congress in The Hague. The general consensus was positive and it was intended to organise such a meeting in relation to the Madrid symposium. The plan for this meeting and the issue of such an institute were discussed again during the present meeting. From this became clear that: (1) ATSR is a 'baby group'; it is most important for ATSR to concentrate on developing itself into a more mature group in the coming few years, rather than to dissipate its energies in the attempt to found such an institution or evolve into one; (2) the idea of such an institution is attractive in itself, but an institute based (desk + person) network is more realistic; (3) interdisciplinary research of the material and historical aspects of art works should be possible with the constructions available now; (4) theme conferences such as local- or mini-meetings are interesting. The subject will be further discussed in the next ATSR business meeting, also with a view on the future of ATSR. AS will inform the persons attending the pre-meeting about this.

 

Next meeting

The next ATSR business meeting will be held in the afternoon of Wednesday 04 October 2006, the day before the symposium and also in Madrid.