Becoming Difference: On the Ethics of Conserving the In-Between

Abstract

Notions of authenticity underpinning conservation practice have been challenged by artistic and museum practices that contest the mere possibility of singular material existence of objects. These practices work within the liminal, in-between, space some objects currently occupy. But how can conservation conciliate the preservation of an object's material manifestation, with the ethical need to recognise its other material possibilities? The ethical implications of conserving objects whose existence is contested are discussed. Drawing on feminist theory, it is argued that the path towards a fairer, inclusive, and sustainable conservation practice is dependent on the recognition of difference. The ethical ramifications that emerge from practices of conservation that reflect on performative inbetweenness, here called liminality, are explored. By demonstrating that the act of observation is always contingent, the ways we understand and conserve objects materially change them. How those changes can exclude their material possibilities and their becomings, are discussed. A possible ethical approach to conservation is proposed, that goes beyond modernist views of the object being conserved, recognising the exclusions inherent to any process of conservation, celebrating the diversity of material existences of objects we ought to protect.

Unruly objects: NFTs, blockchain technologies and bio-conservation

“…Although the conservation of objects that can be considered 'unruly', such as performance art, time-based media or installations, has been explored through diverse angles (e.g. Marçal 2022;Castriota 2021;Scholte 2022), the conservation of BioArt is still understudied and has been rarely discussed within the field of conservation. In this project, an interdisciplinary team guided by lead artist Dumitriu expands on this notion of unruliness, engaging in various research fields.…”

Archives of change

“…To address this problem, scholars in the field have recently turned to feminist and post-humanist care ethics. Marçal (2021Marçal ( , 2022 and conservator Ursula Schädler-Saub (2019) explain that, by doing so, this turn has initiated an interrogation of the role and function of the museum as a 'protector' and gatekeeper of this artistic heritage. Current challenges in the field revolve not only around the conservation of artworks, but the profession's 10 See, for example, Bracker & Barker (2005); Llamas-Pacheco (2020); Rinehart & Ippolito (2014).…”