Asti Sherring

Embracing Humanness in Cultural Materials Conservation: A Roundtable Discussion with Conservation Professionals on Ethics, Values and the Future

Bulletin/Bulletin - Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material, Feb 8, 2024

This paper develops an understanding of the complex interplay of perspectives implicit in the mul... more This paper develops an understanding of the complex interplay of perspectives implicit in the multifaceted practice of Cultural Materials Conservation, as it pertains to individuals, larger organisational structures, and contemporary social contexts. The research takes the form of a six-week online qualitative group interview, which captures a range of opinions and attitudes from a cross-sectional group of conservation practitioners. The data is presented as a complete de-anonymised interview transcript, available as a supplementary material, which describes the experiences and perspectives of individual practitioners, their day-today challenges, and the decision-making processes conservators face in their practice. A central argument in this paper is the value of the concepts of humanness and reflexivity in twenty-first-century conservation thinking. Reflecting on the role of individual practitioners as custodians of cultural heritage, with the view on what it means to be a conservator in practice today, is a valuable contribution that can shed light on the conservation decision-making and evolving practice that is focused on sensitivity and fluid responsiveness to cultural changes, personal values, and diverse relationships involved in the conservation of cultural heritage.

Embracing Humanness in Cultural Materials Conservation: A Roundtable Discussion with Conservation Professionals on Ethics, Values and the Future

AICCM Bulletin, 2024

This paper develops an understanding of the complex interplay of perspectives implicit in the mul... more This paper develops an understanding of the complex interplay of perspectives implicit in the multifaceted practice of Cultural Materials Conservation, as it pertains to individuals, larger organisational structures, and contemporary social contexts. The research takes the form of a six-week online qualitative group interview, which captures a range of opinions and attitudes from a cross-sectional group of conservation practitioners. The data is presented as a complete de-anonymised interview transcript, available as a supplementary material, which describes the experiences and perspectives of individual practitioners, their day-today challenges, and the decision-making processes conservators face in their practice. A central argument in this paper is the value of the concepts of humanness and reflexivity in twenty-first-century conservation thinking. Reflecting on the role of individual practitioners as custodians of cultural heritage, with the view on what it means to be a conservator in practice today, is a valuable contribution that can shed light on the conservation decision-making and evolving practice that is focused on sensitivity and fluid responsiveness to cultural changes, personal values, and diverse relationships involved in the conservation of cultural heritage.

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Divergent conservation: cultural sector opportunities and challenges relating to the development of time-based art conservation in Australasia

Aiccm Bulletin, Jan 2, 2020

This paper explores the current state of awareness and understanding of time-based art (TBA) in t... more This paper explores the current state of awareness and understanding of time-based art (TBA) in the Australasian cultural heritage sector using data gathered from a survey of 140 participants from across a range of professions, including conservation, registration, curatorial, library and archives management, installation and exhibition management, digital preservation and audience programming. The findings indicate the viewpoints of professionals who work in the cultural heritage sector on the development of TBA as a distinct specialisation within conservation, and advance discussions of cultural, institutional and structural barriers embedded in working cultures, practices and attitudes. This paper posits that the very nature of TBA requires a reassessment of traditional institutional roles and workflows, new types of technical knowledge and the development of a supportive network of practice.

Changeability, Variability, and Malleability: Sharing Perspectives on the Role of Change in Time-based Art and Utilitarian Machinery Conservation

Studies in Conservation, Dec 25, 2020

This paper explores concepts of changeability, variability, and malleability in the different her... more This paper explores concepts of changeability, variability, and malleability in the different heritage genres of time-based artworks and utilitarian machinery. Case studies bring to the surface differences in understandings, norms, and boundaries, but also demonstrate similarities between the two areas of practice, showing that they can be viewed as poles of practice within a shared field of theory and practice rather than as separate and unrelated endeavours. The key issues for all communities caring for changeable objects are how to preserve the intangible sensory, cultural, and immersive experiences created by change, and how the practical actions required to maintain this intangible heritage interact with concepts of authenticity, performativity, and intention. This paper explores how these relationships evolve as time and contexts change, and how best practice in the conservation of changeable objects must acknowledge and manage the tension between the activation that preserves intangible, embodied experience, and the static maintenance that preserves the tangible components of an object with minimal physical change. Viewing objects through the lens of change opens the door to the development of a new field of conservation expertise, one focused on the challenges and opportunities presented by an object's changeable qualities rather than by its original field of use. A lens of change has the capacity to draw together not only those working with time-based artworks and utilitarian machinery but also other communities of people caring for and activating changeable objects, such as horologists, roboticists, musicians, car enthusiasts, people activating historic costumes, and people managing still-active historic utilities such as water and transport infrastructure.

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After all the things you have forgotten [Image no. 14789]

For more information about this item, browse to http://hdl.handle.net/102.100.100/589

Untitled [Image no. 2777]

For more information about this item, browse to http://hdl.handle.net/102.100.100/301

Exhibition view: The house of bread [Image no. 15309]

Medium: mixed media installation. Copyright of the artist. Photographer: Chantal Labbé, SCA Image... more

Exhibition view: The house of bread (detail) [Image no. 15310]

Medium: mixed media installation. Copyright of the artist. Photographer: Chantal Labbé, SCA Image... more

S12_loantourCR.pdf

The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) has been engaged in a collaborative and interdepartmen... more The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) has been engaged in a collaborative and interdepartmental approach to the development and implementation of time-based art (TBA) collection management over the last six years. During this time the TBA conservation department has overseen, contributed to and composed documentation formats, such as questionnaires, artwork Pro Forma, iteration and iteration history reports, touring and artwork loan guides and analogue/digital media condition reports to support the conservation of non-traditional and changeable artworks from the Gallery's collection. This paper provides practical TBA resources developed by the Art Gallery of New South Wales with the goal to support staff at other institutions and organisations working with TBA collections. The purpose, formation, practical application and value of the resources are discussed in the paper, along with sample templates provided as supplemental materials, for further use by museum professionals...

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S8_DigitalFile_ConditionReport.pdf

The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) has been engaged in a collaborative and interdepartmen... more The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) has been engaged in a collaborative and interdepartmental approach to the development and implementation of time-based art (TBA) collection management over the last six years. During this time the TBA conservation department has overseen, contributed to and composed documentation formats, such as questionnaires, artwork Pro Forma, iteration and iteration history reports, touring and artwork loan guides and analogue/digital media condition reports to support the conservation of non-traditional and changeable artworks from the Gallery's collection. This paper provides practical TBA resources developed by the Art Gallery of New South Wales with the goal to support staff at other institutions and organisations working with TBA collections. The purpose, formation, practical application and value of the resources are discussed in the paper, along with sample templates provided as supplemental materials, for further use by museum professionals...

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S6_Short_IterationReport.pdf

The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) has been engaged in a collaborative and interdepartmen... more The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) has been engaged in a collaborative and interdepartmental approach to the development and implementation of time-based art (TBA) collection management over the last six years. During this time the TBA conservation department has overseen, contributed to and composed documentation formats, such as questionnaires, artwork Pro Forma, iteration and iteration history reports, touring and artwork loan guides and analogue/digital media condition reports to support the conservation of non-traditional and changeable artworks from the Gallery's collection. This paper provides practical TBA resources developed by the Art Gallery of New South Wales with the goal to support staff at other institutions and organisations working with TBA collections. The purpose, formation, practical application and value of the resources are discussed in the paper, along with sample templates provided as supplemental materials, for further use by museum professionals...

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S7_AnalogueDigital Media_Physical_ConditionReport.pdf

The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) has been engaged in a collaborative and interdepartmen... more The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) has been engaged in a collaborative and interdepartmental approach to the development and implementation of time-based art (TBA) collection management over the last six years. During this time the TBA conservation department has overseen, contributed to and composed documentation formats, such as questionnaires, artwork Pro Forma, iteration and iteration history reports, touring and artwork loan guides and analogue/digital media condition reports to support the conservation of non-traditional and changeable artworks from the Gallery's collection. This paper provides practical TBA resources developed by the Art Gallery of New South Wales with the goal to support staff at other institutions and organisations working with TBA collections. The purpose, formation, practical application and value of the resources are discussed in the paper, along with sample templates provided as supplemental materials, for further use by museum professionals...

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S1_AcquisitionTBA Proforma

The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) has been engaged in a collaborative and interdepartmen... more The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) has been engaged in a collaborative and interdepartmental approach to the development and implementation of time-based art (TBA) collection management over the last six years. During this time the TBA conservation department has overseen, contributed to and composed documentation formats, such as questionnaires, artwork Pro Forma, iteration and iteration history reports, touring and artwork loan guides and analogue/digital media condition reports to support the conservation of non-traditional and changeable artworks from the Gallery's collection. This paper provides practical TBA resources developed by the Art Gallery of New South Wales with the goal to support staff at other institutions and organisations working with TBA collections. The purpose, formation, practical application and value of the resources are discussed in the paper, along with sample templates provided as supplemental materials, for further use by museum professionals...

S3_Contemporary_ Art Artist_Questionnaire.pdf

The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) has been engaged in a collaborative and interdepartmen... more The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) has been engaged in a collaborative and interdepartmental approach to the development and implementation of time-based art (TBA) collection management over the last six years. During this time the TBA conservation department has overseen, contributed to and composed documentation formats, such as questionnaires, artwork Pro Forma, iteration and iteration history reports, touring and artwork loan guides and analogue/digital media condition reports to support the conservation of non-traditional and changeable artworks from the Gallery's collection. This paper provides practical TBA resources developed by the Art Gallery of New South Wales with the goal to support staff at other institutions and organisations working with TBA collections. The purpose, formation, practical application and value of the resources are discussed in the paper, along with sample templates provided as supplemental materials, for further use by museum professionals...

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S2_ComplexityScale.pdf

The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) has been engaged in a collaborative and interdepartmen... more The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) has been engaged in a collaborative and interdepartmental approach to the development and implementation of time-based art (TBA) collection management over the last six years. During this time the TBA conservation department has overseen, contributed to and composed documentation formats, such as questionnaires, artwork Pro Forma, iteration and iteration history reports, touring and artwork loan guides and analogue/digital media condition reports to support the conservation of non-traditional and changeable artworks from the Gallery's collection. This paper provides practical TBA resources developed by the Art Gallery of New South Wales with the goal to support staff at other institutions and organisations working with TBA collections. The purpose, formation, practical application and value of the resources are discussed in the paper, along with sample templates provided as supplemental materials, for further use by museum professionals...

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S13_Borrower Questionnaire_Loantour.pdf

The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) has been engaged in a collaborative and interdepartmen... more The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) has been engaged in a collaborative and interdepartmental approach to the development and implementation of time-based art (TBA) collection management over the last six years. During this time the TBA conservation department has overseen, contributed to and composed documentation formats, such as questionnaires, artwork Pro Forma, iteration and iteration history reports, touring and artwork loan guides and analogue/digital media condition reports to support the conservation of non-traditional and changeable artworks from the Gallery's collection. This paper provides practical TBA resources developed by the Art Gallery of New South Wales with the goal to support staff at other institutions and organisations working with TBA collections. The purpose, formation, practical application and value of the resources are discussed in the paper, along with sample templates provided as supplemental materials, for further use by museum professionals...

S11_InwardLoan_ConditionReport.pdf

The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) has been engaged in a collaborative and interdepartmen... more The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) has been engaged in a collaborative and interdepartmental approach to the development and implementation of time-based art (TBA) collection management over the last six years. During this time the TBA conservation department has overseen, contributed to and composed documentation formats, such as questionnaires, artwork Pro Forma, iteration and iteration history reports, touring and artwork loan guides and analogue/digital media condition reports to support the conservation of non-traditional and changeable artworks from the Gallery's collection. This paper provides practical TBA resources developed by the Art Gallery of New South Wales with the goal to support staff at other institutions and organisations working with TBA collections. The purpose, formation, practical application and value of the resources are discussed in the paper, along with sample templates provided as supplemental materials, for further use by museum professionals...

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S9_Equipment_ConditionReport.pdf

The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) has been engaged in a collaborative and interdepartmen... more The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) has been engaged in a collaborative and interdepartmental approach to the development and implementation of time-based art (TBA) collection management over the last six years. During this time the TBA conservation department has overseen, contributed to and composed documentation formats, such as questionnaires, artwork Pro Forma, iteration and iteration history reports, touring and artwork loan guides and analogue/digital media condition reports to support the conservation of non-traditional and changeable artworks from the Gallery's collection. This paper provides practical TBA resources developed by the Art Gallery of New South Wales with the goal to support staff at other institutions and organisations working with TBA collections. The purpose, formation, practical application and value of the resources are discussed in the paper, along with sample templates provided as supplemental materials, for further use by museum professionals...

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S10_InwardLoan_TBAProforma.pdf

The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) has been engaged in a collaborative and interdepartmen... more The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) has been engaged in a collaborative and interdepartmental approach to the development and implementation of time-based art (TBA) collection management over the last six years. During this time the TBA conservation department has overseen, contributed to and composed documentation formats, such as questionnaires, artwork Pro Forma, iteration and iteration history reports, touring and artwork loan guides and analogue/digital media condition reports to support the conservation of non-traditional and changeable artworks from the Gallery's collection. This paper provides practical TBA resources developed by the Art Gallery of New South Wales with the goal to support staff at other institutions and organisations working with TBA collections. The purpose, formation, practical application and value of the resources are discussed in the paper, along with sample templates provided as supplemental materials, for further use by museum professionals...

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S5_IterationReport.pdf

The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) has been engaged in a collaborative and interdepartmen... more The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) has been engaged in a collaborative and interdepartmental approach to the development and implementation of time-based art (TBA) collection management over the last six years. During this time the TBA conservation department has overseen, contributed to and composed documentation formats, such as questionnaires, artwork Pro Forma, iteration and iteration history reports, touring and artwork loan guides and analogue/digital media condition reports to support the conservation of non-traditional and changeable artworks from the Gallery's collection. This paper provides practical TBA resources developed by the Art Gallery of New South Wales with the goal to support staff at other institutions and organisations working with TBA collections. The purpose, formation, practical application and value of the resources are discussed in the paper, along with sample templates provided as supplemental materials, for further use by museum professionals...

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