Call for Papers Vol. 42
Restaurierungsblätter – Papers in Conservation #42
unschön aber schützenswert – unpleasant but worth preserving
Following up on our last volume (“fragmentiert - fragmented”), which was already dedicated to one unavoidable topic in conservation-restoration and monument preservation, we would now like to shed light on another omnipresent “shadow topic” in volume 42 of the Restaurierungsblätter – Papers in Conservation.
An aesthetically satisfying, “cohesive appearance”, an ‘enhancement’ of aged or damaged art and cultural artefacts or even the often-mentioned “enhanced readability” of an obscured representation are often the justifications or the declared aim of a conservation-restoration or individual restoration measures. But how can this aesthetic perception be objectively assessed, which standards apply here and how does the perception of beauty differ between all those involved? Especially (modern) materials which do not age in a visually appealing way provoke very different reactions in the exhibition context or in public spaces. What role can or should (art) mediation play here?
In the past, restorations often involved much more extensive interventions in order to fulfil the aesthetic preferences of the time. In connection with ‘de-restorations’, conservators often have to deal with extensive reworkings and reconstructions that are considered unsuccessful from today's perspective. How do we deal with the changed perception of beauty today? Are there conservation concepts available that can ensure the long-term preservation of objects, but perhaps also take into account the constant developments within our own profession?
Historically or politically charged cultural artefacts, which in turn also function as contemporary documents, confront conservators with very particular problems of their own. It is often necessary to first investigate and visualize the historical context through research and examination. How can solutions be found which do justice to both the historical contemporary document and the object as an art and cultural asset?
In many classes of objects, material- or form- related aesthetics play an essential role. Do the functionality of mechanical, kinetic or luminous works and objects also play a part in this? How do we deal with damaged objects that no longer ‘function’ and can therefore no longer be experienced? The problem of extensive convolutes or artists' estates can certainly also be a topic here, as a challenging mass of previously unevaluated, unexplored, sometimes even ‘unattractive’ context of an entire oeuvre. These examples represent just a few of the many possible perspectives on the subject of the new volume, and are intended to stimulate further associations and interpretations.
We look forward to receiving your abstracts describing the initial situation, research question, most important content, methods and (expected) results (200-300 words) in English or German by August 15th 2025, by email to redaktion@iic-austria.org. You will receive feedback shortly after the deadline and then have until November 30th 2025 to submit your article.
We also welcome short articles (max. 500 words, 1 figure) on current projects, research or exhibitions. Please send the entire article by email to redaktion@iic-austria.org by November 30th 2025. Further information on the publication can be found at www.iic-austria.org/publikationen.
Best Regards,
The Board of Directors
Publication Date of Restaurierungsblätter – Papers in Conservation #41: fragmentiert – fragmented
The volume is expected to be published at the end of the year. Our team of authors and editors is currently working with great dedication on its completion. We are already looking forward to sharing the diverse and compelling contributions with you.
Call for Papers Vol. 41
Restaurierungsblätter – Papers in Conservation #41: fragmentiert – fragmented
We would like to dedicate Volume 41 to a topic that is omnipresent in the preservation of art and cultural heritage: we almost always encounter objects in a fragmented state - as a relic that has survived as one of many puzzle pieces resulting from its individual object history and whose preservation is now our responsibility.
After all, our knowledge of the objects we encounter, detached from their own time, is always fragmentary. Historic records, the knowledge from which provenance research, conservation and restoration studies and conclusions about the history of origin draw, ultimately only represent a further fragment of past times. Cultural studies, Conservation and material/natural sciences usually have to work in synergy if they are to tell the history of an object as comprehensively as possible and understand its current state of preservation. Museum exhibitions themselves can almost all be regarded as fragments of collections. They generally present variants/versions and leave room for interpretation.
Furthermore, the format in which we encounter these fragments, whether as an inherent part of a larger collection, as memorabilia, fractured pieces, photographs (themselves again pure excerpts/snapshots?), in the "classical" fragmented form of archaeological or more contemporary finds, influences many other processes of actions and decision-making:
- What is the basis of decisions made in cases of a fragmented state of objects?
- How/where do people's interests lie?
- How to deal with lacunae/missing parts?
- How are fragments reassembled? Are they put back together at all?
- Is a fragmented presentation desired?
- Which role do reconstructions play (digital or directly on the object)?
We ask for the submission of abstracts describing the background, research question, main content, methods and (expected) results (200-300 words) in English or German by July 30, 2024, by e-mail to redaktion@iic-austria.org. You will receive feedback by Mid-August and then have time until October 30, 2024 to submit the final manuscript.
We also welcome short articles (max. 500 words, 1 figure) on current projects, research and exhibitions. Please send the entire contribution by October 30, 2024, also by e-mail to redaktion@iic-austria.org.
Further information on the publication can be found at www.iic-austria.org/publikationen
CALL FOR PAPERS vol 35:
imMATERIALität - imMATERIALity
Issued by IIC AUSTRIA since more than 30 years, the Restauratorenblätter - Papers in Conservation are an open forum for professionals dealing with current topics related to the protection of cultural heritage.
The call for papers for volume 35 of Restauratorenblätter - Papers in Conservation is open. It is dedicated to the topic of "imMATERIALity". Unpublished contributions dealing with ongoing or completed projects are welcome. Conservators and restorers, experts for the preservation of monuments, heritage scientists, cultural scientists and professionals in related fields are invited to share their knowledge about the broad thematic focus of ‘material‘. This can include positions on information carried by materials, material language and literacy, immateriality, processuality or ephemeral works.
Abstracts containing starting point, central issue, main contents, methods and (expected) results in German and English (200-300 words) must be sent to redaktion@iic-austria.org by April 15th 2017.
More Information is available here.
Please send your abstract in German and English (not more than 200 words each language) to redaktion@iic-austria.org by 31st March 2017 at the latest. Subsequent steps are described in the author´s guidelines on the IIC webpage www.iic-austria.org.
With kind regards
IIC Austria
Dear Members,
we are happy to announce that the new issue "Restauratorenblätter - Papers in Conservation 34" is going to be published by the end of february 2017 and will be mailed to all members.
DONATION APPEAL
Dear Colleagues,
the Institute of Conservation from the University of Applied Arts Vienna led by Prof. Dr. Gabriela Krist, head of the Institute and former president of IIC-Austria, has worked closely with Nepalese people and the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust (KVPT) on the conservation and preservation of cultural heritage in Kathmandu since 2010.
Due to the devastating earthquake in the Kathmandu Valley in April 2015 we ask our members and benefactors to support the donation appeal of the Institute.
The consequences of this natural disaster are devastating – thousands of people lost their lives, even more were made homeless. Many monuments and important cultural heritage was destroyed and the reconstruction will take decades.
Also four colleagues from the KVPT and their families lost their houses in the earthquake. After living in tents and under tarpaulins for the first weeks they started building shelters with simple materials to protect themselves from the monsoon.
They have always warmly welcomed the Austrian team, so we are trying now to support them and are collecting money to help them rebuild their homes.
All donations will be directly delivered to Nepal in September 2016 at the latest and handed over to these families by the Institute. Already in September 2015 donations were handed over - there was great joy and gratitude. Please do not stop to donating money, your help is still greatly appreciated. After the working trip is before the working trip! Even the smallest donation helps!
Donation Account:
IBAN: AT08 1200 0512 6020 0213
BIC: BKAUATWW
Keyword: Patan (ID170111)
In the Museum Aktuell number 220, Paul-Berhard Eipper, president of IIC-Austria, gives information about IIC Austria and the relaunch of the Restauratorenblätter. The interview is available here (in German only).
