Preservation and Re-installation of Installation Art

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Installation Art Case Studies by the Spanish
ParticipantsCoordinator Museo Nacional Centro
de arte Reina SofiaPartners MACBA, Caixa,
IVAM, Guggenheim Bilbao Museum,
CAAC. Collaborator ARTIUM
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Reina Sofía (Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina
Sofía)

• Dennis Oppenheim
• Circle Puppets
• Circle puppets shows a very important problem
  with the TV sets and the videotape. The natural
  aging of electronic and magnetic components
  produces a loss of legibility of the video
  recorded image and, with no doubt, a loss of
  significance. What options can be considered in
  this situation? This process is unstoppable
  sooner or later there will be important damages
  on the artwork. Substitution of these elements
  (TV sets and video tape) is a very controversial
  option. Either the TV sets or the video recorded
  image should be substituted with all guaranties
  of authenticity. The same thing happens with the
  plastic cord and methacrylate elements, its aging
  indicates a loss of visual and mechanical
  properties that change the whole meaning of the
  artwork

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Reina Sofía (Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina
Sofía)

• Dennis Oppenheim
• Aging
• In Aging the problem is a different one. The wax
  puppets are supposed to melt down with the heat
  of the infrared lamps. This means there will be,
  some day, no wax to melt the artwork consumes
  itself as a natural consequence of its being. At
  this point the Intellectual property (of the
  artist) and the material property (of the museum)
  are in conflict. Dennis Oppenheim created the
  piece with this very purpose and the museum
  bought this artwork, either knowing its auto
  destructive nature. The museums main aim is to
  collect and preserve art pieces, but how to
  conserve a piece like this? Does the museum have
  to let the artwork melt down, completing its
  natural process and losing one of the pieces of
  its own collection, or it is possible to find a
  solution?

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Reina Sofía (Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina
Sofía)

From left to right Craig Gordon IT
Management Mikel Rotaeche Conservator-Restorer
Arianne Vanrell Conservator-Restorer
Coordinator Jorge Garcia Conservator-Restorer
Head of Restoration
Department
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MACBA (Fundació Museu dArt Contemporani de
Barcelona )

• Hans Haacke
• Eisbildung
• In Eisbildung the its auto destructive nature.
  The museums main aim is to collect and preserve
  art pieces, but how to conserve a piece like
  this? Does the museum have to let the artwork
  melt down, completing its natural process and
  losing one of the pieces of its own collection,
  or it is possible to find a solution?

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MACBA (Fundació Museu dArt Contemporani de
Barcelona )

• Hélio Oiticica
• CC3- Marylin Quasi Cinema (Block-Experiments in
  Cosmococa-Program in Progress)
• In Eisbildung the its auto destructive nature.
  The museums main aim is to collect and preserve
  art pieces, but how to conserve a piece like
  this? Does the museum have to let the artwork
  melt down, completing its natural process and
  losing one of the pieces of its own collection,
  or it is possible to find a solution?

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MACBA (Fundació Museu dArt Contemporani de
Barcelona )

• James Coleman
• La Tache Aveugle

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IVAM (Instituto Valenciana Arte Moderna)

• Gilberto Zorio
• Los Zorios

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IVAM (Instituto Valenciana Arte Moderna)
The Instituto Valenciano de Arte Modeno has an
important contemporary works collection,
representative of the valencian artists,
specially from Julio Gonzalez.
Maite Martinez Head of Restoration Department
Marta Arroyo
Cristina Mulinas
Ramón Escriba
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Fundación La Caixa Barcelona
Judith Barry Imagination, Dead
Imagine Objectives of this case study The main
structure of the work is made out of wood. After
having been installed so many times, the wooden
frames are starting to get deteriorated. The
structure and components of the work were
originally made in such a way that makes very
complicated and time consuming the installation
of the work. The electronic equipment of this
work has become obsolete. Objectives of this
case study Upgrading the recording support and
electronic equipment accordingly with the advance
of the technology, under the supervision of the
artist - Conversion of the wooden structure onto
a metal one (durability) and make it easier for
installation, under the supervision of the
artist - Good practice in installing the
converted structure We have done the interview
with the artist and the she agrees with these
objectives
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Fundación La Caixa Barcelona

• Rodney Graham
• Rheinmetall / Victoria 8
• Problems related with this work
• A film technician is required for the
  installation of the work and for consultation for
  the maintenance and preservation of the work.
• The projector and loop are considered part of the
  work -the loop has been manipulated by the
  artist-The film can not be projected by any other
  projector (maintenance and durability of the
  projector).
• Durability of the film (acetate)
• Safety in installing and in exhibition
•  
• Objectives of this case study
• Studying the possibilities for preservation of
  the projector and loop system, Good practice in
  installing, Good maintenance during exhibition

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Fundación La Caixa Barcelona

• Eulàlia Valldosera
• Flying
• Problems related with this work
• Great amount of diferent pieces for the
  projection of the diapositives
• Handmade pieces (long-term preservation)
•  
• Objectives of this case study
• Artist interview
• Good practice in installing
• Good maintenance during exhibition
• Preservation methods / suggestions for the
  handmade elements

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Fundación La Caixa Barcelona)

• Cildo Meireles
• Volátil (Volatile)
• Problems related with this work
• huge dimensions
• safety in installing and desinstallingin, and
  during exhibition
• adquisition of special materials
• storage of the materials
•  
• Objectives of this case study
• good practice in installaling,
• good maintanance during exhibition
• artist interview
• storage of the materials

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Fundación La Caixa Barcelona

• Rivane Neuenschwander
• Palabras Cruzadas
• Problems related with this work
• organic materials, high fraglity, long-term
  storage
• vandalism
• hand made pieces, exotic materials ( Brazilian
  specimen), difficult to replace in Europe
• Objectives of this case study
• good practice in installaling,
• good maintanace during exhibition
• artist interview
• long-term strategy for conservation

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Fundación La Caixa Barcelona

• Cecilia Illa
• Restorer of Fundación La Caixa Barcelona
• Fundación La Caixa Barcelona has a very
  interesting collection of contemporary art

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Guggenheim Bilbao Museum(Foundation Guggenheim)

• Jenny Holzer
• Title
• Problems related with this work
• Maintenance (ageing of the materials, obsolete
  systems, scarce brightness of the LED, mistakes
  with the connection and computerized components)
  Computer-programming
• Reappearance of mistakes after last
  intervention. Replacement of original elements
  and systems 
• Objectives of this case study
• Recopilation of information about the artist, her
  context and her work. Interviews.
• Creation of documentation (records and digital
  photographs, technical reports,
  computer-programming, e-mails, etc.)
• Record and archive of original and replaceable
  electronic systems and computerized elements.
  Record of the computer-programming
• Improvement of the finished (walls and roofs,
  stable, constant and homogeneous brightness of
  the LED, presentation of the coordinated and
  permanent text).
• Creation of procedures for mantenaince and
  cleaning
• Developtment of an specific and modern technology
  which replaces the current one, and guarantees
  the future of the work
• Regular checks in a spirit of continuous
  improvement.

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Guggenheim Bilbao Museum(Foundation Guggenheim)
Staff for this project
Contact at the GMB Silvia Lindner, Conservation
Department Tel [phone] Fax 34 94
4359061 E-mail slindner_at_guggenheim-bilbao.es
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CAAC (Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporaneo)

• Juan Carlos Robles
• Las Vegas
• Problems related with this work
• This site specific installation represents the
  aim, and the problems, of the CAAC to find the
  best exhibition model for its colecction,
  composed by a large number of artworks like this.
• The first problem they find is how to reinstall
  the piece inside their museum and how the public
  behave
•  
• Objectives of this case study
• Find the way to install site specific artworks
  inside museum galleries without changing the
  whole meaning of the piece and making an easy
  approach for the whole public.

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CAAC (Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporaneo)

• Ángela de la Cruz
• Larger than life
• Problems related with this work
• Oil and acrilic on canvas, site specific
  paainting, which transform and adapt to the space
  where it has to be.
•  
• Objectives of this case study
• Find the way to install site specific artworks
  inside museum galleries without changing the
  whole meaning of the piece.

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CAAC (Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporaneo)
Coordinator  Jose Carlos Roldán
Saborido. Curator-restorer 003495503708064 003467
7905902 josec.roldan_at_juntadeandalucia.es The
Building Old Cartujo Monastry (XV century )
founded by Sant Bruno de Hatenfaust. Trough the
centuries it has had a colourful history. Its
last function was like ceramic and biscuit
fabric Cerámica de La cartuja In 1992 the
whole building was restored for the International
Exhibition and from 1997 it become the CAAC.
The CAAC has a wide contemporary colecction,
with temporaru exhibitions and cultural and
artistic activities. www.caac.es
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ARTIUM(Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Vitoria)
Javier Perez Un pedazo de cielo
cristalizado Problems related with this
work Glass and metal sculpture Very fragile
elements Objectives of this case study Find the
way to install site specific artworks inside
museum galleries without changing the whole
meaning of the piece.
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ARTIUM(Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Vitoria)
One of the newest museums of spanish contemporary
art. Its collection is one of the largest on
vasque artists
From left to rigth Laura Fernández
Orgaz Art area subdirector Emilio Ruiz de
Arkaute. Chief of the Restoration service
DFA Olga Alfageme Alejos. Restorer Completing
the team Daniel Castillejo Alonso, Curator of
the ARTIUM collection Enrique Martínez
Goikoetxea Coordinator of the permannetnt
collection