School of Historical and Philosophical Studies - Research Publications
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ItemA Polite Way to say ‘No’( 2018-10-24)Presentation to NZCCM 2018 Conference Living Heritage: Materials, Methods and Context: As is the case in most countries, much of Australia’s cultural record is not housed in large national institutions but in smaller organisations, often located in remote, regional or rural areas and with limited resources, and run by fe staff, or by volunteers. Most have limited access to conservation expertise. These organisations rely on accessible and practical advice in publications such as reCollections: Caring for Collections Across Australia (1998). Created as an initiative of the Heritage Collections Council in 1998 and supported by the Australian Federal Government reCollections has become an essential resource providing preventative conservation principles for Australian cultural organisations. The current program to update and create reCollections Online offers the opportunity to engage current users and the wider community in contributing to a more tailored preventative conservation resource. A partnership between Bathurst Regional Council, NSW Australia, and the Grimwade Centre at the University of Melbourne brings together conservators and conservation students with Bathurst museum and heritage professionals and volunteers. A recent study, which interviewed heritage professionals in Bathurst and sought their involvement in the revision of reCollections, revealed a content gap in the Acquisitions and Significance section of reCollections. This revision identified the need for practical advice to inform decision making at the initial point of acquisitions through to storage and display. The study also identified the need for professionals and volunteers to understand and assess personnel implications that might arise during or after the acquisition process.
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ItemConsidering Evidence in Art Fraud(Routledge - Taylor & Francis, 2016)Securing the evidential link between the work and the artist who is purported to have produced it requires a rigorous analytical approach; one that not only accepts particular evidence that may support the assertion of authenticity, but which can also contest evidence that is not correct. Such an approach is by its very nature multidisciplinary, often bringing together knowledge of art history, the art market, cultural materials conservation, chemistry, law and policing. What constitutes evidence of authenticity is generally based on considerations of provenance, art historical context, including facts about the artist and scientific enquiry. Building the chain of evidence for art authentication is a complex and carefully constructed activity that ensures that works can be legitimately, and verifiably, linked to the artist who is purported to be their source.
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ItemA Conservation Overview of Gaps in Traditional Trade Skills in Australia(Informa UK Limited, 2019-07-03)In 2003, the General Conference of UNESCO adopted the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage; recognising the important role traditional craftmanship has as a tangible manifestation of intangible heritage and highlighting the importance of the intergenerational transmission of knowledge and skills. Within this context, a Conservation Skills Gaps survey was conducted in 2016 that examined whether there was a current perceived skills gap relating to traditional trades; what difficulties might conservators have in accessing these trades; and, how such a skills gap might be addressed? This paper examines the results of this survey, reviews the 2000 AICCM Skills Gap Audit and the 2018 Heritage Skills Initiative Sector Analysis Survey that reported on the health of traditional trade skills in Australia, and discusses recent initiatives to revitalise rare trades. It also examines current work in developing opportunities to build intergenerational knowledge transfer, support specialist practitioners, and generate solutions to address skill gaps in traditional trades and conservation.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableConserving Australia's Cultural Record(University of Melbourne, 2019-09-23)At the Grimwade Centre, at the University of Melbourne ,Western disciplines like chemistry, physics, art history and archaeology help to analyse, understand, preserve and restore Australia’s cultural heritage. The conservation of Indigenous cultural heritage however requires knowledge that is very different to this. The partnership between The Warmun Art Centre and the Grimwade Centre enables the sharing of particular knowledge about Gija culture in ways that are Gija-led, it also shares important lessons about life in a remote Indigenous community and life at a university. Instigated by Gija Elders this partnership is enabling staff and students at the Grimwade Centre to learn from Gija people, and for Gija art workers to learn about conservation. It has shaped the way students at the Grimwade Centre are taught, and ensures that they are engaged in proper ways with knowledge, history, culture and lore that are instrumental in defining what it is to be Australian.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableThe Heritage Network and Conservation( 2017-09-13)Opening lecture at the launch of the Illuminate series at ISSE
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ItemPredicting the Past: A critical examination of current art history and conservation curricula.(AiA, 2016)This document is a critical analysis of the current status of art education in art history and art conservation as it relates to the concept of authenticity (as defined as “authorship”). It has been constructed by students and professionals from different specialities and continents. The headline problems, raised by current art history students, have been observed in several art history and conservation programmes by the Work Group, who suggest potential solutions. These are targeted at the Bachelors, Masters, and Doctoral levels.
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ItemIntroduction(University of Melbourne Library, 2016-12-01)This introduction outlines the content of the cultural collections at the University of Melbourne, and the importance of conservation in protecting these valuable resources.
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ItemBlood antiquities and the role of the Conservator(AICCM, 2016)Objects of great historical, cultural and financial value are being looted from sites of conflict and sold to finance wars and regional conflicts. These socalled 'blood antiquities' are being sold in the great centres of antiquities trading in Europe and around the world, but are they making it as far as Australia? And what ethical and legal obligations does an Australian conservator have if she should suspect she is dealing with an illegally looted object? I asked Professor Robyn Sloggett of the Grimwade Centre for the Conservation of Cultural Materials for her expert opinion on the issue.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableBuilding evidence for use in criminal cases – standard practice and methodologies: a case study in Australia(AiA, 2014-05-07)In criminal and civil investigations relating to art fraud, the question of how evidence is gathered is as relevant as the question of what is gathered. The sensitive nature of the evidence also means that often the sharing of information between professionals, such as curators, gallerists and art historians is minimal and restricted. Sometimes art historical accounts provided as evidence can be difficult to verify against properly referenced data, while the materials analysis data can be open to various interpretations. In addition, assertions of art fraud have been met with action for libel. As a result, the lack of an integrated analytical and investigative methodology can hamper investigation, making conviction difficult. As an interdisciplinary study conservation is seen to provide ‘objective’ scientific data that can explicate and verify propositions about the source or history of an artwork. Drawing on work undertaken at the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation (CCMC) this paper discusses the development of standards, methodologies and guidelines for data collection to strengthen prosecution procedures and meet the evidentiary requirements of the courts, and explains why conservation provides the critical and objective procedures useful in bringing forward a successful prosecution for art fraud.
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ItemAssessment of the effect of nitric oxide-based treatments on biofilm formation: A comparison with biocides used in paint formulations and the treatment of cultural heritage(Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 2013-10-22)Biocides are chemical substances used in the treatment of damaging biological growth. They are commonly added as ‘preservatives’ to paint formulations to prevent biofouling. They are also applied in the control of organisms responsible for the biodecay of cultural material. The demand for sustainable, low-toxic alternatives to conventional biocide use, requires a more sophisticated approach to biocidal systems (Denyer & Stewart 1998). We have investigated how the anti-bacterial properties of the free-radical molecule nitric oxide (NO•), when used in combination with commercial biocides, can enhance their efficacy.