School of Historical and Philosophical Studies - Research Publications
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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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ItemBuilding a legacy in contemporary art in Timor-Leste(Pulido & Nunes; ICOM-Committee for Conservation, 2014)Arte Moris is an artists' collective that was established in Dili after the destruction that resulted in the aftermath of the Popular Consultation. In 2012 a series of interviews were conducted with staff in Arts Moris. These interviews identified youth-oriented art programs as an effective framework for building cultural and educational product in a future Timor-Leste.
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ItemAuthentication in a legal framework: Methodologies that underscore art authentication in practice(International Council of Museums, 2014-09-14)The ideal of art authentication in practice stems not solely from a need to protect market interests, but from a need to protect the interests of artists and the integrity of their artistic legacies (Spencer 2004). This paper looks at the legal context for the methodologies that underscore art authentication in practice, and the legal framework that should preposition the gathering of evidence, external to a court proceeding. Essentially, it seeks to explore the question: Should the potential for litigious action bind the process of art authentication to a legal evidence-based framework? This paper is presented with regard to the investigations of the oeuvre of the contemporary Australian artist Howard Arkley (1951–1999), currently being undertaken as part of the author’s PhD thesis at the University of Melbourne, Australia.
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ItemIn-situ, non-invasive investigation of an outdoor wooden sculpture(International Council of Museums, 2014-09-14)This paper reports on the development of a radio- frequency sensor unit for the non-invasive monitoring of Bruce Armstrong’s outdoor wooden sculpture constructed from River Red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis). This technique collects realtime data in situ in outdoor environments. Sensor units employing electromagnetic radiation in the microwave to radio frequency part of the spectrum can detect moisture changes, mould growth and termite infestation in specimen Australian timbers used in works of art. Model experiments using wood samples showed that moisture changes,decay levels, invasion of wood by insects such as termites and wood deterioration due to fungal attack can be detected with both ‘look through’ and radar-based microwave sensors. The monitoring provided information on the time response, temporal and cyclic activity of an outdoor, exposed wooden sculpture to moisture. A radio-frequency sensor is applicable for the monitoring of cultural materials to inform damage functions and dose values.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableArtist oil paints in Thailand(International Council of Museums, 2014-09-14)The deterioration of artist paints and paintings in Thailand’s tropical climate is unique. This paper outlines the research and production of Pradit oil paints by Thailand’s Silpakorn University, which are manufactured in collaboration with artists, researchers, scientists and conservators. Following eight years of natural ageing in Thailand and three years in Melbourne, Australia, the paint films were technically and analytically examined to identify the oil paints more susceptible to the effects of climate. Lightfastness, solubility, crack patterns, contact angle and the real time response of oil paint films to moisture identified the more susceptible paints. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) with attenuated total reflectance (ATR) and synchrotron radiation FTIR microspectroscopy (SR-μFTIR) identified the signatures associated with chemical changes in the paint films. Given the harsh climatic conditions in tropical Thailand, the integrated study aims to provide artists with a wider range of painting choices and for materials scientists and conservators to approach preservation issues in the region from a proactive, informed position.
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ItemProxy Users, Use By Proxy: Mapping Forms of Intermediary Interaction(ACM, 2015-12-17)
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ItemRemembering the massacre, Remembering Nanjing: Inclusive Nationalism and the Challenge of the China Dream(Guoshiguan, 2015)The 1937 Nanjing Massacre holds a special place in public memory in China and plays an important role in the Communist Party’s national governance, regional relations, and relations with Chinese communities overseas, particularly in the United States. The national, regional and international dimensions of the Massacre are well recognized. Less well known are the local dimensions of efforts to Remember Nanjing, notably the efforts of local historians and archivists in Nanjing City to bring the Nanjing Massacre to public attention after three or four decades of national neglect. While certifying the scale and cruelty of Japanese brutality in the Nanjing Massacre, these local efforts illustrate an inclusive style of nationalism, embracing the history of the Republic of China on the mainland, and recognising Western and Christian influences in China’s modern history. This paper places local research and commemoration of the Massacre alongside efforts to restore the reputation of Nanjing City, as the capital of the Chinese Republic, and relates parallel developments in remembering the City and remembering the Massacre to evolving national frameworks for historical commemoration across three broad paradigms – the Revolutionary narrative (1949-78), the narrative of Opening and Reform (1979-2008), and the narrative of the China Dream of National Rejuvenation (2009-2038?). It concludes that the central government’s elevation of the Nanjing Massacre to a National Day of Mourning, in 2014, signals a significant achievement for local historians and yet highlights the challenges facing Nanjing’s inclusive style of history as Beijing shifts from an inclusive narrative of Opening and Reform to a relentlessly anti-Western framework associated with The China Dream of National Rejuvenation. `
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ItemNo Preview Available#funeral(Association of Internet Researchers, 2014)In this paper we highlight preliminary findings from a study at the intersection of Instagram use and funerary practices. This study analyses photographs tagged with “#funeral” and contributes to research into death and digital media by extending the focus from social networking sites such as Facebook to consider the photo-sharing application Instagram, and how different media platforms are connected with the physical event of funerals. By categorizing photos tagged with “#funeral” on Instagram we show how media architecture and use shapes a complex ecology of grieving practices, with distinct differences from practices that have coalesced around other social media platforms. We consider the collision of digital culture and traditional memorializing practices, and suggest the need for further work that attends to the variety of social media being mobilized in death, grieving and commemoration, as well as to the ways platforms become entwined with physical places and rituals.
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ItemIdentification of issues associated with finding polystyrene repairs on archaeological pottery(International Council of Museums, 2014)At the University of Melbourne, an adhesive iden- tification survey using FTIR-ATR spectroscopy of 146 repaired Cypriot pottery vessels revealed polystyrene on five artefacts. This unexpected polystyrene finding raised concern about why it was present and how it may have contributed to the current condition of the vessels it was associ- ated with. Comprehensive analysis and mapping of polystyrene distribution on a vessel composed of 30 pieces revealed the adhesive to be present on numerous sherd edges, consistent with it being used as an adhesive. A new set of solvent param- eters was established for reversing brittle unstable conjoins of an adhesive not previously discussed or considered in ceramics conservation. These findings demonstrate the importance of accurate adhesive identification in planning successful treat- ments and the value of using portable analytical equipment for identifying adhesives otherwise not detectable using standard visual and ultraviolet fluorescence examination methods.
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ItemA preliminary comparative technical analysis of earth-based pigments used by Aboriginal artists from the Kimberley region and other natural, synthetic or commercial sources(International Council of Museums, 2014)Developing non-destructive analytical methodologies for Indigenous Australian cultural heritage is of critical interest for art historians, curators, artists and conservators. Prompted by an observed increase in the number of Australian Aboriginal artworks with problematic provenance, highlighted in a ground-breaking authentication case, and technical questions raised by the need to treat flood damaged artworks, research was undertaken to determine the best methods for analysing ochrebased paints. As many Aboriginal paintings and artefacts are predominantly composed of earthbased pigments, samples of synthetic pigments and naturally occurring ochres were obtained from a range of commercial and geographic sources, including Australia’s East Kimberley region. A combined methodology based on particle induced xray emission (PIXE), Australian Synchrotron powder diffraction (AS-PD) and microscopy was developed to explore the ability of a complementary data set to differentiate between synthetic and natural earth-based pigments from Australian and overseas sources. In addition, such investigations will ultimately be used to generate a database of elemental, mineralogical and microscopy data with the aim of establishing provenance and informing conservation treatment approaches.