2012/09/01 by Katrina Windon · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · Earth and Planetary Sciences · Neuroscience · Engineering · #Conservation Techniques and Studies #Archaeological Research and Protection #Aesthetic Perception and Analysis #Documentation #Ephemeral key #Negotiation #Dignity #Work (physics) #Mandate #Aesthetics #Impermanence #Visual arts #Art #Sociology #Law #Public relations #Political science #History #Computer science #Engineering #Computer security
paper · doi:10.1086/668108
openalex publication_date 2012/09/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/04/21
Art, like anything else in the world, has always been impermanent, despite conservators’ attempts to give it permanence. Increasingly, however, modern art is embracing a more immediate impermanence, and this ephemeral art presents unique challenges to conservators and curators. Ethical and legal guidelines mandate a respect for the artist’s intention—the artist’s sanction—regarding the disposition of the work, so preservation of that work for future audiences must rely upon a more indirect form of preservation: the creation of documentary surrogates. These surrogates may be created by the artists themselves, by collecting institutions, or by third parties. They may be textual, audiovisual, or as materially three-dimensional as the original work itself. The documentation of ephemeral art must be tailored to the specific needs of the work, desires of the artist, constraints of the technology, and budgets of the holding institutions. The documentation process is one that should be begun at the point of acquisition, carefully planned, and carefully documented, so that future viewers may see, if not the work itself, a thorough record of it, and the sincere attempt to preserve the spirit of it.