16 October 2025, 9am to 5pm
The issue of legacy is central to the conservator-restorer’s work, both in terms of the legacy we inherit when commencing project and the legacy we seek to leave to future generations when that project is complete. Legacy can be both a poisoned-chalice or a source of huge personal pride and achievement.
Through a series of insightful presentations and thought-provoking discussions, we will explore the successes, dilemmas, and the evolving legacy of the conservation sector. Key topics will include:
The challenges of taking on a project where you have inherited chaos - navigating a lack of information, inadequate resources, or rescuing heritage after botched interventions with well-meaning amateurs. We will explore how conservators manage these issues and the result.
Carrying out treatments where the finished results surpass all expectations. We will explore 'transformation challenge' stories when dealing with unstable objects or when trialling a new treatment method.
When protecting an object or site for the future is only a part of the finished result, or the act of conserving and restoring adds additional value to society. We will explore when project's revitalize an area, have engaged a community or have been of deep symbolic or spiritual significance.
Whether welcome or problematic, we will explore how the conservation sector is changing and what this means for the next generation of conservators.