Being based in Scotland, I was pleased to be able to join the Conservation Uncovered: Investigation and Discovery in Treatment and Analysis conference online.
While unable to take part in the studio visits around London or the in-person teatime chats, I was very happy with how the conference operated online. Having the posters displayed onscreen during breaks with links to the PDFs for closer perusal was a particularly helpful feature, as was the amount of time set aside for online contributions during Q&A sessions.
What I enjoyed most about the conference was its variety in terms of scale, format, and focus. For example, Josep Grau-Bové’s Thursday keynote speech addressed how damage functions can be used to guide large-scale conservation management, while Gemma Mathieson’s paper detailed the use of hanji reinforcement strips in a Korean scroll conservation project. While one talk was on the macro level and one on the micro, both offered thought-provoking ways forward for conservators as a community, which I found to be an overriding theme of the conference.
As one would expect from the conference’s title, several papers showcased the use of innovative material analysis. I enjoyed Yungjin Shin’s examination and reconstruction of Codex Lippomanus’s plaquette binding in this respect, as it combined an examination of the original materials and techniques used by the fifteneeth-century bookbinder with a description of the challenges faced in recreating these methods. Other papers focused on analysis as it relates to logistics and decision- making, with an emphasis upon collaboration. Of these I was particularly impressed by the team from the Tate, whose talk on mounting contemporary Chinese paper cuts in double-sided frames was absolutely remarkable, as well as by Paola Fagnola’s presentation on a large-scale architectural drawing project which involved the training of non-conservator colleagues.
As well as full 20-minute papers there were ten-minute lightning talks dotted throughout the programme, which gave the opportunity for brief overviews of case studies and discrete pieces of research. As a book conservator I found Beckett Thornber’s overview of canvas bindings in an educational context particularly interesting, as well as Anna Freitag’s evaluation of ChatGPT as a research tool, with the limitations of its use tied to inconsistencies in conservation terminology.
A highlight of the conference for me was Theresa Zammit Lupi and Lena Krämer’s paper on their discovery of the world’s oldest known codex structure in the “Graz Mummy Book”. The reception of their news in the academic community resulted in a fascinating examination of what constitutes “scientific method”, and how our expertise as conservators is viewed and valued by other professions. This was complimented well by Cordelia Rogerson’s keynote address on the Friday, in which she observed that 95% of our knowledge is tacit, and inspiringly asserted that as conservators, our most sophisticated tools are our eyes and hands.
The conference provided me with both valuable practical tips and much food for thought, and I am grateful to the Book and Paper Group for funding my attendance.
Amy Baldwin