Performing Documentation in the Conservation of Contemporary

REVISTA DE HISTÓRIA /04DA ARTE PERFORMING DOCUMENTATION IN THE CONSERVATION OF CONTEMPORARY ART JOURNAL DIRECTORS (IHA/FCSH/UNL) Raquel Henriques da Silva Joana Cunha Leal Pedro Flor PUBLISHER Instituto de História da Arte EDITORS Lúcia Almeida Matos Rita Macedo Gunnar Heydenreich AUTHORS Teresa Azevedo | Alessandra Barbuto Liliana Coutinho | Annet Dekker | Gabriella Giannachi | Rebecca Gordon | Hélia Marçal Claudia Marchese | Irene Müller | Andreia Nogueira Julia Noordegraaf | Cristina Oliveira | Joanna Philips Rita Salis | Sanneke Stigter | Renée van de Vall 3 5 193 Vivian van Saaze | Glenn Wharton REVIEWERS Heitor Alvelos | Maria de Jesus Ávila EDITORIAL DOSSIER BOOK Marie-Aude Baronian | Helena Barranha Lúcia Almeida Matos REVIEWS Lydia Beerkens | Martha Buskirk Rita Macedo Alison Bracker | Laura Castro Gunnar Heydenreich Carlos Melo Ferreira | Joana Lia Ferreira Tina Fiske | Eva Fotiadi | Claudia Giannetti Amélie Giguère | Hanna Hölling | Ysbrand Hummelen Sherri Irvin | Iris Kapelouzou | Claudia Madeira Julia Noordegraff | Raquel Henriques da Silva Jill Sterrett | Ariane Noël de Tilly | Wouter Weijers Gaby Wijers | Glenn Wharton LANGUAGE EDITOR Alison Bracker DESIGN José Domingues (Undo) Cover Ângela Ferreira, Double-Sided, CAM-FCG, 1996-2009 View from the installation in the exhibition “Professores”, 2010 Photo: Paulo Costa Courtesy: CAM — FCG’s Photo Archive and Ângela Ferreira EDITORIAL erforming Documentation in the Conservation fluent transitions between practices of presentation, P of Contemporary Art is the title of the documentation, preservation and (re)interpretation international conference held in Lisbon, in June, of works of art. 2013. This issue of Revista de História da Arte offers By way of introduction to the diverse range of situations LÚCIA ALMEIDA MATOS updated and expanded versions of a selection of discussed in the publication, Renée van de Vall identifies, IHA, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa the papers presented in the conference, and a few in addition to the traditional paradigm of scientific Faculty of Fine Arts, Universidade do Porto additional contributions. The aim is to provide access conservation, the emerging “performance paradigm” and [email protected] RITA MACEDO to current research by exploring the many aspects “processual paradigm”. Given the nature of current art IHA, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, associated with documenting contemporary art practices and the evolving status of many works of art Van Universidade NOVA de Lisboa Department of Conservation and Restoration, and focusing on problematic issues identified and de Vall calls for a documentation practice that registers Faculty of Science and Technology, discussed by researchers from major institutions “doubts, disappointments, and the arguments pro and contra Universidade NOVA de Lisboa [email protected] in Europe and the USA whose mission is to particular decision” to enable ethically sound conservation GUNNAR HEYDENREICH collect, exhibit and disseminate knowledge about choices. Cologne Institute of Conservation Sciences/ Cologne University of Applied Sciences contemporary art. In Preserving the ephemeral Irene Müller addresses the [email protected] The variety of topics and issues addressed shows how problem of performance transmission and its relation to vast, complex and diversified the fields of theory and the archive, suggesting that losses and blind spots may be practice of documentation as a strategy for preserving opportunities that can add value to the artworks. Gabriella contemporary art are. It underlines the continuing need Giannachi enters the world of mixed reality performance for museums, collectors and universities to join resources introducing methodologies for documentation of the to make sure that future generations may experience and user’s experience of such works and analyzing the role understand our contemporary artistic expressions and of the produced documentation for museums. From the that what is documented and preserved is the “real thing”, curatorial project’s point of view, Liliana Coutinho addresses while making allowances for change, opening space for performance art documentation looking specifically at reinterpretation, ensuring the possibility of presentation the social and political dynamics associated to some of in different contexts, providing access and promoting these events. Finally, Vivian van Saaze discusses the role public participation in the process. of memory in the preservation of artworks that cannot be The organization of this publication presented a challenge documented by written or visual records. as most articles cover a variety of aspects and some could In Documentation in progress Andreia Nogueira and Hélia be included in more than one chapter. Coming from private Marçal examine the complexity of documenting connections collections, museums, archives, research and training between different artworks that are both autonomous and institutions, authors address common issues and illuminate part of ongoing projects. Teresa Azevedo charts an artist’s RHA 04 4 EDITORIAL – – quest to find the ideal format to present in a single space and the practice of their documentation. She builds a and moment a two-part installation work. Both articles persuasive argument for an improved structuring of the underline the need for museum collections with works acquisition processes. Joanna Phillips presents a new that are part of evolving projects to increase interaction, model for documentation of time-based media works that information exchange, and joint monitoring to prevent loss also considers decision making processes. The additional of meaning. Claudia Marchese and Rita Salis discuss the efforts to document these processes would allow a better challenges of documenting a private, rather than a public understanding of what determines different manifestations museum collection and stress the role of the collectors in the of artworks. And last but not least, Glenn Wharton reviews process. the current museum culture of documentation. As a result Reimagining documentation shows how continuously he argues that the activation of institutional archives emerging new forms of artistic expression challenge our by promoting public contributions in a form of crowd traditional documentation practices and call for more documentation would offer new directions for the ever imaginative strategies. Sanneke Stigter examines the process growing challenge of documenting contemporary works of documentation when the conservator takes the role of a of art. co-producer and reasons in favour of an autoethnographic This issue of Revista de Historia da Arte involved the approach. Julia Noordegraaf argues for a more radical joint efforts of many colleagues. We are most grateful to freedom of interpretation in the execution of time-based all authors who not only provided the rich content, but also media installations and emphasizes a shared responsibility demonstrated great patience in the editing process. We among all stakeholders for documenting and remembering thank the reviewers who thoughtfully read and commented these works. Based on an analysis of today’s network on all contributions. We would like to express our gratitude cultures and artistic open source strategies, Annet Dekker to Alison Bracker who provided an invaluable contribution proposes ‘processual’ conservation practices that consider to this publication with her experience in text editing and distribution and development. And finally, Cristina Oliveira her profound knowledge of the field. The publication was focuses on artworks that use living beings and explores made possible through the financial support provided by aspects of documentation far beyond our traditional views the Instituto de História da Arte (IHA) and the Network for and experiences. Conservation of Contemporary Art (NeCCAR). In Capturing, structuring, and accessing Rebecca Gordon explores the complex interrelation of layers of documentation in performance art and introduces the idea of the ‘meta-score’. From the museum perspective, Allessandra Barbuto discusses the elements of performances DOSSIER BY WAY OF DOCUMENTATION REIMAGINING INTRODUCTION IN PROGRESS DOCUMENTATION 07 32 65 103 133 158 DOCUMENTING DOCUMENTING THE CHALLENGES CO-PRODUCING SUDDENLY MUSEUMS AND DILEMMAS THE USER OF DOCUMENTING CONCEPTUAL ART: BUTTERFLIES! THEIR ROLE IN ON THE RELEVANCE EXPERIENCE FRANCISCO A CONSERVATOR’S DOCUMENTING PRESERVING, OF ETHICALLY THE CASES OF TROPA’S OEUVRE TESTIMONY LIFE THROUGH DOCUMENTING, AMBIGUOUS CASES BLAST THEORY’S VARIABILITY AND SANNEKE STIGTER MARTA DE AND ACQUIRING RENÉE VAN DE VALL RIDER SPOKE, TATE’S INTER‑ARTWORKS... MENEZES PERFORMANCE ARTMAPS, RAMM’S ANDREIA NOGUEIRA NATURE? ART GABRIELLA GIANNACHI HÉLIA MARÇAL CRISTINA BARROS OLIVEIRA ALESSANDRA BARBUTO 47 77 115 168 DOCUMENTING INSTANCES DOCUMENTING REPORTING PERFORMANCE OF DOUBLE- THE ANALOGUE ITERATIONS A OR ACTIVATING -SIDEDNESS ON PAST IN DOCUMENTATION SOCIAL DOCUMENTING MARIJKE VAN MODEL FOR RELATIONSHIPS? DOUBLE -SIDED WARMERDAM’S TIME-BASED PRESERVING LILIANA COUTINHO BY ÂNGELA FILM CAPTURING, MEDIA ART THE EPHEMERAL FERREIRA INSTALLATIONS STRUCTURING JOANNA PHILLIPS TERESA AZEVEDO JULIA NOORDEGRAAF AND ACCESSING 19 55 89 124 146 180 PERFORMANCE IN THE MEMORY SAVING: THE CHALLENGE DOCUMENTING PUBLIC ACCESS ART, ITS “DOCU- ABSENCE OF DOCUMENTING OF OPEN PERFORMANCE IN THE AGE OF MENTATION,” ITS DOCUMENTATION LA MARRANA... SOURCE FOR AND PERFORMING

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