Name

Iris Kapelouzou

Affiliation(s)

Royal College of Art - London, UK

Supervisor(s)

Prof. Jonathan Ashley-Smith (Royal College of Art, RCA/V&A Conservation)

Prof. Nick Zangwill (Durham University, Philosophy)

Date of completion

February 2011

Key words

conservation theory, ethics, contemporary art problem, integration, systems approach, harm, do no harm, conceptual frame, identity, values, decision-making

Abstract

This thesis considers the role of conservation in response to the theoretical and ethical challenges posed by contemporary art phenomena. This is pursued through the investigation of various theoretical conceptions of artwork ontology, of artwork and heritage identities, and of the ways in which these articulate the concept of ‘harm’ and the principle ‘do-no-harm’ in conservation ethics. The thesis focuses on the harms that may be brought about to artworks by conservators by committing wrongs or injustices in decision-making processes due to the inadequacy of conservation’s conceptual frame for guiding decisions. The perceived complexity of emerging conservation challenges has led to a widespread recognition that traditional conservation ethics cannot be reconciled with the demands of contemporary art forms. Against this, it is argued that the conception of conservation as a system, and the suggested subsumption of key concepts defining the object of conservation and evaluating conservation practice under broader ones, provide an adequate conceptual frame. The new frame incorporates the particularities of both traditional and contemporary art phenomena, as a unified methodology for conservation decision-making.

How to access your dissertation

The dissertation should be available through the British Library and will be more widely available soon. For further information contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Previous education and/or work experience

Iris Kapelouzou (1979) completed her undergraduate studies in Athens, Greece, She obtained a BA in History of Art in 2003 from Deree College, and a BA in Conservation of Antiquities in 2004 from the Technological Education Institute of Athens. Her thesis was on the concept of ‘integrity’ and the resolution of value conflicts in conservation decision-making. In 2005 she obtained her MA in theory of modern art from University College London, UK, with a thesis entitled ‘Fugitive Readymades: Theoretical and Ethical Challenges in the Conservation of Modern Art’. She spent a year in Oxford reading in aesthetics and participating in applied ethics seminars. In 2007 she started her PhD research at the Royal College of Art in London, funded by the RCA and the Friends of the Victoria and Albert Museum, into the concept of harm and the do-no-harm principle in modern and contemporary art conservation. During her studies she has undertaken conservation internships at the Palaeolithic Cave Kalamakia and the Athens Acropolis; she has worked in an arts gallery assisting in the curation of exhibitions and she has taught conservation ethics to graduate and undergraduate students. She is currently volunteering at Tate Research and preparing publications from her dissertation.

Current position

Royal College of Art/Victoria and Albert Conservation

Tate Research volunteer for the ‘Lost Art’ project.

Contact details

Iris Kapelouzou (PhD)

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

URL: http://www.rca.ac.uk/Default.aspx?ContentID=502541&CategoryID=36647

The Royal College of Art

School of Humanities, RCA/V&A Conservation

London, SW7 2EU

T +44 797 904 7385