The seminar ’Permanence in Contemporary Art – Checking Reality’ was held on the 3rd and 4th of November 2008, arranged by the Conservation Department at Statens Museum for Kunst in collaboration with The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen and supported by INCCA.
Videos of this seminar are available at:
http://www.smk.dk/smk.nsf/docs/037e7c2cc3ae1e21c125747a003ae704
Seminar announcement text:
The seminar, which will encourage interdisciplinary exchange between museum professionals including conservators, art historians, artists and others, will take place in conjunction with Reality Check, an exhibition at Statens Museum for Kunst, opening fall 2008. Reality Check will act as a thematic springboard for the seminar, addressing issues related to content, material, time, exhibition and context exemplified by works in the exhibition. The seminar will encourage participation and dialogue from within the greater Scandinavian region, as well as abroad.
With this seminar, Statens Museum for Kunst and The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, aim to contribute to the growing international professionalism and awareness associated with the preservation, installation, documentation and exhibition of contemporary artworks. The seminar will provide a forum for professionals working in the field to discuss crucial questions regarding authenticity, permanence/impermanence, artistic intent, reproducibility, and longevity of artworks – issues which illustrate the paradox into which contemporary art is situated, where the idea of preserving the ‘authentic’ original material is perhaps in distinct opposition to the original concept of the artwork or where conversely a literal acceptance of ideas of flux and instability inherent in certain works may compromise the existence of the original material object. Also the conservation and curatorial concerns relating to time based works and installations, which are especially challenging, will be addressed. To further illuminate these issues, selected prominent artists will be asked to give presentations at the seminar. The curator of the exhibition will offer a special viewing to the participants in the seminar.