Storage/archiving

[Biomorph]

I would be interested in an article on the storage of large assemblages and constructions. The logistics seem almost insurmountable. How do you safely dissassemble and transport the works; how do you record the works for eventual reconstruction; how [and where] do you store them safely; are "site specific" works intended to be destroyed when the site becomes unavailable; and, who is responsible for all of the above? Implicit in all this is the embarrassing question of cost. Whatever artistic value the work may [or may not] have, the reality may be that its preservation involves a substantial continuing cost. [How easy to put a traditional portrait bust in the cellar.] The destruction of a work, particularly when its true value remains an open question, is painful, but does the artist have the right to demand that society accept the burden of maintaining his efforts?

[anne (bxl)]

hi Biomorph!
Wouaww, there are so many questions for just one thread! All I can say is untill I'll become a wealthy artist I choosed to work table size pieces (my garage + my car size as a maximum :p ) that's the way I solved logistic and cost problems.

[ALH]

"...does the artist have the right to demand that society accept the burden of maintaining his efforts?"

You can demand whatever you want but the way our society is set up right now this is a matter of law. Given the long time frame suggested by your question I don't think any group could honestly promise to caretake a work indefinitely (due to turnover within all organizations if nothing else).

When creating a public work a contract will have to establish who is responsible for what - within the law. We are talking about moral rights here.

Hopefully that opinion (for what its worth) helps, also look at;


www.studiolo.org/CIP/VARA/Tacha/Tacha.htm

[RuBert]

In my own humble case, probably every transient sculptural construction from my first eight or so years of work is completely gone now - more than ten years later. However, the plausibility of saving some of that work is really difficult. Much of it was intended for the moment and situation, and not for posterity, other than images.

[Biomorph]

Thanks for the post. [I probably should have put this up for discussion, but I think there is an important issue here and would like to see a thoughtful treatment in the mag.] I am getting an impression of a recognition that much modern sculptural work is intended as a form of performance art that must be seen when performed but can be visually or schematically recorded for the archive, as in Christo's work. Maybe always obvious to all but me, but I find that I am uncomfortable when the intent is unclear, and I am faced with having to determine whether the given work is supposed to be evanescent or permanent. I can accept either happily, but admit that I would like to be told and I would like the artist to take a position, implicitly or explicitly, on the issue, because to demand permanence from what is actually performance can create a grotesque. Biomorph.