Challenging the Narrative: Conservation and Replication of Immersive Artworks.

The one-day symposium will address the possibilities, challenges and questions regarding the conservation and replication of immersive artworks, such as Environments.
The symposium co-organized by the Haus der Kunst and the Getty Conservation Institute will take place within the framework of the exhibition Inside Other Spaces. Environments by Women Artists 1956-1976, curated by Marina Pugliese and Andrea Lissoni, 8.9.23-10.3.24.

With Inside Other Spaces. Environments by Women Artists 1956-1976, Haus der Kunst presents an exhibition that addresses the replicability and conservation of Environments by women artists. Three-dimensional immersive artworks are situated at the threshold between art, architecture and design, creating and transforming space but also inviting the spectator to enter, engage and interact with them.
Over the years, Environments – defined as installations since the late-1970s – became a major feature in the international art world. Given the experimental and/or their site-specific nature, most Environments have been destroyed after display. Thus, their art historiography is characterized by a sense of loss and the materiality of these works is often unclear. For the exhibition at Haus der Kunst, the majority of the artworks have been reconstructed, following different approaches. Firstly, when the artists are alive, the replication process has been fine-tuned in accordance with their requirements. Secondly, for Environments that have never been reproduced before, the reconstruction involved thorough archival research, consulting an array of sources such as photographs, architectural plans, reviews, materials’ lists and providers’ invoices. Similarly, for those that have already been replicated or reproduced, the same process was run, cross checking their consistency with existing sources.
Still, both strands involve issues of accessibility, sustainability and knowledge transfer.
Hence, this symposium is seeking new narratives in the conservation, replication and reproduction of immersive artworks.
What are the challenges, benefits and obstacles of replicating immersive, large-scale artworks? How do such approaches to exhibition-making affect museums? How can knowledge transfer aid in the rebuilding of (lost) histories, in particular of women artists? Who benefits from research-driven conservation measures?
Haus der Kunst and the Getty Conservation Institute are inviting scholars, art historians, conservators and artists to discuss and reflect on the current status quo of reproduction and replication processes of immersive artworks within institutions. We seek case studies as well as theoretical contributions to discuss current and new perspectives that help museum professionals.

Please send title, abstract (of 200-250 words), institutional affiliation, and author/s bio to pfautschhausderkunst.de by September 10, 2023.