[...]... another key feature of conservation professionals As Clavir has put it: The phrase conservation professional” is sometimes used instead of “conservator” as it includes conservation scientists, conservation administrators, and others who work in the discipline but who are not necessarily performing conservation treatment of cultural property (…) The conservation of historic objects and works of art has developed... essay deals with contemporary theory of conservation Perhaps the boldest thesis in the text is the very idea that a contemporary theory of conservation actually exists No one doubts that there are a number of schemes, ideas and opinions – of theories or fragments of theories that differ to a greater or lesser degree from previous ones: they can be found or detected in written texts of many kinds (congress... just performed by conservators The profession of conservation is not equivalent to the general activity of conservation: ‘conservators’ conservation is not equivalent to conservation in a general sense Conservation, in this broad sense, has diffuse boundaries, since it may involve many different fields with a direct impact on the conservation object The profession of the conservator, on the other hand,... also because they often have a useful, more direct view of conservation issues than non-conservators However, these managerial activities can only be considered to be actual conservation practice to the same extent that the management of a hospital can be considered to be actual medical practice Chap-01.qxd 3~9~04 12 9:33 Page 12 Contemporary theory of conservation The specificity of their knowledge... into the process of professionalization Conservation has its own codes of ethics (which are similar from country to country), its own training programs, a sense of duty to public service, and public acknowledgement of expertise In many countries the field of conservation has articulated criteria for accepting individuals into the profession These criteria include a common understanding of what constitutes... people from different professions are involved at many levels When speaking of conservation , the WCG and the AIC refer to quite different things Conservators’ conservation The intention of this book is to explain and revise the underpinnings of the kind of conservation that is mainly, but not exclusively, developed by conservators It is interesting to note that the notion of conservation- as-an-activity-dealing-with-culturallysignificant-objects... 18 Contemporary theory of conservation Throughout the twentieth century, goal-based definitions became more and more common, but fact-based definitions did not completely disappear Fact-based definitions can be viewed as the result of an excess of optimism, while goal-based definitions are a quiet acknowledgement of the limits of current conservation techniques, and thus, as a more mature view of the... the normal use of these notions Preservation often works because Chap-01.qxd 3~9~04 20 9:33 Page 20 Contemporary theory of conservation some qualities of the object are restored (strength, elasticity, chemical stability, etc.); thus, from a theoretical point of view, many preservation treatments should be understood as forms of restoration – but they are not For example, the reinforcement of a wall, the... building conservation only, but things get even worse when speaking about the broader field of ‘heritage’ conservation, where the use of terms is even less uniform The many possible meanings that can be attached to the basic notion of conservation are an important obstacle to any reflection regarding this topic, thus requiring some preliminary definitions of, at least, the basic category of conservation. .. What is conservation? 13 such as lawyers, accountants, engineers, firemen, etc populate the conservation area, although their fields of operation are not well defined; in fact, many of them are on the undefined, blurred boundaries of the conservation zone The medical comparison might again be helpful in understanding this relationship: the role of professional conservators within the general conservation . scientific conservation 65 The pursuit of truth in classical theories of conservation 65 Aestheticist theories 67 Scientific conservation 69 An observation on the role of architects in conservation theory. 171 Reasons for conservation 171 From the conservation of truths to the conservation of meanings 173 Expressive conservation 176 Functional and value-led conservation 177 8 Sustainable conservation. xi 1 What is conservation? 1 A brief history of conservation 1 Issues in the definition of conservation 7 Too many tasks 7 Too many objects 8 Too many professionals 9 Conservators’ conservation