What is Clean Enough?

Anna Henningsson arbetar med tillämpad forskning och rådgivning kring bevarande och teknik förkonst-och kulturhistoria. Hon är bl.a. författare tillVibrationers påverkan på arkitekturintegrerad konst i kulturhistoriska byggnadersom är resultatet av laboratorietestning av vibrationers påverkan på kulturhistoriska material (utgiven av Riksantikvarieämbetet 2017).Sedan flera år tillbaka ger Anna regelbundet föredrag som relaterar till kursens tema, vid konferenser i Europa ochUSA,samt inom utbildningen för antikvarier och konservatorer vid Göteborgs universitet. Hon har under flera år arbetat med besiktning av konst och byggnader inom infrastrukturprojekt samt även utrett vibrationsrelaterade risker inför ombyggnader av museimagasin och historiska byggnader. Anna Henningsson är utbildad inom konstteknologi och konservering vid UniversityofTechnology, Arts and Sciences, iKöln, samthar en masterexamen inom humaniora från UppsalaUniversitet.

Anna Henningsson

Do we know when an artwork is clean enough?
What is the essence of the words clean, dirt, and patina as related to artefacts and art in an architectural context? These and other questions concerning cleaning have a wide variety of answers depending on the context in which they are discussed. This workshop centres on the question: What is clean enough?
 
<DIV>•Why should images and cultural heritage artefacts be cleaned?</DIV>
<DIV>•Is the act of cleaning preservation – why or why not?</DIV>
<DIV>•What are the ethics of dust versus cleaning?</DIV>
<DIV>•What is the value of cleaning currently?</DIV>
<DIV>•Who determines what is clean enough?</DIV>
<DIV>•How is clean enough determined?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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The purpose of this workshop is to create a platform to discuss aspects of what cleaning means for the interpretation and experience of architecture-integrated art or artefacts in public spaces such as churches, castles or museums. Different professions and views will be brought together to experience the relationship between cleaning, ethics, conservation and knowledge related to architecture-integrated art. 
Background
The inspiration for the workshop series “Clean Enough” [Rent nog] arose following a seminar at the Forum for Ecclesiastical Cultural Heritage (FFKK) held at Uppsala University in February 2017. During the seminar, the ICOMOS publication <A HREF="http://www.icomos.se/sv/internationella-kommitteer/muralmaleri/" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Medieval Murals in the Church Attics of </A><A HREF="http://www.icomos.se/sv/internationella-kommitteer/muralmaleri/" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Östergötland</A><A HREF="http://www.icomos.se/sv/internationella-kommitteer/muralmaleri/" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">: Technical Art History, Reception History, Value </A>(2016) was presented, and a range of thoughts and questions about wall painting and cleaning were discussed. 
Art historians and scholars of visual history often return to the same images to study visual impressions and details. They have become concerned with a seemingly loss of fine detail and changes in color saturation, as the result of the cleaning of architecturally integrated artefacts in a number of churches during the last decades. Cleaning can thus affect the image/artefact and impact the visual expression in different ways, even when careful and conservation-led professional cleaning strategies are undertaken. However, custodians of architecture-integrated art in churches often argue that cleaning is important as a part of the use and maintenance of churches. 
Conservators point out that cleaning often brings to light hidden details in the art works, and that cleaning is seen as a way to return to the original - a ‘rediscovery of the past´. In contrast to this view, scholars in archaeology, ethnology, and material culture studies can see significance and potential in preserving the dirt, soot and dust of the past for the future. Sometimes visitors to historic buildings – tourists or worshipers – miss or mourn the uncleaned impression and its messages of patina following cleaning interventions. 
There are, therefore, many different ways in which cleaning can be interpreted, and how it consequently affects stakeholders, funding, perception and values. Through the use of dialogues on ethics and cleaning, different professions can contribute perspectives on what ‘clean enough’ means for art and cultural historical artefacts. A series of interdisciplinary workshops called "Clean Enough?" [Rent nog] was created based on these concepts.
The first workshop took place on 6. February 2018 at the University of Gothenburg, Department of Conservation (<A HREF="https://criticalheritagestudies.gu.se/svenska/aktuellt/e/?eventId=70136620123" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">about the workshop</A>).
Program
The day will be an interactive workshop. No fixed program will be sent out. The day will include a few  lectures, a round table discussion, a film and primary dialogues on site – together with artefacts in the churches. This will provide an excellent background and case studies for the day. The on-site dialogues will be conducted employing structured dialogues – the so-called Socratic Method. This is to investigate each other’s experience and opinions related to these questions, and to try to determine the essence behind the words and to discover the essential questions behind the concepts of cleaning, patina, dirt and preservation. 
The workshop will be conducted in Swedish and English. 
Location and time
The Uppsala workshop 5. October, 2018 starts at 9:00 and ends at 17:00. The sessions will take place in Uppsala Cathedral café, Uppsala Cathedral and Helga Trefaldighets Church (located in the same neighborhood of Uppsala).
Costs for coffee/tea and lunch
There is no registration fee; however, participants are obliged to register in advance. By registering, participants agree to preorder morning and afternoon coffee/tea and lunch from Uppsala <A HREF="https://www.svenskakyrkan.se/uppsala/katedralkafeet" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Cathedral Café</A>. Each participant pays for this the day of the workshop (cost approximately 240 SEK). 
Registration 
There are a limited number of spaces available. Registration is required. Registration deadline is 17. September. 
Contributors
William (Bill) Wei, senior conservation scientist, Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands 
Johan Eriksson, art historian, Uppsala University
Stavroula Golfomitsou, conservator, University of Gothenburg
Rickard Isaksson, antiquarian, Church of Sweden, Diocese of Stockholm 
Ida van der Lee, artist, Studio Ritual Art, Amsterdam
Cathrine Mellander Backman, architectural historian, Swedish National Heritage Board
Charlotta Hanner Nordstrand, art historian, University of Gothenburg
Stefan Holmgren, stone conservator, Stenkonservering Väst
Henrik Widmark, art historian, Uppsala University
Thomas Warscheid, microbiologist, LBW-Bioconsult, Bremen
Anna Henningsson, art historian/conservator, Disent AB
Kirsten Trampedach, wall painting conservator National Museum of Denmark 
Contact for questions:
<A HREF="mailto:charlotta.hanner.nordstrand@conservation.gu.se" TARGET="_blank" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">charlotta.hanner.nordstrand@conservation.gu.se</A> 
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