Icon Conference 2022: Reaching Out for Recognition

C4W worked with a small group of participants supported by SMART experiencing complex mental health to explore concepts of care, protection and damage through the lens of how we look after objects. 5 in-person workshops were delivered before lockdown struck in March 2020, with 5 more plus 2 follow-up sessions held online. Using mental health archives, participants were introduced to basic conservation and preservation activities.
 
Evaluation led by art therapist Daisy Rubinstein explored how participants associated conservation techniques with other skilled processes they had encountered throughout their lives. The need for care-taking of historic objects was linked to the need to take care of one another, and heritage collections and archives evoked hidden, lost or salvaged material, somewhat in parallel with the internal, hidden or emerging unconscious. Wellbeing outcomes included improved mental stimulation, mood benefits, satisfaction with completing tasks, and the expansion of horizons. 
 
Participants described how feeling welcome in the LMA space and gaining access to the specialist knowledge within the project contributed to a broader sense of their own autonomy in learning and engaging with public resources. The findings suggest potential for innovative collaborations between conservation and mental health sectors. 
 
The presentation will describe the evolution, delivery and outcomes of the project from the perspectives of the different agencies involved. 

Conservation is typically a profession that hides behind the scenes, but for six weeks between October and December 2021, the painting conservation department at Royal Museums Greenwich undertook a Conservation in Action event in the Van de Velde Studio of the Queen’s House. The project involved the retouching of historic damage on Willem Van de Velde, The Younger’s masterpiece, A Royal Visit to the Fleet on the Thames Estuary, 1672, in the room that it is believed the work was likely originally painted and in front of the public. As part of the project, a group of young people from the Royal Borough of Greenwich were invited behind the scenes to take part in a series of workshops and mentoring sessions with conservation and curatorial staff. They produced a series of short films exploring the skills and knowledge required to care for and display a historical painting and revealed personal insights into connections they made with the painting and the conservation process. 

This presentation will explore the logistics of running a public conservation event, as well as how the treatment of this painting enabled us to collaborate with visitors and members of the community.

The City Palace Museum, Udaipur is situated in a 450 year old complex displaying the regal collection of the princely state of Mewar. The Museum aims at preserving this heritage and the setting up of a state-of-the-art conservation laboratory is part of this commitment. We believe that conservation should not be limited to the boundaries of the laboratory. It needs support from allies and connect with the people in order to safeguard the cultural heritage. Keeping this in mind, various initiatives have been taken by the Museum such as conducting training programmes for the staff treating them as equal stakeholders in saving our collective heritage and organizing an event ‘Behind the scenes’ for the youth which gave them an understanding of the Museum and related career options.

With a focus on innovating digital presence during the pandemic, a series of videos were shared for audiences at home to safely store and handle personal heritage while on the academic front, a conservation module was conducted virtually using walkthroughs and multimedia making the subject interesting and comprehensible.

Attempts have also been made to share Conservation insights with the Museum visitors through an interactive gallery and hands-on workshop.

All these efforts have been well received by the participants, helped to create an appreciation towards heritage and kindled an interest in the field of conservation

At a time of conflict and climate change, the need to recognise the value of conservation has never been more apparent, and the need to reach out more urgent. 

We now know that conservation plays an important role in the major social, environmental and cultural issues of our time. At the same time, it is wonderful to see young conservators reaching out beyond the white coat, to engage with communities in new ways, from supporting First Nations and others to give voice to unheard stories to engaging with the climate scientists and policy makers at COP 26.