ACR Conference 2022: Dynamic Conservation

Laura Ratcliffe-Warren ACR

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St Levans Chapel is a Scheduled Monument sitting on a cliff edge in West Cornwall currently undergoing a dynamic period of loss as a result of climate change and coastal. Soon, parts of the site will no longer survive as the clifftop recedes. Traditionally seen as sites to preserve in perpetuity, limited resourcing and a changing coastline means coastal Sheduled Monuments are being lost or damaged now with increasing frequency. How and what do we try and preserve?

A unique opportunity to work on this site and undertake some rescue works before material is lost really highlights the precarious nature of some of this country’s heritage, which cannot always be kept forever. A great deal of the project revolved around the idea of managing decline, seizing the opportunity to find out as much as possible (preservation by record) and public engagement. Generously paid for by a grant from Historic England, the project was to be a case study for engaging with other sites in the region suffering from costal loss.

The end result was a unique and somewhat daring excavation on a crumbling cliff edge, which not only brought to light new details about an important site but highlighted the importance of communication and honest conversations about heritage loss.
 

Sarah Coggins ACR

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Part of my role as Conservation Engineer at the Mary Rose Trust involves working with colleagues across the maintenance and conservation teams to monitor our environmental control and investigate ways to reduce our energy usage. This then feeds into our overall company strategy to improve our environmental and financial sustainability. The hull of the Mary Rose is housed in a large room with temperature and humidity control and artefacts are displayed across the museum in temperature and humidity controlled environments provided by different systems . It is becoming widely recognised that the conservation profession now encompasses sustainability as the climate emergency is a significant issue facing the protection of cultural heritage. With the dramatic rise in energy prices in the UK, reducing the energy use of environmental control systems is currently a pressing problem for the survival of many museums. In my presentation I will describe how we have researched, approached and succeeded in reducing energy usage at the museum, and how sharing ideas and inspiration from the community of conservators working to increase sustainability has been vital to this success.

Lara Artemis ACR

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Change was inevitable when Lambeth Palace Library and the Church of England Record Centre would eventually amalgamate to create a larger archive and library in a new building, that would now be called the National Library and Archive for the Church of England. 

It was clear that the design of the new space would present as an opportunity for positive change, especially protection and access improvements to the collections; but also the overall wellbeing and development of teams. One area that has seen significant change is Collections Care, which has benefited from a new fit-for-purpose workspace; and a team structure that is slowly evolving to ensure it covers the range and depth of conservation and preservation actions going forward.  

This discussion will run through some of the ways we have managed as a team to adapt to changing workplace priorities between preparing to move, moving and post-move.

Marie Chappell ACR

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What do you do when the information given in good faith on a project isn’t quite accurate? Or one person’s version of a ‘bankers’ box’ is different to another’s? In early 2021 we assisted a client with a bid for a grant from The National Archives Covid-19 Archives Fund for the repackaging of deeds and digitisation of negatives relating to slum clearances from the 1960's to the 1980's. What arrived was very different. Nearly double the amount of deed packs, rife with mould and pest and water damage; definitely not what was expected. To succeed we worked with the client to refine the project brief on more than one occasion; with suppliers to get materials that worked for the project and budget and, most importantly, eachother to make the project a success. Along the way many lessons were learned about communications, project estimate revision and planning. This presentation will show how despite the challenges, projects which change during their course can be a success.

Nicola Walker ACR

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With war continuing to range in the Ukraine, a number of conservators, both students and those with extensive experience, and from varying disciplines, have sought sanctuary in the UK through the Homes for Ukraine Scheme. Fortunately, with support from UK based conservators, the majority within the private sector, most have found work which provides them with a degree of security and purpose, and enables expansion of their existing knowledge and skills. Alongside this, support has been forthcoming from the sector, especially via a small group of individuals with prior knowledge of the situation and infrastructure in their country by shipping materials and equipment to key conservation facilities in the Ukraine. This presentation gives an overview of the challenges met by sponsors, conservators and employers; the generous support provided by the conservation sector, including work in freelance studios and a major institution, training opportunities, networking and social events. While the media frequently dwell on negative stories, our hope here is that positive outcomes will be felt through the work being undertaken to support Ukrainian conservation colleagues during their time living in the UK, and on their return in dealing with the consequences of conflict on themselves and their cultural heritage.

Jill Plitnikas ACR

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At the start of 2017, I left the United Kingdom to become an Objects Conservator at the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI). One of my reasons for doing this was to contribute to reconciliation by working more closely with First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples of Canada. Since then, I have had a number of learning experiences related to this aspiration, including undertaking training, attending symposia, and most valuably, interacting with Indigenous clients and colleagues, which have significantly enhanced my professional practice. One area of change is communicating – more effectively and frequently – to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous owners, stakeholders, and heritage professionals about conservation, its role in balancing access and preservation, and its responsibilities to creators and users of cultural belongings. Within CCI, I am dedicating more time and energy to improving conservation resources for Indigenous peoples through the services that I deliver, as well as through internal initiatives focused on this goal. Lastly, I am trying to embed partnering with Indigenous peoples in conservation decision-making and activities into my practice and as a member of the Reconciliation Working Group (Canadian Association for the Conservation of Cultural Property), I am asking the same of my profession.