Icon's Modern Materials and Contemporary Art Groups in collaboration with UCL's Conservation of Contemporary Art and Media are hosting a conference on 31 March 2025, to explore practical challenges and solutions in the conservation of contemporary materials.
Icon’s Modern Materials and Contemporary Art Groups, in collaboration with UCL, are hosting a conference on 31 March 2025, focused on the practical challenges and solutions in the conservation of contemporary materials. The event invites conservators to submit papers exploring innovative solutions and real-world conservation techniques.
Icon’s Modern Materials and Contemporary Art Groups with UCL’s Conservation of Contemporary Art and Media are pleased to be hosting a one-day in-person conference that aims to bring together conservation specialisms to discuss the practical challenges brought by contemporary materials.
We are seeking contributions on a wide array of contemporary materials and conservation challenges. Topics can include, but are not limited to, synthetic textiles and dyes, novel coatings, kinetic objects, and time-based media art, to digital archiving techniques, and innovative problem-solving approaches (though plastics and treatment-related submissions are also welcome).
We only ask that the challenges or solutions feature techniques, lessons, or materials that conservators have learned from, or can apply to, their day-to-day work. In recognition of the wide-ranging theme, alongside traditional presentations and key-note speaker, we will also be hosting informal lightning talks to spark discussion and problem solving (there will be a second call for submissions for the lightning talks early next year).
Presentations will be 20-25 minutes and will need to be presented in person at UCL East, London. Some recordings will be made available after the proceedings, but speakers will be given the opportunity to opt out. We hope the in person nature of the conference will encourage open and non judgemental discussions of potentially sensitive topics.
Presentation topics may include:
Abstract submissions should include:
Please submit your abstracts as an email attachement (Word document or PDF) to [email protected]
Deadline for abstract submissions will be Thursday, 9 January 2025 at 17:00 BST
Abstracts will be reviewed by a selection committee, with decision emails sent to authors on Friday, 24 January.