Co-Producing Conceptual Art: A Conservator’s Testimony

Abstract

Installing a conceptual artwork together with the artist may shift the role of the conservator to that of co-producer. This enforces a critical reflection on the notion of art conservation and the function of documentation. During the materialization of Jan Dibbets’ variable installation 'All shadows that occurred to me in…are marked with tape' (1969), valuable information was gained, but also constructed as part of the interview conducted while installing the work together. When documenting this participatory practice, a critical point arises because the dynamics on the floor turn static in documents, losing the context of time and place, action and reaction. By emphasising critical reflection in documentation, on both the dialogue with the artist and the mediation of the artwork’s physical form, adopting an autoethnographic approach, the artwork could be transmitted to the future by documentation in a more transparent way. I propose a "conservator’s testimony" to provide this transparency

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