Enduring image or fading image?

There is a simple starting point to art conservation. quot;Anything built from materials which never lived, such as a marble sculpture, can...

There is a simple starting point to art conservation. quot;Anything built from materials which never lived, such as a marble sculpture, can last for 1,000s of years. And art that is made of matter which was once alive, a painting on canvas, is susceptible to decay much earlier,quot; says the Lucknow-based Dr O P Agrawal, who is conducting an ongoing workshop on art conservation in the city. One of the satellite events of the The Enduring Image exhibition, bought in by the British Council, it has been organised by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage INTACH which has six art conservation laboratories around the country as a part of its effort to promote and preserve India8217;s heritage.

This workshop, which started on February 16, 1998, concentrates on what should be done to prevent a work of art from seeing the interiors of a laboratory. quot;Conservation is of two types: prevention and restoration. Five days is too little to go into art restoration which needs a laboratory at hand,quot; saysAgrawal. But the knowledge that the five senior INTACH officials will impart over the next few days will be invaluable to the treasures stored in museums all over Maharashtra. His wife Usha, who is director programs INTACH and is also conducting a part of the workshop, did a nationwide survey of museums. Her findings: quot;Hardly any museum takes even the most basic precautions. And this is more due to a lack of knowledge than enthusiasm,quot; she says.

Around 35 people are part of the workshop which includes museum curators, art students, conservators and artists. The workshop will cover prevention of damage from humidity, light, insects, fungus, fire and theft. The first rule to be followed is that no object should be kept on display continuously to avoid constant exposure to light. quot;But the storage conditions in Indian museums are so bad that this rule is stood on its head. Caretakers are careless with objects in storage as they are not on view. So it is better that the objects be on display!quot; says Agrawal.Once in storage, the objects should be wrapped up in cloth made of cotton rags and no dust should accumulate on the objects and around them. Also a card index, of all objects stored, would go a long way in preserving them. quot;If someone wants to see a particular work, then proper filing will allow the museum to take it out without disturbing anything else,quot; he says.

Damage from disaster can be minimised if museums are prepared beforehand. In case of fire, Agrawal advises smoke alarms. Fire-proof storage is not an option in India due to its high cost. quot;But if you use the right fire extinguisher, the hydrocarbon ones instead of foam or soda acid ones, then chemicals from extinguisher wouldn8217;t damage the works,quot; informs Agrawal. It is for this kind of information that Nivedita Mehta, curator of the F D Aiwalla Parsi Museum willingly paid the nominal Rs 300-fee. quot;I think I8217;ll pick up a lot about the new technology.quot;

Besides installing burglar alarms, museums also have to furnish proof in case of theft.quot;There have been cases when a museum has had no record of its collection and the recovered object was handed over to the accused thief by the court because the museum could not prove otherwise. I advise all museums to photograph and file every object. So, a curator can show the files to the court if need be,quot; says Agrawal. Besides talking about conservation in museums, the workshop will also veer towards what kind of paints and canvases artists should use so that their work lasts longer.

It is this mix of practical and technical knowledge which will make this workshop 8212; the first of its kind in Maharashtra 8212; a treasure house of experience for all its participants.