From historic automata to contemporary art using time-based media, artificial moving figures have been a subject of fascination across centuries, generating a legacy of objects now considered part of a wider cultural heritage.
The Institute of Conservation Dynamic Objects Group established this symposium to provide a perspective on the various challenges in the understanding, conservation, display and use of mechanical objects such as automata, robots, animated models or performing art pieces, and in the approach to the often overlapping technologies involved in their operation or ‘working’.
This day-long event will cover presentations of case studies that extend our view of what automata ‘are’, what their future and long-term care may involve, reflecting on how modern technologies may offer opportunities to better share understanding and preservation.
With a panel of speakers from a variety of conservation and academic backgrounds, discussing topics ranging from 18th century automata to contemporary art, each of the proposed sessions will lead us toward a thought-provoking final panel discussion.
The symposium will be followed on site and online by an evening event from our event partner, The Antiquarian Horological Society.
Separate booking is essential to attend this free AHS event
The Lunch break will include the Annual General Meeting of the Icon Dynaimc Objects Group.
Programme
10.00 Arrival and coffee
10:20 - 10:30 Welcome and opening remarks
10:30 - 11:45 Session 1
Chair Dr James Nye, AHS Chairman
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Rachel Wicaksono UK - University of East London Matthew Read UK - Clockmaker-conservator |
A cross disciplinary reflection on ‘what things are’ and how this question relates to our responsibilities as conservators of historic dynamic objects |
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Manon Abt UK - University College London |
Reconstructing the Senster: Preserving Authenticity in Cybernetic Automata |
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Raquel Racionero Núñez Emanuel Sterp Moga Alicia Sánchez Ortiz Spain - Faculty of Fine Arts, UCM, Madrid |
Recreating The Lost Functionality Of A 19th Century French Musical Box Using 3d Digital Technologies
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11:45 - 13:00 Lunch and AGM for the Dynamic Objects Group
13:00 - 14:15 Session 2
Chair Françoise Collanges, D.O.G. Group Chairwoman
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Jonathan Betts UK – Horological scholar |
The Waddesdon Elephant automaton : Forever, for Everyone |
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Christopher King UK - Tate |
Control Systems in Contemporary Art Work |
14 :15 - 14 :35 Break
14:35 - 15:25 Session 3
Chair Keith Scobie-Youngs, Icon ACR and AHS Trustee
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Tabea Rude Austria - Vienna Clock Museum |
A Shared Secret: Developing an Augmented Reality Escape Game for the Vienna Clock Museum |
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Marie Ducimetière Kristof Efferenn Germany - Museum Ludwig, Köln |
Restoring Motion: The Conservation of Andreas Siekmann’s Kinetic Artwork Die Exklusive – Zur Politik des ausgeschlossenen Vierten |
15:25 - 16:00 Panel discussion and closing remarks.
Chair Jonathan Ashley-Smith, researcher and writer
Speakers
Manon ABT
PhD student in the History of Art Department of UCL, conducting research on the preservation of early computer-based art (1960-1991) under the supervision of Prof Pip Laurenson.
Jonathan ASHLEY-SMITH (Chair - Panel discussion)
Researcher and writer in the field of cultural heritage risk. He worked as a metalwork conservator, analytical scientist and Head of Conservation at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) London. His recent work has highlighted his concerns about the decline in practical conservation skills and the unthinking rigidity of conservation ethics. His current obsession is ‘uncertainty’.
Jonathan BETTS MBE
Horological scholar and author.
Marie DUCIMETIÈRE
Independent contemporary art conservator-restorer and founder of Mains D’Oz (2023). With degrees in preventive conservation (2018) and conservation-restoration (2021), she has worked at Museum Ludwig in Köln, Lausanne’s Collection de l’Art Brut, and as a private conservator in France, Italy, Korea, and Switzerland.
Kristof EFFERENN
A trained Time-Based Media Conservator, working for the Museum Ludwig in Cologne Germany since 2019. After his Bachelor in Museums Science in 2013, Efferenn attended the master program of Conservation of New Media and Digital Information at the Stuttgart Academy of Art and Design.
Chris KING
Works as an assistant time-based media conservator at Tate where he often
focuses on the conservation of complex control system-based artworks. He has contributed to Tates Software-based Art Preservation Project and technical analysis of Tate’s Net Art commissions published as part of Reshaping the Collectible: When Artworks Live in the Museum. Chris has presented papers and delivered workshops at the AIC annual meeting and NACCA.
Raquel RACIONERO NÚÑEZ
Associate professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts UCM, Madrid, Spain.
Matthew READ
Clockmaker-conservator and YouTuber working primarily within the Museums and Heritage domain. Mathew curates the brand How to repair pendulum clocks that includes publications and free-to-access on-line content.
Tabea RUDE
Trained as a watchmaker in Germany followed by an MA in Clocks and Dynamic Objects Conservation at West Dean College, UK. After two years of self-employment in London, I joined the Vienna Clock Museum as a conservator in 2017. Since 2018, I have additionally taken on the curatorial responsibilities.
Alicia SÁNCHEZ ORTIZ
Professor, Faculty of Fine Arts, UCM, Madrid, Spain
Emanuel STERP MOGA
PhD Assistant, Faculty of Fine Arts, UCM, Madrid, Spain
Rachel WICAKSONO
Professor of Education, and Executive Dean of the School of Childhood and Social Care at the University of East London, UK. She is co-editor, with Christopher J. Hall, of ‘Ontologies of English: Conceptualizing the Language for Learning, Teaching, and Assessment’, 2020, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
