Instantiation, Actualization, and Absence: The Continuation and Safeguarding of Katie Paterson’s Future Library (2014–2114)

ABSTRACT

Over the last two decades, the conservation field has developed new frameworks for works that recur in multiple manifestations, such as many time-based media, installation, and performance artworks. Within these frameworks, authenticity is gauged primarily on a manifestation’s perceived compliance with the artist’s directives or specifications for the work. Such models have proven difficult to apply in practice when faced with artworks in protracted states of creation, that have an existence outside the walls of the collecting institution, and whose manifestations are dispersed and distributed in space and over time. This article examines how Future Library (2014–2114) – a century-long public artwork by the Scottish artist Katie Paterson – confounds the two-stage model of an artwork’s creation, and the conventional understanding of the artwork instantiated and made present in discrete, physical objects or events. Drawing upon Deleuze's philosophical writings, I characterize the varied ways in which an artwork or object of cultural heritage may be made present and may undergo change, while forever remaining partial, deferred, and absent. This article considers how the scope of what falls within the conservator’s gaze might be widened, and how an artwork’s conservation and creation might be understood as interdependent and concurrent acts of safeguarding and continuation.

RÉSUMÉ

Au cours des deux dernières décennies, le domaine de la conservation-restauration a développé de nouveaux cadres d'évaluation pour les œuvres qui se manifestent à plusieurs reprises, telles que de nombreuses œuvres temporelles, installations et performances. Au sein de ces cadres d'évaluation, l'authenticité est principalement évaluée à partir du respect apparent des directives de l'artiste ou du cahier des charges dans une manifestation de l'œuvre. De tels modèles se sont démontrés difficiles à appliquer en pratique lorsque confrontés à des œuvres en états prolongés de création, qui ont une existence en dehors des murs de l'institution muséale, et dont les manifestations se dispersent et se distribuent dans l'espace, avec le temps. Cet article examine comment Future Library (2014-2114), une œuvre publique centenaire par l'artiste écossaise Katie Paterson, confond le modèle à deux étapes de l'exécution et l'implémentation d'une œuvre, et la compréhension conventionnelle d'une œuvre instanciée et rendue présente à travers des objets physiques et distincts ou des évènements. En s'appuyant sur les écrits philosophiques de Deleuze, je caractérise différentes manières par lesquelles une œuvre ou un objet du patrimoine culturel peut être rendu présent et peut subir des changements, tout en restant perpétuellement partiel, reporté et absent, et considère ensuite comment le champ d'action du conservateur-restaurateur peut être élargi, et comment la conservation et la création d'une œuvre peuvent être comprises comme des actes interdépendants et concomitants de sauvegarde et de continuation. Traduit par Elsa Thyss.

RESUMO

Nas últimas duas décadas, o campo da conservação desenvolveu novas estruturas para trabalhos que se repetem em múltiplas manifestações, como muitas mídias baseadas no tempo, instalações e obras de arte performáticas. Dentro dessas estruturas, a autenticidade é avaliada principalmente pela conformidade percebida de uma manifestação com as diretivas ou especificações do artista para o trabalho. Tais modelos têm se mostrado difíceis de aplicar na prática quando confrontados com obras de arte em estados prolongados de criação, que têm uma existência fora dos limites físicos da instituição colecionadora, e cujas manifestações estão dispersas e distribuídas no espaço, ao longo do tempo. Este artigo examina como a Future Library (Biblioteca do Futuro) (2014-2114) - uma obra de arte pública de um século da artista escocesa Katie Paterson - confunde o modelo de duas etapas da execução e implementação de uma obra de arte e a compreensão convencional da obra de arte instanciada e tornada presente em objetos ou eventos físicos discretos. Baseando-me nos escritos filosóficos de Deleuze, caracterizo várias maneiras pelas quais uma obra de arte ou objeto de herança cultural pode se tornar presente e pode sofrer mudanças, permanecendo para sempre parcial, adiada e ausente, então considero como o escopo do que cai no olhar do conservador pode ser ampliado, e como a conservação e criação de uma obra de arte podem ser entendidas como atos interdependentes e simultâneos de salvaguarda e continuação. Traduzido por Beatriz Haspo.

RESUMEN

Durante las últimas dos décadas, el campo de la conservación ha desarrollado nuevos marcos de referencia para obras que se repiten en múltiples manifestaciones, como muchos medios basados ⁣⁣en el tiempo, instalaciones y obras de arte de performance. Dentro de estos marcos de referencia, la autenticidad se mide principalmente en la conformidad percibida de una manifestación con las directivas o especificaciones dadas por el artista para la obra. Tales modelos han resultado difíciles de aplicar en la práctica ante obras de arte en estados prolongados de creación, que tienen una existencia fuera de los muros de la institución que los ha coleccionado y cuyas manifestaciones se encuentran dispersas y distribuidas en el espacio, a lo largo del tiempo. Este artículo examina cómo Future Library (2014-2114), una obra de arte pública a lo largo de un siglo de la artista escocesa Katie Paterson, confunde el modelo de dos etapas de ejecución e implementación de una obra de arte y la comprensión convencional de la obra de arte en varias instancias y hecha presente en objetos o eventos físicos discretos. Basándome en los escritos filosóficos de Deleuze, yo caracterizo las diversas formas en que una obra de arte u objeto del patrimonio cultural puede hacerse presente y puede sufrir cambios, mientras permanece para siempre parcial, diferido y ausente, luego considero cómo el alcance de lo que cae dentro de la mirada del conservador podría ampliarse y cómo la conservación y la creación de una obra de arte podrían entenderse como actos interdependientes y concurrentes de salvaguardia y continuación. Traducción: Amparo Rueda.

KEYWORDS:

• Conservation theory
• contemporary art
• public art
• slow art
• processual art
• authenticity
• ontology
• instantiation

Acknowledgements

Future Library is commissioned and produced by Bjørvika Utvikling and managed by the Future Library Trust with the support of the City of Oslo, the Agency for Cultural Affairs, and the Agency for Urban Environment. I wish to extend special thanks to Katie Paterson, Anne Beate Hovind, and Kirsti Gulowsen for their enthusiastic support of this research and for taking part in the interviews conducted, as well as my anonymous peer reviewers for their thoughtful comments and feedback. This research was conducted within the Horizon 2020 ITN “New Approaches in the Conservation of Contemporary Art” (NACCA); I am particularly grateful to my doctoral thesis supervisors – Erma Hermens and Dominic Paterson – for their guidance, and to the entire NACCA network.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The notion of “score compliance” with respect to the authenticity of contemporary artworks is discussed explicitly by Renée van de Vall (2015b), although the term originates in Nelson Goodman’s Languages of Art (1968, 117; 186–187) and is not common parlance in conservation literature. This article considers the limits of what Julian Dodd has termed “score compliance authenticity” ([2012] 2015, 485) as applied to manifestations of contemporary artworks.

2 This understanding of authenticity is derived from the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems’ Reference Model for an Open Archival Information System (CCSD 2012), which defines authenticity as “The degree to which a person (or system) regards an object as what it is purported to be. Authenticity is judged on the basis of evidence” (CCSDS 2012, 9).

3 This is consonant with Amelia Jones’ (1997) discussion of the supplementarity of performance documentation, and Natalie Heinich’s comments on how – in the new paradigm of contemporary art – “the discourse on the work is part of the work” (2014, 36–37).

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the H2020 Marie Sklowdoska-Curie grant agreement No. 642892.

Notes on contributors

Brian Castriota

Brian Castriota is a conservator of time-based media, contemporary art, and archaeological materials. He completed graduate-level training in conservation at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University in 2014, and received a PhD in History of Art from the University of Glasgow in 2019. He is currently an Adjunct Lecturer at the Institute of Fine Arts where he teaches on subjects related to time-based media and contemporary art conservation. Since 2018 he has been working as a conservator for time-based media and contemporary art with the National Galleries Scotland and the Irish Museum of Modern Art. He also serves as Supervising Conservator with Harvard Art Museums' Archaeological Exploration of Sardis and has worked with the expedition since 2011. Prior to his doctoral studies he was a Samuel H. Kress Fellow in Time-Based Media Conservation at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and worked as a contract conservator for time-based media artworks at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. He currently holds the positions of Program Chair of AIC's Electronic Media Group, Assistant Coordinator of ICOM-CC's Theory, History, and Ethics of Conservation Working Group, and is a Committee Member of ICON's Contemporary Art Network. Email: [email protected].