Companion Website for...
Artifacts in Use
The Paradox of Restoration
and the Conservation of Organs
Artifacts in Use is a new book about the conservation of functional objects. Pipe organs serve as a case study for looking into the broader questions of caring for historic objects that continue in use, especially those whose restoration often remains beyond the sphere of specialized conservators. The book describes the vulnerability of historical evidence during conventional restoration, and how it can be preserved during restorative conservation and subsequent use. The right to restore and use some historic artifacts is affirmed along with the obligation also to preserve their historical substance for future re-interpretation. The book examines the value some objects posess as historical "documents," and it analyzes the diverse values we each hold as users, conservators, restorers, and caretakers of the material past.
Artifacts in Use
explores the Paradox of Restoration whereby preservation-worthy historical
evidence tends to be inadvertently sacrificed during conventional
restoration. The restorative conservation approach assures that the
restoration of aesthetic and utilitarian qualities gives equal respect for
the evidentiary record of period craft and historical use. The best form of
restoration for many types of preservation-worthy functional objects depends
upon future collaborations between restorers who have been trained within a
craft tradition, and professional conservators.