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Living Matter: The Preservation of Biological Materials in Contemporary Art

Living Matter: The Preservation of Biological Materials in Contemporary Art
Library Shelf Location 13a.RIVE
Publication Date 13 Jun 2022
Description

This innovative volume is the first to address the conservation of contemporary art incorporating biological materials such as plants, foods, bodily fluids, or genetically engineered organisms.
 
Eggshells, flowers, onion peels, sponge cake, dried bread, breast milk, bacteria, living organisms—these are just a few of the biological materials that contemporary artists are using to make art. But how can works made from such perishable ingredients be preserved? And what logistical, ethical, and conceptual dilemmas might be posed by doing so?
 
Because they are prone to rapid decay, even complete disappearance, biological materials used in art pose a range of unique conservation challenges. This groundbreaking book probes the issues associated with displaying, collecting, and preserving these unique works of art. The twenty-four papers from the International Conference held in Mexico City, June 3-5, 2019 present a range of case studies, prominently featuring artists’ perspectives, as well as conceptual discussions, thereby affording a comprehensive and richly detailed overview of current thinking and practices on this topic. Living Matter is the first publication to explore broadly the role of biological materials in the creative process and present a variety of possible approaches to their preservation.

ISBN 9781606066874
Quantity 1
Pages 362
Editors Rachel Rivenc, Kendra Roth
Format Paperback
Publisher Getty Conservation Institute
Category Museum/Gallery Studies
Keywords Conservation, Contemporary Art, Plants, Foods, Organisms, Biological Materials
Language English

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