Magical thinking in conservation OR "It's okay he's a conservator" (humor)

[Dennis Piechota]

We pass our hands over objects and they change. Of course our hands hold swabs or scalpels but to non-conservators our work may seem magical:

The museum policy is everyone must wear gloves when handling museum objects. However if the conservator ever breaks that rule one will often hear, "It's okay he's a conservator."

A museum object is left in your lab for a light cleaning. Later, perhaps the next day, the museum worker who brought it in says, "Wow it looks so much better!" And you must decide whether to go with the awkward yet truthful, "Actually, I haven't treated it yet," or to simply say, "Thanks."

This regard for a conservator's work product benefits us uniquely; there is no similar attitude for that of our curatorial colleagues. It may explain in part why we are comfortable remaining at the periphery of the community of scholars. It maintains our mystique as the outside voice.

"Reiki consolidation, the preferred method of stabilizing incipient
cracking of low-fired ceramics exposed to building vibrations,
leaves no residue to confound future researchers,
can be performed in situ and, because it does nothing at all,
is completely reversible."

(Potter, H., Magic in Conservation, p. vii, forthcoming)

Dennis Piechota

​Reiki

 Conservator

Fiske Center for Archaeological Research
UMass Boston
Office: 617-287-6829

ALTCONS Group Admin

an Alternative Conservation Discussion