Challenges and Opportunities Created by Digital, Technical and Scientific Environments at the Getty Conservation Institute |
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The Getty Center in Los Angeles was designed by architect Richard Meier and opened in 1997. |
The communication specialists that we have hired to help us improve communications amongst our staff at the Getty Conservation Institute have told us that if one human being wishes to communicate something to another human being, 55% of the communication is by body language, 38% by voice and tone and 7% only by the written word.
In simple terms, one of the least effective communication tools between human beings is the written word. This brings out a first comment concerning digital environments: though e-mail has allowed each one of us to increase the number of communications between ourselves, it has also generated an incredible amount of misinterpretation of messages or intentions, frustrations and conflicts that require a great amount of time to correct or rectify.
Telephone conversations were a much more effective means of communication and face to face meetings will continue to be by far the most effective way of communicating among ourselves, be it in the academic, scientific or business world.
I will now use the written word to tell you about the Getty Conservation Institute and share with you some of the challenges and opportunities in the field of heritage conservation in the digital age.
The Getty Conservation Institute
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The East Building at the Getty Center houses the GCI, the Grant Program and the Leadership Institute. |
The Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) works internationally to advance the field of conservation through scientific research, field projects, education and training, and the dissemination of information in various media.
The mission of the Institute is to enhance and encourage the preservation and understanding of the visual arts in all of their dimensions - objects, collections, architecture, and sites - by addressing unanswered questions, demonstrating best conservation practice, and contributing to the development of sustainable conservation solutions.
The Getty Conservation Institute, a part of the J. Paul Getty Trust, began operation in 1985. Since its inception, the Institute has engaged in a program of scientific research, educational activities, documentation, and the dissemination of information through publications, conferences, workshops, and public programs that include research opportunities for professionals and public lectures. In addition, the Institute has conducted international field projects in Asia, Africa, North and South America, and Europe.
The Institute's endeavors are designed to serve the needs of the conservation profession by undertaking work that tackles broad practical or theoretical questions of significance to the conservation field. The Institute develops and refines tools for conservation and shares its expertise with institutions and organizations worldwide so that its efforts have the greatest possible benefit.
With this goal of service in mind - and building on years of experience - the GCI's activities continue to emphasize scientific research into the nature, decay, and treatment of materials; educational initiatives for the conservation professional; model field projects designed to advance conservation practice internationally; and the dissemination of information through both traditional publications and electronic means.
Over time, the staff of the GCI has developed expertise in a number
of areas. These include:
- preventive conservation monitoring and control of museum environments
- methodologies for the analysis of materials and their deterioration
- site management
- archaeological conservation
- earthen architecture and stone conservation
- conservation of wall paintings and mosaics in situ
- and the adaptation of technology for conservation purposes.
The work of the Institute is carried out through several groups: Science, Field Projects, Education, Dissemination and Research Resources. The Institute is housed at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, where other programs of the Getty Trust are located. Its facility at the Center includes scientific laboratories, programmatic and administrative offices, and a conservation information center.
In its activities, the GCI adheres to the principles that guide the work of the Getty Trust: service, philanthropy, teaching, and access.
The Digital Age
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The image shows technicians recording and maintaining ancient mosaics in Tunisia. Traditional techniques, low-tech and close contact with the original object is essential in the field of heritage conservation. The fundamental question of how to conserve and archive digital data has still not been answered in a satisfactory way for us. |
Since the GCI is essentially a research and development institution,
it did not escape the advent of the digital age. With current projects
and activities in more than twenty countries, the use of e-mail,
web sites, intranets sites, digital photography, digital video,
voice mail, desktop publishing, laptops, global telephones, GPS,
GIS, CAD, customized databases, on-line services, electronic publications,
scientific software, etc., are now more or less common practice.
The passage from a paper based world and a photographic film world
to a digital world is not without challenges and problems. In heritage
conservation, whether we are dealing with sites, buildings or objects,
the record of what we found, in what condition we found it and what
we did to preserve it for future generations is of paramount importance.
In many instances, the objects that we care for are so fragile,
and deteriorate so quickly that the record of their discovery becomes
the only proof of their existence and the only information that
will be passed on.
The fundamental question of how to conserve and archive digital data has still not been answered in a satisfactory way for us. Until it does, most professionals in the field of heritage conservation will continue to rely on proven and reliable medium: paper and film.
Furthermore, for specialists in heritage conservation, touching the original object, measuring it, feeling it, smelling it, and examining it are all of paramount importance for understanding it. A copy, replica or virtual reality image of a site, building or object will never be a substitute for the original. Substitutes may work very well or even better than the original for interpreting a site, building or object, but for studying it, there is nothing like the original.
Change
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Auto-samplers have increased the number of tests scientists can perform in a day's work. |
Arthur C. Clark, co-author with Stanley Kubrick of the script for the famous mid-60s film 2001: A Space Odyssey was interviewed many times of a variety of subjects. On the topic of "change" he pointed out that our parents had lived maybe a dozen major changes in their lifetime that affected or changed the way they lived. This included the invention of radio, car, telephone, penicillin, airplane, and television. We should live three to four hundred such major changes in our own lifetime such as jet engines, space travel, credit cards, heart transplants, nuclear fission, computers, genome, DNA, satellite communications, virtual reality, global cell phones, etc.
Clark predicted that the children of my children would have to deal a similar level of "change" every day of their lives! Therefore, change and adaptation to new ways and technologies is not expected to stall or reach a plateau, but to continue to increase at an exponential rate. And we will have to find ways to adapt to this change and integrate advances in technology in our daily lives and in our work. But how?
At the GCI, we have begun a program to initiate students to new science technology in conservation. Students from local universities come to spend 1 day per week in our laboratories. They work in collaboration with graduate interns who show them how to operate the equipment and understand the results of the various tests. The students get exposed to new technology that the universities cannot necessarily afford and they get to become better scientists. They get to talk with professionals and get a better understanding of why and when to use such technology. In this way, change is not considered to be a challenge, but becomes something interesting, fun, practical and useful.
New Ways & Technologies And Heritage Conservation
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GCI scientist Shin Maekawa on location at the Maya site of Joya de Céren in El Salvador. This device captures environmental information every 15 minutes and stores it digitally; it is then sent remotely to the GCI for processing. |
More science and technology is brought to heritage sites. Technology is becoming more and more transportable. It is now very common to see archaeologists, architects, engineers and conservators working with laptop computers in very remote areas. They record site conditions on digital plans or rectified digital photographs, prepare reports using word processors, connect to the Internet to download critical information from the archives or reach a colleague at the other end of the world.
It is now possible to produce a site plan with pretty good accuracy by simply walking on the site with a global positioning device (GPS) that sends a signal to global positioning satellites and records the location of significant points in 3D such as walls, roads, etc. on a hand held computer.
It is possible to scan entire buildings and sites in just a few hours or days and examine the results directly on site to ensure that they are accurate and correspond to the needs of the professionals.
Environmental data concerning relative humidity, temperature, sub-surface temperature and light intensity have been automatically recorded every 15 minutes during the past 4 years at the Maya site of Joya de Céren in El Salvador. All this data fits on one single CD and is used to graphically explain to non-scientist professionals what the environmental conditions are at the site and how they may affect its condition.
Satellite photographs are now commonly available and are great for understanding large areas and to produce working site plans for urban or archaeological sites. Furthermore, they don't require the permission of any national identity, so photographs can be taken of any site in the world provided that the clouds are not in the way. Three years ago, the cost of such satellite photographs was approximately $6,000. Last year the cost was down to $1,000 with accuracy 10 times better than previously.
The scientific tools to analyze the composition and the condition of materials on site are becoming smaller and smaller and their cost is also becoming evermore affordable.
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Microphadeometer determines the rate at which colors fades when exposed to light. The instrument was invented recently specifically for heritage scientists and conservators. |
All this will certainly help us to have a better knowledge of the materials and the condition of the sites, buildings or objects in our care and enable us to develop better remedies for their conservation. It will also help to increase communication among experts and educational institutions in our field.
In as much as science and technology have helped the medical world
to come up with better and more sophisticated cures and remedies,
it should also help the heritage conservation world to do the same.
But then, a human being is still a human being and needs to be treated
as such with care, dignity and affection. Our historic monuments
and sites are not simply physical objects. They reflect values,
traditions and beliefs and should also be treated with care, dignity
and affection. No amount of technology or digital data will ever
replace the hand of the professional or the craftsman that cares
for them.
Some Opportunities…
To acquire more and better knowledge of our heritage
- The use of digital satellite images enables us to better plan and understand large historic areas.
- GPS, GIS and CAD systems help us to store and manage information on the dimension and condition of our heritage.
To better interpret our history
- 3D virtual reality offers the potential to interpret various
stages of complex sites, buildings or objects without having to
change or destroy the original fabric and with full possibility
of reversibility.
- Augmented reality tools (special glasses hooked up to computerized 3D information) enable a visitor to walk through a site and "see" 3D reproductions of disappeared buildings being superimposed on the actual ruins.
To better educate
Virtual museums, remote teaching, E-learning offer the possibility
of reaching more people at a lesser cost than in the past.
- Information can be disseminated quickly and economically.
- More and better teaching tools are now available on line.
- The mountains of data accumulated by scientists can now be interpreted graphically by software and used to inform and educate heritage managers and conservation professionals
To develop standards
- Sound used to be recorded on tapes, words on paper and images on film; digitalization offers the opportunity to standardize all these formats to better capture the essence of living traditions and heritage.
To work more efficiently
- 15 years ago, China had no PC. Now they do. We can start sharing
information and data at a much higher level and at a much faster
rate.
- We can do more, and more quickly with our partners located anywhere in the world.
Some Challenges…
To ensure long-term preservation of documentation
- Documentation is essential for the understanding and caring of cultural heritage; the long term conservation and access to digital documentation is still a serious challenge.
To preserve traditions and know-how
- The understanding, use and transmission of traditions and traditional know-how in an increasingly global and digital world.
To encourage the study of the original
- Reading original plans, books, reports and studying the original object or fabric is critical in the understanding of heritage.
To adapt to change
- Adapting to rapid change in the digital and technological world while trying to maintain heritage values is particularly challenging in the conservation of buildings and cities and other living monuments.
To interpret mountains of data
- Ever more data and information means increasing difficulty and cost to digest manage and interpret this data.
To maintain diversity
- Cultural diversity contributes significantly to the richness of our world; how to maintain it in an environment that tends to blend and standardize everything will continue to be a challenge.
The field of heritage conservation definitely embraces new ways and technologies to help it do a better job. But it certainly understands that new ways and technologies will never replace traditional crafts, and the necessity to return to the original object in context. It cannot replace the personal touch of the heritage professionals and craftsmen to better understand, value and care for our heritage.
