VI European Registrars Conference 2008, Basel, Switzerland
Kathy Richmond

VI European Registrars Conference
Basel, Switzerland 9th / 10th / 11th November 2008

Report on the evening events and conference organisation,
by Eloise Stewart.

One ticket for the party plane to Basel please…..

The European Registrars conferences are not only a chance to discuss the hot topics in our Registrar world, but a brilliant opportunity to network, meet old friends but also put names to faces and forge new and useful contacts from across the globe.

The whole conference was superbly organized by the Swiss Registrars down to the last detail (we all marvelled over the fabulous tote bags!). This was my first opportunity to go to a European Registrars Conference and it was a great chance to absorb and exchange ideas in the formal and informal events laid on for us.

Registration and Buffet Reception, Schaulager, Basel, and
After Dinner Party at Kraft E.L.S. AG
(evening of Sunday 9th November)

On the Sunday night an excited throng of Registrars (is that the collective noun for ourselves?) gathered at Schaulager for registration and the opening reception in their immaculate loading bay (which with its pristine white walls and glass partitions was possibly the most beautiful loading bay I have ever seen!! I wouldn’t mind being stuck there at 2am - as long as there was always champagne and nibbles on offer!).

Schaulager is an incredibly interesting space that is home to the works in the collection of the Emanuel Hoffmann Foundation. Dispensing in part with traditional storage ideas the venue works on the concept of an open warehouse that provides the optimal storage and viewing conditions for the collection. We were lucky enough to be provided with a fascinating ‘behind-the-scenes’ tours throughout the evening.

Afterwards all the participants galloped on to another ‘warehouse’ party at Kraft E.L.S. nearby which hosted, with Dietl International Services, an after-party complete with lively band and bar.

Buffet Reception and Viewing of “The Magic of Things” Kunstmuseum Basel
(evening of Monday 10th November)

On the Monday evening everyone re-grouped for a reception at the Kunstmuseum Basel where we were could visit not only the main collection but also see their current exhibition ‘The Magic of Things’ which was packed full of gem-like still life paintings. Afterwards a large and merry contingent of Registrars and transport agents headed off to enjoy the delights of a popular jazz bar on the 31st floor of a tower block which gave us an incredible 360º view of Basel at night.

Cocktail Reception and Viewing of “Venice” Fondation Beyeler, Basel

The second & final conference day ended with an elegant evening of cocktails hosted and sponsored by the Fondation Beyeler. We were able to see their ‘Venice’ exhibition showing the cult destination depicted by artists ranging from Canaletto to Monet. The building and collection itself is astounding, designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano and holding works by modern masters such as Cézanne, Picasso and Rousseau to name but a few.

Report on the morning session, Monday 10th November 2008,
by Tricia Goddard.

Welcome address

Michael Koechlin, Head of Culture of the Canton of Basel City Education Department, welcomed delegates to the conference and highlighted in his address the topical concern of rising insurance costs for exhibition loans with particular reference to next year’s Van Gogh show at the Kunstmuseum, Basel, as well as the importance of collections management documentation in registrarial work as a whole.

“A Different Type of Space for Art”
Schaulager: A Different Space for Art
Theodora Vischer, Director, Schaulager, Münchenstein/Basel

Unlimited Accumulation? From Considerations of Preservation Principles to New Ways of Exhibiting
Catherine Duruel, Head of Collections, Centre Pompidou, Paris

The first two talks of the conference focused on approaches to collections access and display. Theodora Vischer, the Director of the Schaulager in Basel, gave a presentation about this very special and unusual building designed by architects Herzog & de Meuron which houses a collection developed from the holdings of the Emanuel Hoffmann Foundation. Schaulager is a warehouse for the open storage of contemporary art which is accessible to the public by appointment. It also has purpose-built exhibition spaces for installations of exceptional dimensions. It combines storage and exhibition spaces whilst providing optimum conditions for conservation and research.

Catherine Duruel, Head of Collections, Centre Pompidou explored the dilemma of making a museum such as the Pompidou and its holdings accessible to all whilst pursuing an active acquisitions programme and meeting conservation requirements for long-term preservation and security. She also mentioned a pilot project currently being developed by the Musée du Louvre to create a collective store for various museum collections in Paris which will be accessible to the public.

Panel discussion: Collectors and Museums – Towards a Better Partnership
Bice Curiger, Curator, Kunsthaus Zürich
Maria de Peverelli, Art Consultant, Zurich
Thomas Koerfer, Collector, Zurich

The last session of the morning took the form of a congenial discussion between a Swiss private lender, an art consultant and a curator from the Kunsthaus Zürich about the relationship between museums and private collectors. Reasons for lending such as accessibility, scholarship, promotion of one’s own collection, establishing a reputation and self-promotion were addressed from the perspective of both the collector, Thomas Koerfer and the museum curator. The presence of a registrar on the panel would have enabled important registrarial issues relating to loans from private collections to be addressed.

Report on the afternoon session, Monday 10th November 2008,
by Kathy Richmond.

New Museums in the Middle East: Issues and Opportunities

Dubai’s Aspiration to Become a Centre for Global Change, Michael Schindhelm, Director for Culture, Arts and Heritage, Dubai Culture and Arts Authority

Building the Future in Abu Dhabi: The Case of Saadiyat Island, Maria Paula Armelin, Registrar, Guggenheim Museum, New York

New Directions: The British Museum’s Loans and Travelling Exhibition Programme, Jill Maggs, Loans Manager, The British Museum, London

United in Diversity, Paul Williamson, Director Museums and Galleries, and Mark Hunt, Technical Manager, Constantine, London

Insuring Works of Art in the Emerging Markets in the Middle East, Robert Graham, Blackwall Green, London

Michael Schindhelm began the session by providing an interesting insight into the cultural and economic background of Dubai. The fact that 90 per cent of the people in Dubai are classed as being from the migrant sector gives an idea of the variation of cultures, and Michael illustrated the vast growth in population (from 59,000 inhabitants in 1958 to 1.6 million in 2008). Investment in the area has also grown (30 per cent of the world’s cranes are in Dubai at this present time). This growth has not necessarily involved town planning and now attention is turning to the need for preservation of the culture of Dubai. In particular, development is now being planned in the Khor Dubai (Dubai creek area), to include museums, galleries, theatres and other artistic and cultural centres with plans for bold new architecture to match the spirit of the project.

Jill Maggs spoke about the practical issues involved in bringing exhibitions to the area. She spoke of the British Museum’s ‘Word into Art’ exhibition which was shown in the Dubai International Exhibition Centre from February to April 2008. The exhibition consisted of 110 objects of contemporary calligraphic art (from across the Middle East) which comprised of a range of media (from sculpture to paper objects).

Alongside the normal issues of working in a non-traditional museum space, for example there was no suitable access and objects had to be lifted up stairs. There were environment specific issues, for example the lux levels were recorded at 3000 lux so special screens had to be used to bring them within a suitable range of 150 lux. Jill talked also about the shipping issues, with one shipment taking 5 days to clear customs. The overall impression was that exhibitions are now possible in Dubai (and Doha where the BM has also lent), but that logistical obstacles specific to the area do need to be carefully resolved in each case.

Paul Williamson and Mark Hunt gave a detailed breakdown of the logistical issues involved in shipping both to and within the United Arab Emirates. The experiences Constantine had regarding the resolution of these issues were generously imparted. Specific examples included the banning of heavy goods vehicles on roads between certain hours, the lack of health and safety restrictions on drivers, and the availability (or otherwise) of transport vehicles.

Issues concerning the climate were raised and tales of crates left on the airport tarmac, or dripping with water due to the sometimes 90 per cent relative humidity were told.

Advice on the airports was given – Dubai currently being the busiest, and this and others including Abu Dhabi allow tarmac access for supervision provided that advance warning is given. It was suggested that inviting customs officers to witness packing at the venue could often alleviate hold-ups and could by-pass x-ray requirements for cargo. The importance of local representation was stressed as a means of making logistics easier, as was the importance of building trust between all parties involved in exhibitions.

Robert Graham discussed the insurance implications of lending in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Generally the theft risk in the UAE is considered to be low, as there is no easily accessible market for stolen antiquities, there are strong border controls in place and there are very efficient police systems.

The biggest concern for insurers at present was the issue of transportation and handling experience available from the UAE and the issue of infrastructure to support exhibitions (for example whether there is back-up storage in the event of a disaster). For these reasons, Robert suggested that lenders should be looking to try to control the placement of insurance and terms to ensure that works are properly protected.

Report on the afternoon session, Monday 10th November 2008,
by Catherine Clement.

Preserving for the Future: Documentation and Storage of Museum Work

PEVIAR, a Digital Storage Solution for Long-Term Archiving
Rudolf Gschwind, Head of Imaging & Media Lab, Basel

PEVIAR is an acronym for Permanent Visual Archive.
There are three ongoing problems with archiving records in digital formats:

• media instability
• obsolescence of formats
• obsolescence of hardware

We all have a lack of capacity and yet an increasing need to store records. We need to continually migrate our records (to counter the above problems), or find a successful permanent medium. The only further alternative is to do nothing, and suffer the consequences.

To compare the life of records to the natural world, or cultural history: DNA has been successfully transmitted for 60m years; cuneiform tablets can still communicate their message after thousands of years. Both have successfully mutated/translated over time.

In terms of modern digital records, this mutation is represented by the development from physical media (eg punched paper tape), which need to be stable and long-lasting, to software (eg ASCII, TIFF, RTF files etc) via interfaces (eg cameras, scanners).

Commercial applications for digital storage include those for images and music. Storage of records of various forms may be vital for disaster mitigation. It is advised to use permanent storage in digital form for loan forms, certificates, digital art – but not for everything. You should discriminate between what is a day-to-day record, and what should be permanently archived.

Small and Large Scale: Digital Preservation in Museums and in ICOM-CIDOC
Stefan Rohde-Enslin, Head of Institute for Museum Research – SMB-PK, Berlin

There is great diversity between museums, and even within museums, as there is between individuals. Therefore ICOM-CIDOC cannot be too specific/prescriptive in its recommendations. CIDOC is a working group of ICOM, and has its own sub-groups, one of which works on digital preservation. This group consists of 15-20 people who meet twice at each annual ICOM-CIDOC conference. They currently make twelve recommendations, amongst which are:

• every museum with any kind of digital data must address issues of long-term preservation
• long-term preservation must be addressed at the point of creation
• long-term preservation needs time, money and equipment
• human resources are needed, and must be appropriately trained
• the number of file formats and storage media should be limited
• responsible persons must be nominated
• rights relating to data must be kept intact to guard against copyright problems
• try to find allies/co-partners in storage, to provide back-up copies in case of disaster

Report on the morning session, Tuesday 11th November 2008,
by Freda Matassa.

New Media Art: Collecting, Inventorying and Exhibiting New Media

The Preservation of Video Art: Collecting Data, Archiving, Lending, Agathe Jarczyk, Conservator, Videocompany Zofingen, Switzerland

Building-up a Permanent Collection of Audio-Visual Work, Elena Volpato, Curator Video Collection, Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna, Turin

New media covers a vast array of different materials and types of interactive and installation art. Sometimes you can see the art (holding a film still up to the light) and sometimes you can’t, but the one common factor is that it always needs a machine in order to view it. The machine, or media, is just the carrier of the “art” so it’s not possible to talk about an original.

There are many different types of copy of each piece – original, master, edit-master, archive, exhibition, preview copies and copies for sale.

Early video art had only one copy and was heavily used so most are in bad condition today. But it is possible to clean up an original and produce a better copy. Tape has to be checked regularly for debris and dust and for damage to the guide rolls. Magnetic tape can be distorted by being placed near other electrical material, chemicals or solvents or in too high heat or humidity. Tape not re-wound fully will keep an imprint of the place where the tape was stopped. Tape needs a long time to acclimatise to heat and humidity and has a life of 7-10 years depending on storage conditions.

DVDs have a longer life but are still subject to loss or damage due to lack of knowledge. If left with the sun shining on them, they will become unreadable in 2 days. Freshly copied discs are always the best quality. A label stuck onto the surface will distort the balance. Don’t write on the DVD with a pen containing solvents as it will cause permanent damage to the layers. Take care with storage and don’t keep in polypropylene or polyethylene sleeves.

There is an EU website for video installation art.

Ethical Issues in Museum Work: Laws, Controls and Procedures

Art Without Borders? Ethical Challenges for Museums, Jean-Frédéric Jauslin, Director, Federal Office of Culture, Bern

CITES and Museums: How do Endangered Species Regulations Affect the Work of a Registrar? Stephen Nash, CITES Secretariat, Geneva

Legal Immunity for Artworks for Temporary Loans to Switzerland, Benno Widmer, Head Specialized Body for the Transfer of Cultural Property, Federal Office of Culture, Bern

Swiss Indemnity

Culture has been placed at the federal level in Switzerland only since 2000 but is now high on the agenda with a series of new laws on cultural affairs. There is a new cultural promotion act which is looking at the following issues:

A. Should the federal government not only support projects but also contribute to museum operating costs? and
B. Should Switzerland create a federal indemnity?

The 2001 European Conference on Cultural Heritage & the Challenges of Globalisation encouraged culture ministers to create more cross-border loans and collaboration. Switzerland is encouraging more international exchanges. In addition, the importance of culture is enshrined in the Swiss Constitution as Article 21 states “The freedom of art is guaranteed”, and they have endorsed the Human Rights Act Article 48 on freedom of expression.

CITES

Cites is the UN convention on the international trade in endangered species of wild flora and fauna and has been ratified by 174 countries. Over 33,000 species are listed according to the danger level, for example, category 1 lists extreme danger of extinction and lists 500 animals and 300 plants.

“Trade” means import/export, and both commercial and non-commercial use and there are different rules and procedures depending on the type of material. New species are added all the time and the rules change frequently so it’s important to keep up with developments.

Documentation is generally required and should be obtained from the CITES representative in each country. It is not required by non-commercial institutions registered at their national CITES office. Specimens obtained before listing are called “pre-convention” and have no restrictions on movement but nevertheless require documentation to say they were pre-CITES.

CITES is a minimum standard and individual countries can have variations or stricter rules for specific species so it is important to keep up to date.

Swiss Immunity from Seizure

Switzerland introduced immunity from seizure legislation in 2005 following the Noga case where creditors of the Russian government seized works of art on loan to the Fondation Giannadda in Martigny. The Noga Company was granted judicial seizure for non-payment of a debt but under pressure from the Russian and Swiss governments, the works were finally released as it was decided that cultural property should be respected and not held ransom.

The Federal Act of Return Guarantee applies only to loans from countries which have ratified the 1970 UNESCO convention on cultural property. So far there have been 27 guarantees extended for over 400 objects and no claims. The object must be listed in the Federal Journal and the guarantee will not be issued if there is an objection.

Report on the afternoon session, Tuesday 11th November 2008,
by Gillian Smithson.

Panel Discussion: Museums and Living Artists - Potentially Clashing Interests?

Stephen Dunn, Registrar, National Gallery, London

Sabina Lang, Artist, Burgdorf

Luca Trevisani, Artist, Berlin

Fabienne Eggelhöfer, Curator, Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern

Luisa Mensi, Conservator, Turin

This complex and potentially divisive subject was sensitively handled by chair Stephen Dunn, who created a warm and relaxed atmosphere. Artist, Sabina Lang, one half of the Swiss duo Lang and Baumann, outlined their practice of creating portable installations which invite direct audience participation. Luca Trevisani, a Berlin-based Italian artist, described his work with ephemeral materials such as balloons and salt which naturally decay during their display period. Curator, Fabienne Eggelhöfer, described the challenges of displaying works consisting of live chickens, fish and bacteria, and Conservator, Luisa Mensi described how she enjoyed working with contemporary artists and the complexities of conserving novel materials.

The main areas of discussion were: planning, payment, ownership, group shows, and contracts. Within this supportive environment the panel and audience productively addressed the challenges facing all those involved in displaying works by living artists. Although the practical obstacles involving health and safety, public access and budget were familiar topics for registrars, the atmosphere of co-operation created in this session suggests that relationships between artists and galleries will thrive through openness and direct communication.

Gallery professionals and ‘Gatekeepers to Heaven’ all over the world will persist in their mission to keep showing exciting new works by emerging artists in a non commercial arena despite the obvious challenges.

Reports from Registrar groups throughout Europe and Concluding Session

Registrars groups reported back from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, Scandinavia, Netherlands, and America.

The venue for the next European Registrars Conference in 2010 was announced to be The Hague, The Netherlands.

Report on the afternoon session, Tuesday 11th November 2008,
by Anne Steinberg.

Panel Discussion: Museums and Living Artists - Potentially Clashing Interests?

Stephen Dunn, Registrar, National Gallery, London

Sabina Lang, Artist, Burgdorf

Luca Trevisani, Artist, Berlin

Fabienne Eggelhöfer, Curator, Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern

Luisa Mensi, Conservator, Turin

The organisers of the conference must be congratulated on finding two of the most Registrar-friendly artists in Europe! They stressed the importance of pre-exhibition site visits, detailed discussions of costs and expectations of both artist and venue, and both agreed on the importance of drawing loan contracts. 

Whilst many useful points were raised, ensuing questions or comments from the floor suggested that there were very many more useful experiences relating to the challenges of organising an exhibition with an artist and curator to be shared among fellow Registrars. It was a shame that there was not more opportunity for these to be heard.

As we Registrars are by profession problem-solvers, more exploration of this aspect of our job at the conference overall would have been most welcome. Whilst the conference as a whole was extremely varied, well-organised and informative, there was much comment over the canapés of the need for more opportunity for discussion and debate.

Reports from Registrar groups throughout Europe and Concluding Session

At the end of the afternoon, in the reports from the different European Registrars groups, the Spanish Registrars presented the results of the survey they carried after the 2006 conference. In the absence of any opportunity for general comment from the delegates on the final afternoon in Basel, it is to be hoped that there will be similar opportunity for feedback for the 2008 conference.

At the end of the day, the Netherlands were announced as the venue for the 2010 conference. The European conference will be twelve years old by then, and as it goes from strength to strength, I would appeal for an official call for papers from potential participants among the European Registrars’ community. This would help ensure that the conference reflects the enormous wealth of experience and knowledge available from amongst the ever-increasing numbers of Registrars how attending this most international of conferences.