18-22 September 2023: Valencia ICOM – CC – Triennial Meeting: A Report With Focus on Robert Smithson’s Land Artwork in Emmen (NL)
Under the title “Towards a Sustainable Past” over 900 delegates participated on the recent ICOM-CC meeting in Valencia. In parallel sessions 20 different working groups of the ICOM – Committee for Conservation shared in lectures, papers and posters their latest research, conservation treatments, education projects, newest ethical approaches and made future plans.
A team of 5 conservators represented SRAL, the conservation institute in Maastricht, chairing sessions and presenting their papers in both working groups ‘Paintings’, and ‘Modern materials and contemporary art – MMCA’. Paintings conservator Bascha Stabik triggered with her lecture: “Out of the Blue, into the future, on The Place of Stone (2018)” (a 22 pieces of wall elements installation – 13,5 meters wide) the old conservation discussion on Cesare Brandi’s ideas for retouching. Artist Asli Çavusoglu (1982, Istanbul) did not seek a traditional conservation, thus encouraged us as to act rather as collaborators to join in the ongoing story of the artworks life, and perform a different fill and retouch approach.
In the lecture “Eternal Life for Land Art” Lydia Beerkens co-presented a paper on Robert Smithson (USA, 1938–1973), who after his world famous Spiral Jetty (Utah 1970) made Broken Circle/Spiral Hill (1971) in Emmen (NL). Not (yet) protected as national heritage, this work may be in danger as the land – a former sand mine – in which it is situated, has recently been sold to a project developer, possibly aiming for a leisure parc. During 50 years it has been loved and cared for by a wide variety of people, from artists, museum directors, locals who love to swim and sunbathe there. Currently, the artwork is no longer publicly accessible and professional care and maintenance are lacking. Curators of Land Art Contemporary and the Holt/Smitson Foundation, as holder of the artworks’ copyright work together to draw attention to the importance and significance of this artwork for art history.
Together with Lydia Beerkens of SRAL and researcher Véronique Hoedemakers a cultural validation report has been written to help decision makers to make responsible choices for the future of the work. The results of this report were presented during the lecture and once more placed this urgent issue on the agendas of the city, the province and the national heritage agency RCE. With hundreds of historic memorials, archeological sites and even parcs on the national protection list, one more major artwork deserves to be added, stated the presenters of this paper. For further information, contact Lydia Beerkens.