Autoethnography as a New Approach in Conservation

This paper proposes autoethnography as a new approach for conservators. It allows for a process-based assessment that foregrounds the conservator’s personal input during conservation treatments and installation procedures. It addresses the cognitive processes that steer towards the desired result in a chain of micro-level decisions. Two examples relating to the work of conceptual artist Jan Dibbets illustrate the approach. One provides insight into the conservator’s deliberations during a conservation treatment, the other demonstrates the co-constructed nature of the artist interview as a negotiated text. These conservator’s testimonies include and enforce the reflexivity that is needed to remain critical, not only when managing complex artworks. The methodological approach of autoethnography enriches the conservation of cultural heritage in general.