Texts and Memories; excavating meaning, communicating values

This paper explores the nature of conservation as a discipline, and takes as a case study ideas informing the development of a book conservation foundation degree. I analyse the ways the curriculum builds upon an awareness that people from across the world value and use material in different ways. The paper explains several reflective projects that have been developed to explore ideas about the meaning, use and value of items and collections that encapsulate human knowledge and memory. Through engagement in these projects, students are learning the practical and specialist skills of the profession. The projects are shown to deepen understanding and commitment and encourage communication and life-long learning.

This paper indicates some of the ways in which the results of the previous pedagogic research can be used to develop questions that can inform the development of new learning programmes.

Eve Graves

Research Interests

Museology and Conservation, Human Values, Meaning and Material Culture, Intangible Heritage, Intercultural Communication, Pedagogy

Profile

Eve Graves studied philosophy at the University of York between 1967 - 1972, followed by a further two years of doctoral research at the University of Essex (1972-74). Her academic career spans over 30 years, during which she has held numerous teaching positions, ranging from Guest Lecturer (University of Essex 1974; Goldsmiths College, 1988; Byam Shaw School of Art, 1989; The Temenos Academy at The Prince of Wales Institute, 1997) to Course Director (BA History of Drawing & Printmaking, CCA, 1990-95), Theory Studies Co-ordinator (Historical and Cultural Studies for conservation courses, CCA, 1998 - 00) and Disability Representative (CCA, 1998 - present). She has recently completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Learning and Teaching in Art, Design and Communication (CLTAD, 2002) and in 2004, she further qualified with a PDAF Award, Supervising Postgraduate Research: Supervising research degrees for professionals in art, design and communication.

Current Research

My research brings together conservation and material culture studies. I am interested in the ways in which human values become embedded within cultural landscapes and materials and the ways in which these values are revealed and preserved. Working within conservation I am interested in the ways in which these values can be explored and communicated to inform conservation education and professional decision making and so benefit the public and the profession.

My research operates in three principal areas:

1.Text-based

Using conservation/museology/heritage publications (and job descriptions) to explore changing attitudes (overt and implied) to tangible and intangible heritage – to assess implications for conservation theory and the teaching of ethics.

2. Pedagogic Action Research with conservation students

A series of learning projects to explore student ideas about meanings and values and their preservation and communication.

3.MATAR - Materials and the Arts Research Centre

The compilation of a data base for materials/tools/processes that are seen as possessing cultural/spiritual values and thus impinge on conservation decision making."