Using and analyzing the ‘behavior index’ tool to manage a conceptual artwork by Joseph Kosuth

  • Francisca Sousa Museu Berardo
DOI: https://doi.org/10.37558/gec.v19i1.988
Keywords: contemporary art conservation, variable media, behavior index, Joseph Kosuth, conceptual art

Abstract

This article intends to apply a conceptual tool denominated ‘behavior index’ (Stigter 2011) to manage the artwork One and three plants, 1965 by Joseph Kosuth. Analyzing a variable artwork’s ‘behavior’ through time and its different iterations, allows us to have a biographical perspective on it and enables a more accountable decision-making process for its preservation. Given the broad spectra of documentation created and archived whenever artworks with variable characteristics are installed, a systematic, simple and easily interpreted approach is needed. This tool enables institutions to encompass great amounts of information, often subjective, into a visible summary of the artwork’s biography. Applying this tool to One and three plants has allowed the definition of limits in its variability, reflecting upon its previous exhibitions and eventual future presentations, giving place to a critical analysis, essential for its preservation.

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Author Biography

Francisca Sousa, Museu Berardo

Mestre em Conservação e Restauro pela Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, estagiou no Museu do Chiado – Museu Nacional de Arte Contemporânea (2007), tendo como especialização a Conservação Preventiva e a Conservação e Restauro de arte contemporânea - vertente materiais poliméricos. Obteve o grau de mestre em Gestão de Coleções (2019). Exerceu funções de conservadora-restauradora na Ellipse Foundation - Contemporary Art Collection entre 2007 e 2011. É também membro do CEMES - Centro de Estudos Multidisciplinares Ernesto de Sousa e desde 2011 trabalha como registrar no Museu Coleção Berardo. As suas mais recentes pesquisas e formação incidem sobre ética em conservação e conservação de novos media.

References

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Published
2021-06-16
How to Cite
Sousa, F. (2021). Using and analyzing the ‘behavior index’ tool to manage a conceptual artwork by Joseph Kosuth. Ge-Conservacion, 19(1), 239-247. https://doi.org/10.37558/gec.v19i1.988
Issue
Vol. 19 (2021): Ge-conservación Nº19
Section
Suplemento
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