dk nkf - Nordisk Konservatorforbund Danmark

to easily communicate their meaning to audiences
is a problem that has confronted many curators of
industrial collections [10]. Yet, this Ducretet inductor
coil stops people in their tracks and makes them ask
questions, it piques their curiosity and imagination.
The approach of NSM to maintain the ‘experience’
is bold and innovative; keeping the interests of the
object in mind while attempting to explore new ways
of understanding cultural heritage and its significance.
Impact and experience have been identified as
primary aspects of the inductor coil’s value. The
decision on treatment reflects these values. There
are other instances where impact and experience
of objects or places have influenced the way things
were conserved. The following section presents two
examples of very different types of objects, in one
case a building, where the conservation approach
was directly influenced by the experience the objects
provided audiences.
Comparison with other types of
cultural heritage
First, the monumental carillon clock by Isaac
Haberecht, displayed in the British Museum (figure
8). The approach to conservation chosen by The
British Museum in relation to this piece focused
on the aesthetic value and experience had when
viewing this object, yet it required a very different
conservation treatment than that chosen for the
inductor coil. In this instance, the technological
quality and artistic meaning behind the clock, is not
completely appreciated unless seen in motion. Every
hour it plays Vater Unser (‘Our Father’), written by
Martin Luther, as Christ and Death represented on
the first tier strike the hour. The other tiers represent
the four ages of man and the Madonna and child
followed by a procession of angels.
order and risks the eventual wear and deterioration of
the mechanisms involved.
In archaeology we also see issues arising about
changes in function and value. Few archaeological
ruins start out as deliberate monuments [11]; they have
a function for which they were built; for example to
provide protection and defence. However, over time
they have deteriorated and lost their original function
only to be attributed with new ones perhaps because
and in appreciation of the aesthetic value or the sense
of place they invoke.
One such example is Wigmore Castle (built c. 1068).
English Heritage spent one million pounds on a
conservation project for the castle in 1999 [12]. The
Unlike Ducretet’s inductor coil, the mechanical
function of the clock is necessary to achieve the full
impact of the object and what it represents. In this case
the original function is still intact, the artist intended
to combine our senses of sight and hearing to convey
a message about mortality and spirituality. For this
reason the museum maintains the clock in working Figure 7. Isaac Haberecht’s monumental carillon clock,
Stroudsburg (1583). On display at the British Museum.
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