dk nkf - Nordisk Konservatorforbund Danmark

and Museum Authority (ABM-utvikling) reporting
on conservation conditions for objects and archives.
Every visited museum received a report stating
the finds and possible solutions and suggestions
to remedy encountered problems. The Hedmark
County administration received a copy of these
individual reports plus a summarized conditions and
suggestion report for their use only. The Regional
Conservation Department considered this event a
good opportunity to contact the Klevfos Museum
administration anew for a meeting to discuss the
conclusions in this report.
The conservation survey points to some of the weak
aspects of the “Don’t change”-conservation strategy
of Klevfos. Deterioration does indeed not stop by
itself, but one can gradually get used to it, and when
this happens slowly, it is not always easy to recognise.
Moreover there are some corners of the site that
groups of visitors are not shown, but all the same the
museum has the obligation to take care of it.
The initial intension of making an industrial plant of
“yesterday” open to the public has become a difficult
task to maintain. Time has passed, problems arisen,
and a lot of questions now have to be answered. Time
in itself has not worked in a positive way, neither
for the preservation nor the interpretation of the
site. It is now high time to make a new conservation
strategy encompassing all aspects of the site.
Charter for the Industrial
Heritage
Where can we find help and inspiration to set up this
new strategy? Maybe in the Charter for Industrial
Heritage?
There exists a special Charter for Industrial Heritage
which also refers to the Venice Charter for Cultural
Heritage: It is called The Nizhny Tagil Charter for
the Industrial Heritage [4] from July 2003, and it
is endorsed by the Industrial Committee for the
Conservation of the Industrial Heritage (TICCIH).
It provides definitions of what is meant by Industrial
Heritage and gives it a value along the same lines as
more traditional historic sites.
In this Charter § 5 about Maintenance and Conservation,
part VI says: “Interventions should be reversible and
Figure 2. The Machine Hall 1995. Credit: Jan Haug/
Hedmarksmuseet photograph library.
have a minimal impact. Any unavoidable changes
should be documented and significant elements that are
removed should be recorded and stored safely. Many
industrial processes confer a patina that is integral to
the integrity and interest of the site.”
We must take into account what they call patina,
when we plan any remedial actions for Klevfos. But
what is patina? Is it a state of conservation where
nothing deteriorates, where no changes occur? Do
painted machines made of steel get a sort of patina
with time or do they get more corroded year after
year due to lack of maintenance? It is possible that
this charter is not concerned with the conservation
in detail in an Industrial Heritage Site.
Maybe the traditional museum way of thinking
offers better advice?
Good housekeeping in a Pulp
and Paper Mill
Industrial museums differ from ordinary museums
in many ways. The curator, who wanted to register
the Pulp and Paper Mill in the traditional way,
quickly gave in. How many numbers should a paper
machine get, one or one thousand? Where does it
start and where does it end? The museum decided
to try photo documentation instead and now have to
text each photo in detail to make it meaningful.
Maybe an industrial museum like Klevfos is more
akin to open air museums and traditional historic
houses? In England the National Trust in 2006
219