Much of conservation science research is done to answer the questions: 'Will this process be safe for the artwork? Will it have long-term consequences for the artwork?'
However, conservation scientists also have to ask: 'Will this process be safe for the conservator? And safe for the other people in the studio? And for those who handle or examine the work ten years in the future? Sometimes we have to ask: Will this artwork endanger the art handlers when they are installing it for display, or moving it round Tate buildings? What about Tate security staff who spend all day in a gallery with the artwork? Or members of the public who come to see it?'
Most works at Tate are made of entirely harmless materials, and the replies will be: 'Safe? Yes' and 'Endanger anyone? No'. However, artists have always experimented with every material that has ever been made, and every natural material they can find. If the artwork is made from something unusual - such as dried blood, or fresh fruit or meat that is intended to rot during its time on display, these questions must be posed and answered by the conservation scientists. Likewise, if the artwork includes a poisonous substance such as mercury, or a sealed glass vessel with gas inside, they will apply their research skills and knowledge of materials to decide if there might be a danger to anyone, in any circumstances.
This involves making a risk assessment. If a hazard exists, conservation scientists give further thought to what the main danger is, what minor dangers there might also be, what would happen if an accident or a breakage occurred, how much of the potentially dangerous material is involved, and in what way it has been used. It is then possible to draw up a written assessment of how to reduce any risk to a low and acceptable level for everyone concerned: the artist and his/her assistants if they are creating a new work on site, Tate conservators and art handlers, security staff, and visitors of all ages.
The same scrutiny is also applied to existing and proposed conservation treatments, so that any hazardous materials or processes can be highlighted, and the whole process made acceptably safe. The safety assessment is then made available online to all Tate staff, and to any colleagues in other institutions who request it, in order to inform their own research and working practices with regard to health & safety.
Joyce Townsend, Senior Conservation Scientist, Conservation Health and Safety Rep
February 2007
