The Conservation and Presentation of Mosaics: At What Cost?
Proceedings of the 12th ICCM Conference Sardinia, October 27–31, 2014
Editor: Jeanne Marie Teutonico, Leslie Friedman, Aïcha Ben Abed, and Roberto Nardi
Year: 2017
Publisher: Getty Publications
The 12th Conference of the International Committee for the Conservation of Mosaics, titled “Conservation and Presentation of Mosaics: At What Cost?,” was held in Sardinia in October 2014. As funding for the conservation of cultural heritage becomes more and more difficult to secure and as governmental budgets for heritage continue to be cut, it is timely that the ICCM dedicated this conference to the theme of cost. The term cost here, however, is meant not just in financial terms, but in a wider sense. In addition to the traditional costs of materials and expertise, there are costs associated with the conservation and presentation of mosaics that are intrinsic to conservation decision making. One must constantly weigh a complex set of variables that involve real financial constraints, the views of multiple stakeholders, from national authorities to local communities, and the significance of the object itself and its state of preservation. Costs can relate to issues as varied as the potential loss of authenticity and integrity, management and staffing concerns, and the impact of archaeological excavations, urban development, and tourism …