Proceedings of the International Conference of the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee for the Theory and the Philosophy of Conservation and Restoration
(23-27 April 2008, Vienna, Austria)
Conservation and Preservation:
Interactions between Theory and Practice. In memoriam Alois Riegl (1858-1905)

Edited by:
Michael S. Falser, Wilfried Lipp, Andrzej Tomaszewski
In collaboration with the Fondazione Romualdo Del Bianco, Florence, Italy in the context of the ethos Life Beyond Tourism
Under the honorary patronage of ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites)

The publication of this volume has been made possible by generous funding of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)
in the context of the Cluster Of Excellence 270/1 “Asia And Europe In Aglobal Context” Of Heidelberg University.
Editorial Work: Michael Falser

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Preface of ICOMOS Austria to the Vienna Conference
Wilfried Lipp – ICOMOS Austria
Michael S. Falser – ICOMOS Austria
Cluster of Excellence “Asia and Europe in a Global Context”, Heidelberg University

Theory and practice are often considered to be two different things and this shows in the controversy both sides engage in. The advocates of practice reproach the exponents of theory of being too theoretical and the theorists claim that practitioners do not have an understanding that encompasses the totality of the subject.
Numerous examples provide evidence of the tension between the seemingly different positions.
The arts make up one such field. For example, having ‘knowledge’ of art on the one hand and being able to ‘understand’ the ‘meaning’ of art on the other end up as contrary positions: these are occupied by the art connoisseur who is an intimate expert of works of art on the one side and the proponents of the ‘right attitude’, the access to experiencing the secrets of art on the other.
Conservation is – to a large extent – a mixed bundle of applied disciplines and seems to be therefore primarily a field of practice. In this context the long tradition of artists and restorers begins in the Renaissance with Raphael – acknowledged as the father of conservation – who was in charge of conserving antique structures in Rome. For hundreds of years it was practical experience which counted as one of the leading principles guiding restoration work.
However in the interpretation of art both the theory of restoration and that of conservation ask for the ‘right attitude’ when dealing with monuments and sites. It is a question of the meaning of restoration which comprises all the difficult perspectives of originality, authenticity, integrity, totality, fragment, retouch, cleaning, etc.
Thus in reality theory and practice do not exist in splendid isolation, but are rather connected to each other in many ways. Theoretical views influence and change practice; innovation and technical developments feed back into theory. Furthermore by acknowledging a multiplicity of practices, colourful variations resulting from the diversity of specific cultural traditions allow pluralistic methods to become a part of the repertoire of conservators. New perspectives are opened and by looking over the broad shoulders of theory and experience that the forefathers of modern conservation Alois Riegl, Georg Dehio and John Ruskin among others provide us, we can accept
the challenges of the future. Conservation and restoration theory and practice therefore are not rigid norms but evolve with time and differ across the world. And not to forget – both theory and practice depend on the prevailing social, political and eco nomic climate. Finding a balance between fundamental orientations and possible modifications is the challenge today.
ICOMOS responds to this challenge by its International Scientific Committees
(ISCS). The Theory Committee serves as the umbrella over the iscs by ensuring that the essential principles of conservation are preserved. The conference draws on the premise that theory and practice are not two separate entities and the link between the two indeed can become comprehensible through sharing experiences and engaging with the current debate on conservation.
The conference proceedings comprise of 20 contributions organised in four sections.
Session 1 Pillars of conservation – reflections on its European roots gives an overview over the major European theorists of conservation in the 19th and early 20th centuries in four countries: Viollet-le-Duc and the French theorists, Ruskin and the English Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, the German and Austrian theorists with Georg Dehio, Alois Riegl and Max Dvor?ák and the Italian School around
Cesare Brandi.
Session 2 Doctrinal texts in review – from European standards to global issues tries to set the main theorists discussed in session 1 in relation to the two early European doctrinaltexts of conservation/preservation that continue to be influential in a globalized
field today, the Athens Charter of 1931 and the Venice Charter of 1964, whereas two mother contributions critique these documents as Eurocentric and discuss the need to open this doctrinal approach to global concerns and transcultural positions: the Japanese Nara Document of Authenticity of 1994 and the Australian Burra Charter of 1999.
Session 3 Perspectives of the ICOMOS Scientific Committees comprises of different case studies, investigated under the aegis of the ICOMOS’ Scientific Committees, in which a theoretical background is grafted onto a practical and transcultural conservation approach: archaeology, vernacular heritage, cultural landscape management, modern/20th-century heritage and tourism management of cultural heritage sites.
Session 4 Conservation philosophy in today’s transcultural reality, the final session of the book, discusses actual problems and new global challenges to conservation in theory and transcultural practice: different interpretations of the concepts of authenticity and the construction of value in religious conflicts, community stakeholder communication and in times of the new medial phenomena such as reconstruction, simulation and virtual reality.
The conference was planned as a commemoration of Alois Riegl’s 150th birth anniversary in 2008 in Vienna. Alois Riegl opened the doors to the process of change in the theory and practice of conservation. This conference volume honours his work with contributions that offer fresh perspectives extending the work he initiated.
Special thanks go to the Paolo Del Bianco Foundation, Florence, Italy as a partner
of ICOMOS ISC Theory and to the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German
Research Foundation) in the context of the Cluster of Excellence 270/1 “Asia and Europe in a Global Context” of Heidelberg University for providing the funding for this publication.

Preface of the Fondazione Romualdo Del Bianco
Paolo Del Bianco – Presidente della Fondazione Romualdo Del Bianco

The Fondazione Romualdo Del Bianco, an institutional member of ICOMOS ISC Theory and Philosophy of Conservation and Restoration, is pleased to present the second volume of a collection of papers devoted to the theory of conservation and restoration.
The first volume, Values and Criteria in Heritage Conservation, published in 2008 and presented to the international community of conservators at the 20th ICOMOS General Assembly in Quebec, contained the proceedings of the ICOMOS ISC Theory International Conference, promoted by our Foundation in conjunction with ICOMOS and ICCROM in Florence in March 2007.
The present volume, Conservation and Preservation. Interactions between Theory and Practice, contains the proceedings of the ICOMOS ISC Theory conference, organized by the ICOMOS Austria National Committee in Vienna in April 2008 to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Alois Riegl. The conference was dedicated to the memory of this great founder of the theoretical basis of modern restoration.
We also are happy to announce that the third volume of the collection, the proceedings of the conference entitled The Image of Heritage: Changing Perception – Permanent Responsibilities, held in Florence in March 2009 in conjunction with ICCROM and ICOMOS, is also due to be published in the near future.
In taking charge of the publication of the ICOMOS ISC Theory’s annual international conference proceedings, our Foundation’s aim is to ensure that the international community of conservators has access to the most recent scholarship in the field of the theory and philosophy of restoration, thus helping to improve the protection of our shared cultural heritage. Scripta manent.

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