Rock Art Conservation Research Articles

Rock art conservation and management: the past, present and future options

The primary function of this review is to provide the reader with an overview of the issues that impinge on the conservation management of rock art sites around the world. Because of the author’s familiarity with Australian rock art sites, particularly those in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, the review is somewhat slanted towards Australian issues. The first section covers factors associated with the basic points of documentation, which includes the sites themselves as well as the images painted or engraved on the rock surfaces. Techniques range from the rudimentary methods of sketching and tracing to the use of photogrammetric, photographic, videographic and colourimetric methods of documenting both the nature of the surfaces and the way in which the images have been presented. The involvement of indigenous persons in all the areas of documentation and any subsequent intervention at the site or on the images is considered to be most important. Detailed discussion of the role of controlling visitor access indicates that this is a primary factor influencing the deterioration of rock art sites, whether they are in subterranean environments or in open shelters.Management of the natural factors of the impact of flora and fauna and human visitation at the sites are discussed and some simple and practical options for cost-effective management are provided. The importance of recording base-line information about the microclimate, in terms of the temperature and relative humidity, are frequently stressed. The roles of bacteria, lichens and moulds are reported, with some guidance as to how the relative importance of these forces of decay varies with the nature of the site. The next section contains a detailed discussion regarding the nature of the pigments that have been used in the execution of the paintings and how these minerals and other products have undergone changes. Not all natural ageing processes lead to the irreversible deterioration of the images. Examples of beneficial weathering are given as illustrations of the need to identify carefully the nature of the materials on the surface, in the substrate and in the immediate microenvironment before reaching any decisions as to the nature of the site. The impact of graffiti and the removal of the same is reviewed in the context of overall visitor and site management. The final section covers the primary role of water as the principal agent of decay of the painted surfaces. This can be in the form of direct dissolution of the rock substrate, erosion, salt efflorescence and the promotion of bacterial and algal activity. The concluding chapter offers some comments on the future directions in the management of rock art sites and the need for continuing research.

Ethics, politics and practices in rock art conservation

Weathering and deterioration of Norwegian rock art has become an increasing area of concern over the last decade, with subsequent increasing efforts towards conservation. This has brought questions onto the agenda regarding the ethics and politics involved in conservation theory and practice. It is argued that such issues have been difficult to debate due to the concept of conservation being regarded as a legal and moral ideal. Referring the situation in Norway to ongoing global debates and perspectives regarding rock art conservation enables us to reveal and discuss some of the fundamental and complex philosophical issues involved. Notions of authenticity which implicitly underlie attitudes to rock art conservation are questioned, and the relationship between ‘green’ politics and rock art conservation is also discussed. A tendency towards uniform solutions and avoidance of critical issues, seen as influenced by strong social-democratic political traditions in Scandinavia, is at odds with the growing realization that most approaches to rock art conservation inevitably have unforeseen and frequently undesired consequences. Rather than further segmenting ethics, politics or practices in rock art conservation, a self-critical and reflective approach is suggested whereby changing concepts of ethics and authenticity are continuously debated.Aucune loi ne pourra jamais préserver la sacralité d'un lieu … si ce n'est une loi morale, non écrite,adoptée et respectée par chaque individu, un véritable code personnel d'éthique.(Soleilhavoup, 1994: 14)

Rock art conservation and management: the past, present and future options

Rock art conservation and management: the past, present and future options

Building blocks and stepping stones: some key foundations in the development of rock art conservation in Australia

AbstractAustralia has come to be regarded as at the forefront internationally in the development of sound theoretical and technical approaches to the conservation of rock art, and in the way in which conservation is practiced here sensitive to the social context of a continuing, custodial indigenous community. This reputation has arisen in the last 20 years, as heritage managers, Aboriginal communities and academics have attempted to respond to the frequently voiced fears that we were on the brink of ‘losing’ the continent's rock art heritage. In 1980 and 1981, the Joint Academies Committee on the Protection of Prehistoric Places met to discuss national directions and priorities in rock art conservation. This paper looks at some of the key achievements arising from the Committee's recommendations which have formed crucial stepping stones to bring rock art conservation to where we stand now. In doing this, the paper specifically seeks to recognise the contribution of Andrée Rosenfeld and place in context the contribution she has made to rock art conservation, most prominently through her book: Rock art conservation in Australia. In revisiting this recent history, a number of priorities for future activity in rock art conservation become apparent.

Rock art conservation in the upper Lena basin, Siberia

The measures employed in a current Siberian rock art conservation project are briefly described; and preliminary results are examined. The future development of the project is considered, and specific noninterventionist methods are suggested in an effort to contain contamination of the rock art, and so to avoid the destruction of its remaining research potential. The main site among the series of sites being discussed has suffered extensive damage from rock art recorders, as well as intentional vandalism by residents of the district's villages. In view of the steepness of most of the sites, access modifications are considered to be the most effective measures of alleviating anthropic damage. A number of less serious threats can be mitigated by fairly simple measures of altering the conditions threatening the rock art. Such measures of minimal intervention are listed. Although the paper deals with a particular region, climate, demography and geology, the underlying management philosophy may be much more widely applicable.

Essai sur les techniques conjuguees en geosciences appliquees a la sauvegarde des grottes ornees

Abstract An in-depth knowledge of the threedimensional geological environment is an important factor in the conservation of rock art in caves because of the beneficial or harmful effects of thermal cycling, water transport, natural or induced tremors, air currents, as well as the presence of visitors. The intermittent or continuous measurement of these parameters, which may be disruptive, necessitates the perfection of specific indirect methods such as microgravimetric, seismic, or electrical prospection and infrared remote sensing. The application of these methods is always difficult in places where access may be limited.

Rock Art Recording and Conservation: A Call for International Effort

Rock Art Recording and Conservation: A Call for International Effort

THE ROLE OF ALGAE IN THE WEATHERING OF HAWKESBURY SANDSTONE : SOME IMPLICATIONS FOR ROCK ART CONSERVATION IN THE SYDNEY AREA

This report describes a preliminary study of the role of algae in the weathering of Hawkesbury Sandstone in the Sydney region. Microscopic examination of rock specimens indicates that algae penetration of the sandstone reaches depths of up to 1.5 mm and that this penetration takes place between grains and into the bonding material of the rock . This activity is particularly prevalent on surfaces which retain moisture after rain. Slope also appears to influence the density of algae colonisation and algae appear to be rare or absent on surfaces which are rapidly eroding. It is suggested that the activity of algae on sandstone may be sporadic and related, in part , to moisture levels in the substrate . It is concluded that algae may be an agent in the weathering of Hawkesbury Sandstone. The implications of the results of this research for the conservation of Aboriginal rock art on Hawkesbury Sandstone are noted.

The origins of art

The article below is based on an opening address delivered by Emmanuel Anati at a seminar, ‘The Origins of Art’, organized by him at the Centro Camuno di Studi Preistorici at Valcamonica, Italy, from 30 October to 2 November 1980. The seminar brought together prehistorians from many different countries, who discussed the most ancient forms of artistic creativity, raising questions about the nature of art itself, its psychology and biology and the relationships between art, ideology and religion. By the time this article is published another international meeting will have been organized by the author, from 31 August to 13 September 1981, in co-operation with Unesco, ICOM and ICOMOS (whose International Committee on Rock Art is in fact headed by him). At this international training seminar on rock art, participants will have studied the exploration, detection, dating, recording, analysis, evaluation, interpretation, conservation and cultural valorization of rock art. A higher degree of professional attainment on a world scale is imperative for the comprehension and protection of art forms that are among the oldest and most significant expressions of human creativity. The seminar aims, therefore, to provide training in the field, to promote standards of procedure and to lay the foundation for an international co-operation strategy to safeguard rock art. During the seminar participants will also have had the opportunity to attend an International Consultation of Specialists on the Study, Documentation and Conservation of Rock Art. Organized by Dr Anati on behalf of Unesco, with the participation of ICOM and ICOMOS, this meeting aims to define priority measures of international co-operation. The role of museums, a question on which Museum hopes to reflect current thinking in a future issue, will also have been discussed. In the meantime, we publish below an article about a French prehistoric site—Pincevent—open to scientists but, for want of resources, not yet sufficiently to less specialized visitors.

Deterioration and Conservation of Rock art at Selected Sites in Mexico

Deterioration and Conservation of Rock art at Selected Sites in Mexico