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'Every heritage intervention must have reversibility'
Oct 17/11
A month- long workshop on conservation and restoration is currently
underway at Fundacao Oriente towards better understanding of issues
concerning Conservation, Restoration and Cultural Heritage. Monica
Esteves Reis, 35, a researcher in the field of history with
specialization in Indo-Portuguese retable art provided inputs for the
50- odd heritage lovers, including priests, architects and engineers.
The month- long programme is scheduled to culminate in a day- long
Sensitization Workshop towards Conservation and Restoration in Cultural
Heritage with experts at Fundacao Oriente on October 20. Excerpts of the
interview:
What is retable art?
MER: This concerns painting, sculpture or combination of the two, rising
behind the altar in a church. Retable art is large and elaborate,
typically using carved and gilded wood, rising as high as 40 feet or
more. This is an ornamental panel behind an altar on which are placed
the crucifix, candlesticks, and other liturgical objects. The panel is
usually made of wood or stone, though sometimes of metal, and is
decorated with paintings, statues or mosaics of a painting.
What were the topics discussed at the workshop?
MER: This was not a technical workshop; rather it is aimed at
sensitizing those involved. Two broad issues discussed were problems
heritage lovers faced in terms of Restoration and Conservation. Can you
believe that though Goa has so many churches, the seminarians have no
subject on Restoration and Conservation? They ought to have some
knowledge of national and international legislations which can help
restore heritage. These legislation are not related to churches alone,
rather all forms of heritage including intangible ones like dance forms,
craft etc.
What ails conservation in Goa?
MER: This is debatable and there are no easy answers. People here use
the word Renovation for Conservation, which isn’t. Renovation can’t be
considered as heritage- friendly. It is vital to use the correct words,
since it will help reconnect with our heritage. Every heritage structure
has to be looked upon separately. We cannot have gilded retable in a
church which was built recently. This would not be correct because
retable art was of a certain period. One ought to be careful of
materials used in restoration because it has to be necessarily
reversible. If the intervention is irreversible, it could have a damning
effect eventually. Every intervention will affect the object.
Some house owners tend to build modern houses with Gothic or some other
archaic art because it looks attractive.
MER: Everyone is entitled to choose what he wants and build as he wants,
provided it’s according to law.
One of the oft heard concerns is the cost factor in maintaining heritage
structures. Is there a definite answer for this unending problem?
MER: I have often faced this issue, particularly during my research
period in 2007 in Daman, Diu and Silvassa. By 2009, I began research in
Goa where I visited almost all churches, chapels, monasteries, convents
and made an inventory of over 900 retables and 145 pulpits. During my
sojourn, this query cropped up umpteen times. Wanting to do good, local
communities end up delivering a conservation project of their church to
the less expensive artiste, or a team. This economic view of
conservation/ restoration is damaging and in great part responsible for
destroying irreversibly the intent to restore heritage. There are some
bad decisions taken in many restoration- conservation cases.
One way is to have an effective cyclical maintainence of structures,
resorting to pre- monsoon check, adopt preventive measures such as
roofing, piping, checking the beams, treatment with anti- termite. The
cost of maintenance can thus be reduced because timely maintainence and
checks can cut down on heavy expenditures. These checks can be done on a
weekly, monthly and even as per a programme. This would be regarded as
preventive conservation.
It is said that the least intervention is the best.
MER: There are three rules in a cultural heritage technician’s diary –
Minimum Intervention, Reversibility and Compatibility. Actually, no
intervention is the best, because any intervention, even minimal, is
going to change the unit of intervened art forever. If one acts, being
conscience that an intervention will permanently change the object, the
intervener will certainly make a better and more conscientious intervention.
Reversiblity is related to the type of intervention and materials used.
Every intervention must assure the reversiblity of action. If you use
acrylic paint on an art object, it will be condemned to an irreversible
condition. That’s why; this type of paint is not heritage friendly.
Compatibility is related to the type of material used in intervention.
These too should be reversible and cause minimal impact while the
characteristics have to maintain the physical, chemical and mechanical
original characteristics of the structure/ objects.
There’s a trend where Goan houses are marketed world wide to tourists as
Portuguese houses, when they are strictly speaking, otherwise.
MER: In Fontainhas, for instance, there are houses which have several
features which are similar to houses in Portugal. But, if we apply the
roofing structure in Portugal here, it may not work. The architecture
here is a mix of Portuguese and Indian, since it is necessary. The
structure has adapted to Indian weather conditions. The same is the case
of retable art where I have seen Church retable in Daman having Hindu
features, including the image of Hanuman. The craftsman who did the work
evidently was devoted and loyally depicted it in his style.
Is inventory important in conservation?
MER: For effective protection, it is imperative that an inventory is
made of various objects. In this way, we can at least account and
protect its heritage.
What is your opinion about conservation at Old Goa. There are some
structures which are surfacing in the heritage complex site.
MER: I am not totally against this, since modern structures may be
needed for the upkeep and maintenance of these heritage structures.
Dialogues with all parties are a must. This is required for effective
planning.
http://www.epaperoheraldo.in/Details.aspx?id=1855&boxid=4157203&uid=&dat=10/17/2011
