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"Ask & Dsicuss" is a discussion forum between members and experts. For referring to an expert, please enter '@' and following the name of the expert
Share your experiences in art transport, virtual couriers, collection conservation, loan conditions, etc. in this chat. It is not necessary to mention the names of institutions or divulge sensitive information; just share the experience so that others may consult in public or in private and thus help each other to learn.
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Please share you recent experiences with virtual courier system. Help others to understand how it works and can save costs for your institution !!
I sent you a private message. My email is kamila@laartlabs.com, if you would like to get in touch and discuss this further. It may be a good opportunity to collaborate.
Totally Agree Kamila. If you'd like to get involved with the creation of our solution and provide more insight please let me know. I was also a museum conservator but also on my team are fine art shippers and software developers. We are really interested in being collaborative.
The virtual courier is a great opportunity for the art community, but we also need to ensure avoiding a slippery slope through a collaborative effort across disciplines. I think that chain of custody roles and requirements need firm definitions to establish and uphold professional standards. These would require vetting by associations of art and museum professionals that focus on cultural heritage objects.
From my experience as a museum conservator, works of high value and cultural significance as well as works that are more vulnerable with more severe conditions require the assessment of a qualified conservator at the lending and borrowing institution. At the same time, I really don’t think that it’s a good use of a conservator’s time to accompany a painting along all the steps in the chain of custody. There is much room for improvement regarding the established and old-fashioned protocol, and where a virtual courier addendum would be a real asset.
As an art conservator, the technology is essential as a virtual courier; we work with small devices (our phones and tablets), best lights and googles for diagnosis CR, FR, or any practical documentation like facilities built with the art handle guidance for unwrapping.
My art conservator colleagues over the world, and I already work with video chats and the virtual experience, and the results are quite positive; it is worth it, save time and money.
There is not standard CR, FR We all work under international ethics, and criteria exist a common background, this is enough to trust, ( with only experienced professionals indeed)universal templates are utopic by the moment. We have been discussing past weeks about virtual couriers as a real necessity. Our neuronal way of analyzing a piece of art runs from the experience, the diagnosis, intuition, eyes, and brain following a free movement mechanism guidance out of boxes to click. A condition report, "it is not to be, or not to be."
The basic templates are excellent for some art pieces but what is valuable for the art collector? In money ways, this is relative. I suggest, shipping, transit, or reception always work with art conservators in the front row and more and even in the new pandemic scenario.
If something goes "wrong," art conservators are ready to minimize risk and loss of value.
Definitely yes, virtual couriers with the right technology and is the best solution. We need to develop a type "Blockchain chain" called art true free COVID-19; this is the technology we stand for.
Great Eva! So glad to hear!
Great Eva! So glad to hear!
Tomorrow I will have a coffee with the head restorer of Sprengel Museum Hannover and discuss her opinion about that. I am really excited to get her opinion about the virtual courier system.
From May 11 - 21, 2020: Together with a Conservator I oversaw "virtually" the
de-installation and packing of a complicated touring exhibition (two dimensional and 3-d objects that required disassembly of several parts). It was a good half-step between not sending a courier and sending a courier.
Pros:
Financial savings (mostly travel).
Saving of staff time for the lending institution.
Opportunity for the lending institution to give feedback and approvals.
If something was packed incorrectly, the borrowing institution would follow our instructions and repack accordingly.
Communication done via WhatsApp, Skype, and Teams.
Trust in the borrowing institution's team.
Cons:
Without seeing an artwork in person, the condition report is equivalent to not having a courier present in that it is only reflective of the borrowing institution’s evaluation.
A courier can often make corrections before art handlers spend too much time doing something incorrectly.
A courier (particularly if it is a conservator) can often do on-site, immediate triage treatments. For instance, consolidating a minor flake, wiping away fingerprints, minor in-painting, etc. However, if there is a conservator at the borrowing institution, they can do that too with permission.
Note regarding WeTransfer:
We used WeTransfer for the borrowing institution to send us images daily because it is fast, free, and intuitive. (For an immediate response we would text images via WhatsApp). However, it had some limitations. The free WeTransfer version has a relatively low limit of file size that can be transferred. Also, there were three people uploading files at the borrowing institution and we had two people downloading files on our end. WeTransfer doesn’t allow everyone to see what one another has uploaded and downloaded. Had we used an FTP site (File Transfer Protocol like Dropbox or ShareFile) to share files, we would all have been able to look at the files together on the site, then download them at the end.
It was a great experience and it went by quickly and smoothly. Due to the time difference with Europe it required us to work early mornings and later in the evenings in order to be up to speed.
Virtual supervision can also be useful for:
Rearrangement of crates in a warehouse
Straight forward crate fittings or packing.
Sometimes, after the courier has left, a curator wants to move a loaned artwork. If the courier trusts the institution that they just worked with, they could virtually oversee the moving of the artwork.
Completely agree. It is time for trusting technologies and professional in each area. We require flexibility and patience. What has always been there, regular and "done" has to be build now again step by step...(air companies, etc)
Much to be assessed and developed. It will require a collaborative effort across the entire art community.