ABSTRACT

On the basis of some recent reflections by Massimo Carboni upon Memory and Oblivion, the paper aims to provide a theoretical contribution to the present debate about conservation and restoration of contemporary art. Carboni argues that the activities of conservation and restoration should update their paradigma when dealing with contemporary art practices, developing a kind of ars oblivionis parallel to the traditional ars memoriae. In fact, the remarkable attitude towards transiency and precariousness of the modern and contemporary arts needs an approach in conservation/restoration that embraces even the loss of the material aspect of the artwork in exchange of the persistence of the concept. The attempt to build a theoretical framework is strengthened in the present paper by a selection of case studies in the area of Kinetic and Programmed Art and Art in Nature. In particular, there will be discussed the case of Superfici in vibrazione (1959) and Scultura da prendere a calci (1961), both by Gabriele Devecchi; and the case of Arte Sella, i.e. a park of Art in Nature in the north of Italy. Even if these cases are completely different in time and in premises, they share the importance given to the constant becoming of the material they are built with, being it Time and Movement or Nature itself. And for this reason they challenge the traditional approach to conservation, questioning the meaning of Memory and Oblivion themself, inviting to reflect upon their complementarity.

Parole chiave/Key-words: Kinetic and Programmed Art, Art in Nature, Memory and Oblivion, Contemporary Art Conservation