Sabine Cotte | The University of Melbourne University (original) (raw)

Papers by Sabine Cotte

AICCM Bulletin

Artists’ interviews are widely used in the conservation of contemporary art. Best practice is det... more Artists’ interviews are widely used in the conservation of contemporary art. Best practice is detailed in recent publications, conferences and workshops, however, there is little information on how to analyse the data collected, and the issues related to the dissemination and future access to the content. This article examines various techniques of analysis appropriated from qualitative research in the social sciences, and relates them to the intended uses of interviews in conservation. Drawing on a case study that involved interaction with an artist over several years, including interviews and informal conversations, this article argues that a conservators’ specific skills set has the capacity to interpret the findings and to understand the creative processes. It also highlights the importance of reflexivity and the public circulation of this interpretation, which is essential for the development of a sustainable practice of artists’ interviews in conservation.

Melbourne historical journal, 2020

CeROArt, 2015

This article describes the research undertaken by both collector and conservator to inform the co... more This article describes the research undertaken by both collector and conservator to inform the conservation of a very damaged Vietnamese war painting. Through a network of professional and human interactions (facilitated by modern technologies), the painting was reinstated at its prominent place within its historical and social context and can trigger futures collaborations.

AICCM Bulletin, 2012

Abstract Conserving contemporary art often involves consulting with the artists to discuss their ... more Abstract Conserving contemporary art often involves consulting with the artists to discuss their intent, their techniques and materials. Respect for the artist’s intent and the integrity of the work poses new challenges in conservation that need to be addressed through dialogue. While many different people have an input into decision making, much is dependent on the relationship between the artist and the conservator and on their mutual understanding and respect. The conservation of three public artworks by Melbourne artist Mirka Mora was a close collaboration between artist and conservator. This paper attempts to illustrate the importance of that relationship in the negotiation of acceptable compromises that ultimately result in informed decisions and treatments. It then suggests some lines of reflection about the role of conservation in reinforcing community engagement with public art, through communication and dialogue with the public.

Studies in Conservation, 2011

... time, iconometric practices, sketching techniques, pigments, grounds, techniques of painting ... more ... time, iconometric practices, sketching techniques, pigments, grounds, techniques of painting and shading, as well as brushes, completed with a glossary ofTibetan terms and an appendix written by a Western thangka painter on 'Techniques of thangka painting using modern ...

Studies in Conservation, 2007

Résumé/Abstract Les thag-kas (bannières tibétaines peintes) sont des objets composites qui, lorsq... more Résumé/Abstract Les thag-kas (bannières tibétaines peintes) sont des objets composites qui, lorsque utilisés, sont fréquemment roulés et déroulés. Les deux faces sont peintes et comportent souvent une inscription rappelant la cérémonie de consécration du thang-ka. ...

Journal of Conservation and Museum Studies, 2013

Tibetan thangkas (Buddhist scroll paintings) are created as religious ritual objects. The fact th... more Tibetan thangkas (Buddhist scroll paintings) are created as religious ritual objects. The fact that they are mainly considered as artworks in the Western world impacts on the decisions made for their display and conservation. This article explores the current approach to thangkas in Australian public collections and compares it with the views of contemporary Tibetan Buddhism practitioners. It underlines a few misconceptions at the source of conservation decision-making, and discusses practical outcomes of integrating the sacred dimension into professional practice against the backdrop of conservation's Codes of Ethics. Conserving living religious heritage requires that professional ethical standards are adaptable to the needs of users. Existing frameworks for the conservation of sacred objects of pre-colonised, indigenous cultures provide useful models for the conservation of thangkas. This article argues that engaging with contemporary cultural groups to conserve religious significance is part of the mission of conservators. This is viewed as an expansion of conservation practice into the social realm, in a search for purposeful conservation that establishes the social relevance of our profession.

Undertaking this research would not have been possible without the help of many people, and I wis... more Undertaking this research would not have been possible without the help of many people, and I wish to thank them sincerely here. First and foremost, I wish to thank Mirka Mora for her generosity with her time, knowledge, sharing of private documents and all round joie de vivre. Working with her has been a privilege and a wonderful journey, for which I am very grateful.

This paper describes the learning approach, the methodology, and the outcomes of a capacity-build... more This paper describes the learning approach, the methodology, and the outcomes of a capacity-building workshop for the post-earthquake recovery and the re-housing of displaced museum collections in Nepal. The aim was not only to recover from the physical damage and the resultant loss of income, but to reduce risks and improve access to the affected collections. The workshop enabled the creation of a visible but secure sample storage space at the National Museum of Nepal. Here, researchers and visitors are able to see objects in their respective housings and explore associated values and meanings through thoughtfully prepared text panels and photographs.

This paper explores the making of an iconic mural, painted in Melbourne in 1986 by the French bor... more This paper explores the making of an iconic mural, painted in Melbourne in 1986 by the French born artist Mirka Mora, a key figure of the city’s artistic and social scene. Developed out of conservation practice, the research investigated the materials and methods employed to produce this mural, in close collaboration with the artist during many interviews and with access to her studio and diaries. This material–based research provided new knowledge about the period of creation, in the broader historic and social context of feminism, the craft movement and community art practice in the 1980s. Understanding how its materials and creative processes embody various layers of significance links the mural more closely to the history of the time and how it reflected on a public artwork in one of Australia’s major cities. This adds an historic dimension to the citizen-friendly character that was always essential to this mural, and is integral to its conservation process, present and future.

This article explores the various interactions between people from different fields of expertise ... more This article explores the various interactions between people from different fields of expertise that arose from the conservation project of a Vietnamese war painting purchased by an Australian collector. It illustrates the place of conservation at the interface of art history, social history, technical studies and oral history and the role it plays in connecting these fields together.

Studies in Conservation, 2000

Studies in Conservation, 1994

AICCM Bulletin

Melbourne historical journal, 2020

CeROArt, 2015

AICCM Bulletin, 2012

Studies in Conservation, 2011

Studies in Conservation, 2007

Journal of Conservation and Museum Studies, 2013

Studies in Conservation, 2000

Studies in Conservation, 1994

Over more than six decades, French-born Australian artist Mirka Mora has been exploring many mate... more Over more than six decades, French-born Australian artist Mirka Mora has been exploring many materials and techniques, combining them in innovative ways to create a personal and instantly recognizable style. A major figure in Melbourne’s social and artistic history, Mora (now aged 88) moved to Australia after narrowly escaping deportation at age 13. She and her husband lived within a circle of modernist artists who gathered in the couple’s studio/gallery and restaurants throughout the 1950s and 60s, and were actively engaged in circulating ideas and artistic materials amongst themselves with an open mind for new techniques.
This paper explores Mora’s painted soft sculptures production, a hybrid process mixing textile and oil painting traditional techniques together with a fantastic iconography inspired from bestiaries, myths and childhood.
The methods of research combine analysis of sources, observation of works in progress and technical reconstructions of sculptures with oral history and regular feedback from the artist. Private diaries, newspaper clippings, audiovisual material, catalogues and books (including Mora’s autobiography) are reviewed from the perspective of technical art history.
Reconstructions of soft sculptures, a ‘free’ version of replicas, have been refined with the artist’s input in a process inspired by participatory ethnography. The same method was used for illustrated workbooks that compiled visual information, photographical details and written questions, and were regularly updated during consultations with the artist. These methods provided a wealth of technical information.
This research uncovers Mora’s creative process and its relationships with the historic contexts of the craft movement, feminism and community art. Mora’s techniques reflect her self-taught classical knowledge, acquired through extensive reading of art history and painters’ writings, as well as the study of art in public galleries. At a time of serious questioning of traditional techniques by modernists artists, Mora chose to explore the past, craving for a solid historic foundation. However, by giving her personal twist to classic painting and textile methods, she made her artworks quite unique and anchored in their period. Moreover, Mora’s materials actively mediated her interactions with the public, during her long practice of soft sculptures workshops, where she shared simplified versions of her techniques with Australians of all ages.
Sources show that gender-connoted materials and processes have influenced the critical perception of Mora’s work, especially in the isolated and conservative Australian art scene of the 60s. Other senior women artists working with textile shared that predicament, underlining the essential role played by materials and their meaning at the rise of modernity. Now that ‘feminine’ techniques have widely permeated the art world, and that Mora has stopped her textile artworks to do only painting, less attention might be devoted to the historic specificities of this mode of making; therefore this study of Mora’s materials and interpretation of their significance in the early times of her career provides new knowledge that will greatly assist future conservation practice.

This poster investigates the creative processes of Mirka Mora (born Paris 1928), a major figure o... more This poster investigates the creative processes of Mirka Mora (born Paris 1928), a major figure of Melbourne’s social and artistic history. During a career closely linked to the city’s development, to community art policies in the 80s and to gendered perceptions of the artist figure, Mora has produced an ongoing corpus of work in a vast range of mediums.

I use oral history techniques, study of selected diaries, observation of artworks and regalia in the artist’s studio as well as watching the creative process in progress. Participatory methodologies are tested and tailored to Mora’s personality, as well as innovative methods of sharing research. This study records Mora’s artistic intent, methods and materials, her perspectives about her production’s future and includes questions of authenticity when she ‘refreshed’ her own murals. Mora’s techniques have always informed each other in an organic relationship. I propose a reading of her practice through her materials, looking at their economy in her life, their role as communication tools in her workshops, how she transformed gender-associated materials to create her artistic identity and used material culture in the making of her own myth. This documentation and analysis will in future contribute to Mora’s art preservation and related decision-making in yet unknown contexts.

short oral presentation: This poster investigates the creative processes of Mirka Mora (born Paris 1928), a major figure of Melbourne’s social and artistic history. During a career closely linked to the city’s development, to community art policies in the 80s and to gendered perceptions of the artist figure, Mora has produced an ongoing corpus of work in a vast range of mediums.

Short presentations of this conference posters (panel 4) can be viewed online at: https://vimeo.com/167099179. this is the first presentation.