RESEARCH AND WRITING
Research Articles
"Among the Dead and Their Possessions: A Conservator's Role in the Death, Life and Afterlife of Human Remains and their Associated Objects." Forthcoming in the Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, Fall/Winter 2009.
Balachandran, Sanchita and Glenn Gates. "When Objects are Beyond Conservation: Recovering Visual Information from Damaged Artifacts." International Dunhuang Project Website. http://idp.bl.uk/education/conservation/BeyondConservation/index.a4d
"Object Lessons: The Politics of Preservation and Museum Building in Western China in the Early Twentieth Century," International Journal of Cultural Property, 14: 1-32, 2007
“The Use of Cyclododecane in Field Stabilization and Storage of Archaeological Finds.” Presented at the conference, “The Conservation of Archaeological Materials—Current Trends and Future Directions.” Williamsburg, VA. November 2005. Postprints forthcoming 2009.
“Observations on Conservation in Angkor.” Postprints of the 2001 Meeting of the Association of the North American Graduate Programs in Art Conservation. University of Delaware. 2002.
Current Research
From May 2009 to mid-January 2010, I will be in Chennai, India, conducting research on a Fulbright Fellowship. My project is concerned with how museums define, present and preserve an image of cultural and national identity. I examine the role that the museum conservation laboratory plays in uncovering or recovering the “original” appearance of ancient objects, and how the conservation process can transform artifacts into symbols of a nation's past and make them comprehensible to a viewing audience. My main focus is the Chemical Conservation Laboratory at the Government Museum, Chennai (formerly the Madras Government Museum) and the history and development of conservation methods for the treatment of bronze images in the Museum Collection. The laboratory was the first of its kind in India, and specialized in the preservation of the hundreds of bronze objects which were acquired by the Museum through the Indian Treasure Trove Act of 1878. I intend to trace the development of conservation philosophies, treatments and aesthetics as they related to bronzes in particular. The project involves examining historic documents and photographs in the Museum and Tamil Nadu State Archives, as well as interviewing present and former conservators for their insight into these issues.
Papers Presented
"Among the Dead and Their Possessions: A Conservator’s Role in the Death, Life and Afterlife of Human Remains and their Associated Objects". To be presented at the conference "Conservation: Principles, Dilemmas and Uncomfortable Truths", to be held at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, London, September 2009. Hear the talk in full or download the abstract at: http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/education/conservation-principles-dilemmas-and-uncomfortable-truths,1104,AR.html
“Principles of Preventive Conservation.” Presented at a training conference for curators at the Government Museum. Chennai, INDIA. June 2009.
“Entangled Objects: The Politics of Preservation and Museum Building in Western China in the Early Twentieth Century”. Presented at the annual conference of the American Institute for Conservation. Richmond, VA. April 2007. Also presented at “A Hundred Years of Dunhuang, 1907-2007.” London, ENGLAND. May 2007.
“When Objects are Beyond Conservation: Recovering Visual Information from Damaged Artifacts.” Presented at the 7th International Dunhuang Project Conservation Conference. London, ENGLAND. May 2007.
“’Re-tracing the “Long Old Road in China’: The Dunhuang Wall Paintings and the Ethics of Conservation and Museum Building at the Fogg Art Museum, 1921-1933.” Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Western Association for Art Conservation. Tucson, AZ. October 2006. Also presented at the Harvard University Art Museums. Cambridge, MA, May 2006.
“Preserving Your Treasures: An Introduction to Caring for Your Family Heirlooms and Art Collections.” Presented at The Harmony Arts Festival. Vancouver, CANADA. August 2006. Also presented to the Canadian Federation of University Women. Vancouver, CANADA, October 2006.
“The Dunhuang Collection at the Harvard University Art Museums: Research into the Collection and Its Conservation History, and Analytical Study of the Original Techniques of the Tang Dynasty Paintings.” Presented at the British Museum. London, ENGLAND. June 2005.
“Conservation, Archaeology and Advocating for Objects at Abydos, Egypt.” Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Research Center in Egypt. Cambridge, MA. April 2005.
“Conservator-Archaeologist Collaborations: Abydos as a Case Study.” Presented at the Annual
Meeting of the Society of American Archaeology. Montreal, CANADA. April 2004.
“Observations on Conservation in Angkor.” Presented at the General Session of the Annual Meeting of the American Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. Miami, FL. June 2002.
Articles in the Popular Press
“Artifact.” Archaeology Magazine, Vol. 62, No. 6, November/December 2009.
"Solutions: An Art Conservator Writes." Baltimore Style Magazine. May 2008.
"ANC 2002.36." Bidoun Magazine. Issue 14. Spring-Summer 2008.
"Insider: Edge of an Ethical Dilemma." Archaeology, 60(6): 18-20. November/December 2007
Appearances in Documentaries
Appearance in the documentary, “The Onley Mural at the Vancouver Playhouse,” minutes 3-8. The video can be viewed at: http://www.jaysamwald.com/services_movie_onley.php.