Interview
Amy Brost, Ellen Moody, and Annie Wilker interviewed by Barbara Clausen, Deena Engel, and Glenn Wharton, October 12, 2018.
Amy Brost, Ellen Moody, and Annie Wilker are respectively assistant media conservator, David Booth associate sculpture conservator, and associate paper conservator at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. This interview focuses on their work in the acquisition, conservation, and installation of Joan Jonasâs Reanimation in collaboration with various staff members and the artist.
Transcript
- “Amy Brost, Ellen Moody, and Annie Wilker interviewed by Barbara Clausen, Deena Engel, and Glenn Wharton, October 12, 2018 (Interview Transcript).” Joan Jonas Knowledge Base, Artist Archives Initiative, 2021.
Abstract
This interview begins with each conservator briefly explaining their respective role in the conservation and installation of Reanimation [00:00â03:25]. Brost and Moody then list all the staff involved, from the curators to the exhibition designer, AV team, registrars, and more [03:25â05:02]. Moving on, Brost speaks about the involvement of Joan Jonas and her team [05:14â07:45]. The three conservators explain the research they conducted prior to installing the work, during the installation and after the fact [07:46â12:45]. They also highlight the conservation concerns that have arisen since MoMA acquired the piece, such as storage issues and re-fabrication instructions given by the artist [12:46â16:09]. This turns into a conversation about the longevity of some of the elements in the work and dealing with the artistâs spontaneous adjustments [16:10â20:59]. Brost also speaks about changing the aspect ratio of the video of the performance Draw Without Looking at the Tate and about adapting the theater boxes with flat screens instead of a rear projection [21:28â27:14]. Wharton then asks the conservators about the maintenance involved for the work, which lead the conservators to discuss the specific placement of the sculpture and the projector [27:17â31:36]. Here, the interview turns to documentation: the conservators share the limited documentation that came with the work as well, the documentation they produced, and what they would like to further document for future curators and conservators [31:38â38:01]. The conservators also reflect on how they want to capture the artistâs thoughts and how the work could be shown differently in the future, and list people they would want to interview to create a full documentation package [38:01â41:58]. Next, Wharton asks the trio how MoMA decides on what to keep and what not to keep and how the piece can vary from one installation to the next [42:19â48:30]. Prompted to share concerns the team might have about Reanimation for conservation and exhibition purposes, Wilker brings up the question of the obsolescence of the technical elements of the work, while Brost mentions sound [48:31â56:05]. The interview ends with Brost praising the immersive and meditative qualities of Jonasâs work [56:06â57:26].