Interview
Jack McConchie interviewed by Glenn Wharton, January 8, 2020.
Jack McConchie is the time-based media conservator at the Tate in London, England. In this interview McConchie speaks about his work on the Joan Jonas retrospective at the Tate in 2018.
Transcript
- “Jack McConchie interviewed by Glenn Wharton, January 8, 2020 (Interview Transcript).” Joan Jonas Knowledge Base, Artist Archives Initiative, 2021.
Abstract
The interview begins with McConchie describing his role as time-based media conservator at the Tate for the Joan Jonas retrospective [00:03â01:33]. McConchie gives insight on his work with curator Andrea Lissoni and assistant curator Monika Bayer-Wermuth, as well as with subcontractors [01:33â05:00]. McConchie also mentions his interactions with Jonas and with the Tateâs frames conservation workshop to refabricate the My New Theater works [05:21â06:26]. From here, the interview turns towards the research that McConchie conducted about Jonasâs practice and the technical questions that arise from a conservation standpoint. He mentions following specifications from lenders and catalogues, communicating with the artist via email, and researching past iterations of the works [06:33â09:16]. He then focuses on his concerns regarding the exhibition layout, such as having to deal with high ceilings, audio bleed, and projectors placement, and details Jonasâs input in these matters [09:19â15:26]. McConchie remembers Jonas arriving at decisions in a very thoughtful but casual manner and being interested in hearing what the Tate staff had to say [15:26â19:32]. Moving on, McConchie goes into more depth about working on the My New Theater works and having conversations with Jonas about refabricating them, mainly focusing on the types of projectors and speakers used [19:32â27:31]. As some of these works are owned by other institutions, McConchie answers questions regarding documentation, communication, ownership, and sustainability [27:31â32:37]. Returning to exhibition concerns, McConchie talks about lighting and trying to reconcile the artistâs vision with conservation issues and health and safety requirements [33:01â 35:09]. This explanation leads into the choice of wall colors and the architectural constraints of the Tate [35:09â39:42]. McConchie points out how decision-making and discussion was very collaborative and flexible for this retrospective [39:44â44:02]. The interview then turns to the day-to-day maintenance of the exhibition, which included cleaning and switch-on/switch-off procedures [44:13â46:58]. McConchie provides information about the different documentation created for loaned works and collection works; he touches on spatial documentation, which was not done for the Jonas retrospective but would be helpful in the future [46:58â53:32]. The interview ends with McConchie voicing concerns about the impending obsolescence of Jonasâs works that use slides or CRT monitors [53:48â56:00].