Materiality, authenticity and value in the historic environment: a study of the effects of material transformation and scientific intervention

人们普遍认为，历史环境提供了丰富文化的源泉，提高了人们的生活质量和福祉。然而，它也经历了物质转化、衰败和更新的循环，这些循环赋予了与之相关的意义和价值。事实上，这些变化有助于真实性的体验。腐烂是年龄的有形标志，日常风化和磨损产生的铜绿提供了一种代代相传的连接感。与此同时，负责为子孙后代保护历史环境的组织对腐烂和退化过程进行评估和制止。这项工作的很大一部分依赖于科学方法和技术，这些方法和技术是为保护历史环境而开发的。然而，通过干预来改变改造和衰败的过程，这些技术可以对历史建筑的结构产生强大的影响。在这个项目中，我们使用艺术和人文的方法，包括访谈和参与观察的形式，来研究历史建筑中与变质和腐朽有关的价值。我们调查了关于材料保护的决定是如何受到这些价值观和相关的真实性想法的影响的。我们还探讨了以科学为基础的干预措施如何改变这些意义和价值观，以及对“真实”和“真实”的看法的影响。我们的合作伙伴包括苏格兰国家信托和苏格兰历史遗迹，这两个组织参与了苏格兰一些最重要的历史遗迹的保护和管理。它们提供了涉及目前积极保护的特定历史建筑或纪念碑的案例研究。这为我们提供了机会来研究他们使用的基于科学的技术如何影响文化价值观和真实性思想，以及如何受到这些技术的影响。我们的项目将来自人文和科学的研究人员聚集在一起，进行跨学科的合作。我们还与一个欧洲研究项目(Heromat)的领导人合作，该项目使我们能够研究科学保护方法的最新发展所附带的价值。这项研究将有益于参与保护历史环境的广泛的学术研究人员和专业人士。这些成果旨在为未来的保护政策和实践提供参考，确保以文化敏感的方式使用以科学为基础的技术来保护历史环境。

It is widely recognized that the historic environment provides a source of cultural enrichment, and enhances people's quality of life and well-being. However, it also undergoes cycles of material transformation, of decay and renewal, which inform the meanings and values associated with it. Indeed, these changes contribute to the experience of authenticity. Decay acts as a tangible mark of age, and the patina produced by everyday weathering and wear provides a sense of connection across generations. At the same time processes of decay and degradation are assessed and arrested by organisations charged with conserving the historic environment for future generations. Much of this work relies on scientific methods and techniques, which have been developed for use in conserving the historic environment. However, by intervening to modify processes of transformation and decay, these techniques can have a powerful impact on the fabric of historic buildings. They can alter their appearance and introduce new materials, as well as affect the cultural meanings and values attached to them by various groups of people.In this project we use methods from the arts and humanities, including interviews and forms of participant observation, to examine the kinds of value attached to deterioration and decay in historic buildings. We investigate how decisions about the conservation of materials are informed by these values and related ideas of authenticity. We also explore how science-based interventions alter these meanings and values, and impact on perceptions of 'the real' and the 'authentic'. Our partners include the National Trust for Scotland and Historic Scotland, organisations that are involved in conserving and managing some of Scotland's most important historic sites. They provide case studies involving particular historic buildings or monuments that are currently the subject of active conservation. This provides us with the opportunity to study how the science-based techniques they use both inform, and are informed by, cultural values and ideas of authenticity.Our project brings together researchers from the humanities and the sciences in a cross-disciplinary collaboration. We are also in partnership with the leaders of a European research project (HEROMAT), which allows us to study the values attached to the latest developments in scientific conservation methods. The research will be of benefit to a wide range of academic researchers and professionals involved in conserving the historic environment. The results are intended to inform future conservation policy and practice, ensuring that science-based techniques are used in a culturally sensitive way in conserving the historic environment.