Conserving kinetic art

The Kunstmuseum Gelsenkirchen and the Cologne Institute of Conservation Sciences (CICS) at TH Köln under the direction of Prof. Dr Gunnar Heydenreich are jointly developing a strategy for maintaining and conserving the museum’s collection of kinetic art. In regard to presentation, maintenance and preservation, kinetic art represents a daunting challenge. The mechanical wear and tear of objects, the degeneration of plastics and some no longer standard technologies create an urgent need for action. A detailed evaluation of the collection’s current condition by students from the CICS was followed by a second phase in which conservation concepts were explored. Since 2016, works in the collection have been restored by students in several cooperative research training projects, thereby creating the basis for a sustainable and lasting presentation of kinetic art in Gelsenkirchen. The project was supported by the Wüstenrot Foundation.