The Conservation Lab is a research initiative dedicated to rethinking conservation/preservation through expanded and experimental practices. It draws on conservation principles such as slowed attention, listening, and nuanced engagement with material histories. Building directly on ongoing research into relational and experimental conservation practices, the Lab seeks to apply these ideas in a collaborative, practice-based setting—exploring how conservation documentation and analysis can transform into an imaginative, memory-saturated and socially responsive practice.
Rooted in a transdisciplinary ethos, the Lab explores conservation beyond its traditional boundaries. By blending technical expertise with creative inquiry, it addresses social, political, and environmental conditions in unconventional ways. This approach intersects with fields such as ‘experimental preservation’ and draws on key theoretical frameworks that interrogate disciplinary boundaries—including new materialism, colonial studies, and speculative histories. By traversing these boundaries, the Lab aims to inspire new possibilities for conservation and re-envision the field in transformative ways. The Lab also challenges established ideas about conservation—Is it a conservative act? What does conservation do, and how might it provoke new ways of thinking?
Drawing on insights from anthropology, photography, art, and archival practices, the Lab reimagines conservation as a dynamic and creative endeavour. These insights directly inform both theoretical and practical exploration. The aim is to foster deeper connections between objects, their histories, and their evolving contexts. In this way, conservation becomes not only about preservation but about active engagement with cultural heritage. Through collective experimentation and critical reflection, the Lab seeks to redefine what conservation can mean in response to contemporary conditions.
The Conservation Lab embraces speculative futures and alternative narratives through counter-factual conservation, allowing object-based encounters to evolve within shifting historical and ethico-aesthetic conditions. Together, these methods foster a vision of conservation that moves beyond traditional frameworks, enabling new social, political, and environmental possibilities to emerge.
The Conservation Lab includes a reading/listening groups, workshops, and hands-on sessions designed to encourage discussion and collaboration. By fostering an environment that bridges theory and practice, and inviting contributors from diverse backgrounds, the Lab aspires to make conservation a practice that is intimately engaged with the shifting cultural and historical conditions that shape our shared experience.
Please get in touch if you’d like to get involved: sfleury@simonfleury.studio.