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2-2. Definition of Conservation, Preservation, and Restoration
"Imbued with a message from the past, the historic monuments of generations of people remain to the present day as living witnesses of their age-old traditions. People are becoming more and more conscious of the unity of human values and regard ancient monuments as a common heritage. The common responsibility to safeguard them for future generations is recognized. It is our duty to hand them on in the full richness of their authenticity." - The Venice Charter 6
1964, The Venice Charter inherited the context from Athens Charter and expanded the definition, and explanation about the restoration and conservation become more delicate and forwardlooking. Even for now the Charter is still followed and identified by most of the countries in the world. "Article 9. The restoration, in any case, must be preceded and followed by an archaeological and historical study of the monument." 7 According to Article 9, any restoration should be carried out only when there is a detailed investigation and understanding of the monuments and sufficient information. Under such conditions, most of the famous monuments have maintained the status quo.
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Most of the Asian countries have been affected by their economic conditions that have not yet stabilized due to WWII, and there are generally serious shortcomings in the knowledge of conservation and restoration. Take Taiwan as an example. According to a report by the Bureau of Cultural Heritage, the Sanchuan Gate of Tainan Grand Tianhou Palace originally had a very exquisite western classical capital. However, during a repair in the early 1980s, the principals believed that the western architectural language could not appear in the traditional temples, so they were all replaced. They did not realize that these western classical capital were the witnesses of the introduction of western architecture into Taiwan during the Japanese occupation. On the contrary, it obliterated history and violated authenticity.
In Europe, which was also affected by WWII, even if it has more professional knowledge of preservation and conservation, it also has a different perspective between countries. Germany and the Netherlands took different approaches in restoring the ruined city. The city of Dresden was thoroughly bombed during the war. The land became ruins, and after the war ended, the government adopted a method of complete restoration. The configuration, architectural style, and even materials of the city were completely restored. On the other hand, Rotterdam was also bombed during the war, but it did not completely restore its original appearance like Germany. Instead, the Netherlands used this as an opportunity to use modern technology to rebuild the city. Therefore, Rotterdam now has a variety of high-rise buildings and diverse architectural languages. "One can say that the city itself is the collective memory of its people, and like memory, it is associated with objects and places. The city is the locus of the collective memory." 8 A city is an aggregation of buildings and a place where people gather. Our memories become a collective memory, but when the city was once destroyed, where will the memories go? Dresden is completely restored to its original appearance. However, can the memories in the people's minds still correspond to this restored city? Rotterdam has adopted a modern route, but is it possible that the memory inherit by the skyscraper?
According to "PRINCIPLES OF PRESERVATION" from Michael Petzet ICOMOS, here he defines conservation, "To conserve means to keep, to preserve. Thus the basic attitude of preservation comes most purely to expression in conservation: to conserve is the supreme preservation principle." 9 For the restoration, the author quotes from The Venice Charter "the aim of restoration is to preserve and reveal the aesthetic and historic value of the monument and is based on respect for original material and authentic documents." 10
Another explanation from "Rethinking Architectural Conservation" by Jihoon Kim. In this paper, the author describes "Restoration refers to the process of renewal and refurbishment of the fabric of a building." As for preservation is a "professional endeavor that seeks to preserve the ability of older (e.g., 'historic') objects to communicate intended meaning." Last, conservation "describes the process through which the material, historical, and deign integrity of mankind's built heritage is preserved through carefully planned interventions." 11 The article provides a clear depiction of how conservation can include preservation, and categorize with the timeline. It is easier to see where restoration, preservation, and conservation are positioned when they are placed on a time continuum.
Redrawall by Hungche Cho, According to "Rethinking Architectural Conservation" by Jihoon Kim
From PRINCIPLES OF PRESERVATION, although there is a close relationship between conservation and preservation, the author did not explain the difference between the two but still conveyed the concept that conservation includes preservation. On the other hand, Rethinking Architectural Conservation uses the timeline to define and analyze the differences between the three. From a time perspective, conservation includes the past, present, and future. However, preservation is more inclined to the present progressive on the timeline.
From the aforementioned vantage point, they all present fairly compelling arguments, and it can be seen from this that the relationship between conservation, preservation, and restoration is inseparable.
