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Reconstructing a 1972’s Neon Light Installation at the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Porto by Filipe Duarte
Abstract
A 1972’s neon light installation from the artist António Quadros Ferreira was investigated and reconstructed 35 years after its original presentation, under a pilot project on Conservation of Contemporary Art at the Museum of the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto (FBAUP). The reconstruction of the artwork was carried out in close communication with the artist without whom this project would not have been possible to be accomplished - such was the lack of information available on the artwork. This article aims to describe the whole process behind the reconstruction of Quadros Ferreira’s installation, from the identification of what was left from the original components at FBAUP’s Museum depot until its reinstallation and public exhibition in April 2007. Introduction In 1972 António Quadros Ferreira presented his final work for graduating in Painting at the Fine Arts School of Porto (Portugal), a peculiar and innovative artwork in its academic context: a study of light, colour and movement in the shape of a neon light installation. That same year, following its original exhibition, the artwork would have been dismantled and all its different components stored in the depot of the Museum of the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Porto1, of which collection Quadros Ferreira’s installation is currently part of.
The very scarce written documentation available on the museum’s database as well as the inexistence of any visual record of the original assembled installation led to a scenario of extremely poor information regarding several aspects of the artwork (even its overall appearance), situation lived in the museum until the beginning of 2007.
The case study presented in this article2 reports to the investigation and reinstallation of the artwork by Quadros Ferreira, 35 years after its original presentation and was carried out in the context of a pilot project on Conservation of Contemporary Art currently being developed at the University of Porto3.
The intervention was carried out in close communication with the artist between February and April 2007.
The installation Despite having been created in the academic context of a Paintings Degree, Quadros Ferreira’s neon light installation is an example of the diversity of the means of artistic expression explored by artists in early 1970’s. In this particular case, Quadros Ferreira explores the numerous possibilities of colour and movement through neon lights, in a work understood by the artist as an example of kinetic art, not by the physical movement of the work itself but by the constant movement of light and colour. The installation is made of six vertical neon light tubes housed in six blackpainted independent columns with cca. 2 metre high. The neon lights are divided in three pairs of primary colours (i.e. two blue, two red and two yellow lights). Each of the columns, with its own light tube, is connected by a series of electrical wires to a transformer which in turn connects to a central element, a black-painted box with a keyboard/programmer, fully designed by the artist. The installation is meant to be exhibited in a totally darkened room. The spectator is invited to interact with the installation either through the keyboard, which allows him to turn on/off each of the lights independently (creating distinct rhythms and light patterns), or by accessing an automatic cycle, predetermined by the artist in the programmer. This cycle was developed in such a way that it would never repeat itself and therefore is called by the artist as the perpetual movement of colour. The introduction of this technological component as support of the artwork, without which the work does not fully exist, mirrors the modernity sought by Quadros Ferreira. The physical structure of the installation (columns, electrical wires, transformers and keyboard /programmer) work as a mere support for the essence of the artwork: the colour, the light and the movement. The original documentation that was presented in 1972 together with the installation was still in possession of the artist. This documentation was the theoretical fundament of the work, an exhaustive and complex study with drawings, diagrams and texts in which the artist explores numerous possibilities of use for his installation. Condition of the installation prior to reconstruction Until February 2007, very little was known at FBAUP’s Museum about the neon light installation created by Quadros Ferreira 35 years earlier, as a final thesis for his Degree in Painting. In the depot of the Museum there were several disperse and nonidentified elements, stored together with parts of other artworks (Image 1). A cardboard-box with a bundle of crooked electrical wires and wooden supports; blackpainted wood columns lying on the floor; old neon light bulbs on top of wood shelves... In the Museum files, an inventory record dating back to early 1980’s (Image 2) recorded Quadros Ferreira’s installation as part of the museum’s collection (included in the “Paintings” collection). The inventory file of the installation did however not contain any photograph of the work assembled nor did it have any description of the artwork. Furthermore, a series of elements were missing from the brief list of materials that make up the installation. This scenario was clearly insufficient to allow an overall image of the complete artwork, to understand the way the different elements of the installation connect to each other or even to understand the way the installation relates to the surrounding space. First steps In February 2007, following preliminary investigation on the work, the artist was contacted and invited to participate in this project of reconstruction of his 1972’s installation. Quadros Ferreira, currently teacher of Painting at FBAUP, was fully available to collaborate and to provide any useful information, without which it would not have been possible to reconstruct and re-install his work as close as possible to the original work as exhibited in 1972. In the working plan drawn together with the artist in the first meetings it was defined as a starting point the identification of each different original element that make up the installation in the Museum’s depot and to evaluate the condition of each of these separately. This would allow, on one hand, to know whether the installation was complete and, on the other, to obtain an overall view of the complete installation. In order to facilitate the process of identifying the elements and the subsequent reconstruction of the artwork the artist was asked to draw a sketch of the structure of the installation. Thus, all the elements stored in the Museum’s depot were identified and collected at FBAUP’s workshop. The artist also brought along with him a more sensitive element which he had kept in his possession since 1972 (the keyboard and programmer), as well as the original documentation which was exhibited together with the installation. The elements that make up the installation were isolated and organised according to their typology: 1. Six wooden columns and six supports The columns, referred to as “modules” in the original documentation of the artist, measure cca. 2 metre high and present a central rail which houses the neon light tubes. The six supports (or “feet”) have small wheels to facilitate the transport of the columns and their adaptation to the surrounding space. Each foot has a metallic rod onto which the columns are screwed. Both modules and feet are coated with a monochromatic black paint layer (evenly applied over a grey ground layer). None of the elements presented damages of particular relevance on these layers, only small damages caused by wear and abrasion and minor losses, particularly along the bottom part of the columns. Structurally, both columns and feet were in good condition. 2. Six neon light tubes The six neon light tubes measure approximately 2 metres long and are grouped in three pairs: yellow, red and blue4. Regarding their condition it was observed that, from the six original light tubes, three were irreversibly damaged (two clearly broken and one presenting small cracks in the glass which proved to be irreversibly damaged as well). A thick and opaque dirt layer was covering the light tubes (Image 5).
Image 1. Card-box with some elements of the installation stored, FBAUP’s Museum depot, February 2007; Image 2. Inventory record of Quadros Ferreira’s installation, FBAUP’s Museum database, early 80’s; Image 3, 4 and 5. Constituting elements of the installation: columns, feet and neon light tubes.
3. Six transformers
Each of the “archaic” transformers is housed in a metallic box (20x18x15cm). These make the connection between the central keyboard/programmer and the neon lights and have the function of momentarily increasing the received electrical current to a much higher current in order to allow the lamps to be turned on during the energetic peak. Tests carried out at a later stage showed that all the transformers were in good working conditions (Image 6). 4. Electrical wires The long electrical wires establish the connections between all the elements in the installation: keyboard/programmer, energy source, transformers and neon lights. Despite being crooked and rigid from being stored in a box for the past 35 years, all the cables were in good working conditions (Image 7). 5. Central keyboard/programmer The central device is made of a keyboard and a programmer, housed in a blackpainted wood box (35x25x10cm), similarly to the columns. The programmer is an electrical system associated to a set of meal gears which defines the patterns and light sequences. The keyboard, on top of the box, allows the spectator to access an automatic program, predetermined by the artist in the programmer, or to access the manual programme. In this case, the spectator creates his own light sequences and patterns through the six buttons, corresponding to each of the six lights. This device was in possession of the artist since 1972. In the preliminary tests carried out, it was observed that the programmer was not working in perfect conditions (Image 8).
Image 6, 7 and 8. Constituting elements of the installation; transformers, electrical wires and central keybord/programmer; Image 9. Detail of neon light tubes during surface cleaning.
Course of action
Once every element of Quadros Ferreira’s installation was identified and separated, a strategy for the intervention was defined. Dialogue with the artist as well as the access provided to the original documentation were of extreme importance for this procedure since they provided essential information about the way the different elements relate to each other. The different steps taken in the process of conservation and reconstruction of the installation are listed as follows: 1. Removal of thick layer of dirt from the surface of the neon light tubes (Image 9) and surface cleaning of columns, feet and programmer/keyboard. This procedure was carried out by dry cleaning with microfibre cloth and soft sponges. 2. Retouching of small damages and losses of the black monochromatic paint layer in different elements of the installation. Retouching was carried out with gouache, which allowed replicating the matte feel of the original paint in the damaged areas5. 3. Following information provided by the artist in the first meetings it was possible to find and contact the original supplier company which provided the neon light tubes and gave technical support to the artist in 1972. The company, "Neolux”, is still functioning and was keen to collaborate with this project. The original and intact light tubes were taken to their specialised workshop and their condition was investigated by Neolux’s technicians (Image 10). Although the three structurally intact tubes were to found to be working (light was produced), the intensity of one of the blue tubes was considerably reduced in comparison to the others. Since it would not be possible to reconstruct the installation with all the original elements (half the lamps were irreversibly damaged) it was necessary to take a decision regarding the replacement of the missing elements. Therefore, decision was taken together with the artist to order new lamps to the original supplier, with the same length, diameter and colour/light intensity as close to the original as possible. Original material versus artist’s intention The six neon lights (three 1972’s originals and three 2007’s reconstructions) were then fit in the rails of the columns, set side by side and turned on. However, as it may be observed in image 11, the blue “pair” presented an enormous disparity of light intensity emitted. The new tube presented a much higher luminous intensity than the original one, worn by time and possibly weakened by small damages. Although the original blue lamp was functioning it would have been technically impossible to replicate its partially lost light intensity onto a newly made light tube. In this context, taking the decision of keeping the original blue lamp as part of the reconstructed installation would imply accepting that the “blue pair” would not work as a single colour since, as shown, they presented different intensities. After considering different possibilities and discussing these questions with the artist it was decided to order a new blue lamp to replace the original one. This way the blue pair, made of two new neon light tubes, would present a single colour and intensity of blue, which would go much more in conformity to the artist’s original intent of exploring the three primary colours with three pairs of lamps in this installation. The original blue tube, not used in the reconstruction, was stored in the museum’s depot and registered as “an original piece, replaced”. 4. The entire electrical device that makes up the programmer and keyboard was carefully cleaned and lubricated (Image 12). The terminals of the electrical wires were reattached in the correct positions in the programmer and the metal clips associated to each of the rotating gears were individually repaired in order to allow a fluid functioning of the programmer. Re-installing the installation In April 2007, 35 years after its creation, all the elements that make up Quadros Ferreira’s installation were brought to FBAUP’s exhibition room where the new exhibition of this work was prepared, according to the original plans6. Although the original documentation would consider different possibilities of exhibiting this work, decision was taken that - in a similar way to the original presentation of this installation - the columns would be displayed linearly, in an enclosed room, with minimum possible external light (Image 13). The public was invited to interact with the installation by using the keyboard placed in front of the line of light modules. Some of the pages of the original documentation were presented together with the installation during the exhibition period in a contiguous room.
Image 10. António Quadros Ferreira (left) and Neolux’s technician performing preliminary tests to investigate the condition of the original neon lights; Image 11. Blue neon light tubes, reconstruction and original side by side; Image 12. Programmer, after cleaning and repairing; Image 13. António Quadros Ferreira’s installation, Study of Light, Colour and Movement, 1972. Artwork reconstructed and re-installed in 2007, FBAUP.
António Quadros Ferreira, Lúcia Almeida Matos, Jill Sterrett, Ana Martins, Cláudia Garradas, Patrícia Almeida, Cláudio Ferreira, Associação Regional de Protecção do Património Cultural e Natural (ARPPA), Neolux. Notes: 1. In 1992 the Fine Arts School of Porto (ESBAP) was integrated in the University of Porto and became the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto (FBAUP). 2. Note that the original article was published in Portuguese at the Portuguese Association for Art Historians’ (APHA) bulletin no.5, 2007. 3. The Fine Art Museum and the Science Department of the University of Porto, in collaboration with the Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg (The Netherlands), are developing a project focusing on the conservation of modern and contemporary artworks. A group of 10 representative objects, on non-traditional supports, was selected from the museum’s collection and is currently under investigation and/or conservation treatment. The investigation includes topics such as materials’ characterisation, art historical relevance, conservation needs, preservation strategies and artists’ interviews. 4. In general terms, the light tubes usually denominated as “neon lights” are made of a glass tube with two electrodes in the ends. When these electrodes are connected to an electricity source, the gas (in vacuum) inside the glass tube is passed through by the electrical current and light of a specific colouration is produced. Despite being known as neon lights, this is not the only gas used to obtain colour, since different gases and different processes permit different light colours to be produced. While neon gas produces a bright red light, argon gas produces blue. In order to obtain colours other than these two, powder pigments are usually added to the gas or sometimes even painted glass tubes are used. This type of illumination was discovered around 1950’s and was initially used in the publicity world, slowly becoming adopted by artists as a new mean of artistic expression, entering the international scene some years later. Initially, only blue and red colours were available but gradually new colours were introduced in the market, with advancing technology. 5. The original monochromatic black paint layer was identified through infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) as an acrylic-based paint, in the Scientific Department of the University of Porto. 6. More information on recovering installations are available online at the website of the project Inside Installations: Preservation and Presentation of Installation Art, at http://www.inside-installations.org.
About the author
Filipe Duarte Porto, Portugal contact: filipeduarte@hotmail.com Following his graduate studies in Art History, Filipe Duarte completed the MA Conservation of Fine Art -Easel Paintings at Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK. He carried out internships at the Modern Art Museum of Barcelona (MACBA) and the I&R conservation Centre in Madrid, Spain. Filipe worked for two years in the Netherlands with the Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg (SRAL), where he had the chance to be involved in a series of major conservation projects (including projects at the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam and the Royal Palace at the Dam). Here he also collaborated with the Instituut Collectie Nederland (ICN) in a research project on modern paints. Since January 2007, Filipe Duarte works as a conservator at the Fine Art Museum of Porto University, Portugal, where he is part of a pilot project on contemporary art conservation, focusing on the investigation and treatment of artworks on different nontraditional media from the 1960's and 70's. During this year he has also collaborated with Serralves Contemporary Art Museum, Porto.
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