When thinking about a complex [object-based] installation, it is useful to break it down into smaller parts, listing all the components from the laser disc players to the less tangible details of the space, without losing sight of how the components connect. Using this list, the conservator can asses the role of each element in realizing the installation as a whole. The conservator can then anticipate the factors most likely to prevent each component from fulfilling its role. The value of some elements might be functional, the value of others might be aesthetic or sculptural, or perhaps a mixture of the two [...] With these installations, conservators need to expand their vocabularies of risk to include mechanical breakdown and obsolensce of parts or whole technologies, or perhaps the lack of documentation to guide light levels or the choice or construction of a space in order to install the work.
Laurenson, 2001, p. 261
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