INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR CONSERVATION … Wall by Hans Haacke (1963), made of polymethyl...

Printing:

Introduction

Background: Controlling biodeterioration of artworks

using anoxic techniques have been used and discussed

for almost thirty years.

The art objects under study: Contemporary art and

minimalist sculpture – Condensation Cubes and

Condensation Wall by Hans Haacke (1963), made of

polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA).

Reflecting Haacke's involvement with the West German-

based group Zero, Condensation Cube is one of

Haacke’s breakthrough works—part of a set of

sculptures, including Condensation Wall, that combine

transparent geometric shapes and water to reveal

physico-dynamical processes: depending on the

ambient temperature, the water inside collects and

"rains“ (Anon., 2013).

Conservation problem: significant signs of

biodeterioration, despite the presence of copper sulfates

in the water used as a biocide (figure 1). As use of

biocides only has a temporary mitigating effect; a longer-

term solution is needed.

Objective: testing green approach to inhibit microbial

growth on wet PMMA surfaces by filling the interior

volume of Condensation Cube with purified water and

argon gas (to create a low oxygen environment).

Six mock-up “condensation cubes”, two different

water sources, two sampling events

Comparison of four purified water sources

Exposure to Argon: 4 months at room temperature

containing 1000 ppm or less oxygen.

DNA Extraction: 200 ml of water was filtered through

0.22 µm filter, DNA was extracted using PowerWater®

DNA Isolation Kit.

Negative Controls: Negative extraction (dry filter

processed in parallel with samples) and negative PCR

amplification.

Next-Generation Sequencing: 16S™ metagenomics kit

was used for PCR amplification, Ion Torrent PGM with

Hi-Q chemistry was used for sequencing.

Data Analysis: Ion Reporter 5.0 16S™ metagenomics

workflow, filtering contaminants in MS Excel.

Results

Methodology

• Recent advances in molecular detection methods enablesensitive and rapid detection of microbial communities in artobjects (McNamara et al., 2011).

• Purified water sources differ in microbial contaminationlevels.

• Differential filtering of NGS data is required while dealingwith common inhabitants of purified water sources (e.g.Rhizobiales), which can be present in DNA extractionreagents (Salter et al., 2014; Weiss et al. 2014).

• Although argon exposure is effective in suppressing aerobicmicrobial growth (Actinomycetales, Xanthomonadales), itmay potentially trigger proliferation of facultative anaerobes(e.g. Rhizobiales).

• Additional mitigation techniques may be required tocomplement argon treatment.

References

Anon. 2013. National Gallery of Art Acquires Sculptures by Richard Artschwager, AllanMcCollum, and Hans Haacke; Video Installation by Rineke Dijkstra and Seminal Workby Ed Ruscha Also Acquired. Available at: http://www.nga.gov (accessed June 22,2016).

McNamara, C., Konkol, N.R., Brandon, P.R. & Mitchell, R. 2011. Characterization ofBacterial Colonization of Stone at Global and Local Scales. In: Biocolonization ofStone: Control and Preventive Methods, Charola, A.E., McNamara, C. and Koestler,R.J.,eds, Proceedings from the MCI Workshop Series. Washington, DC: SmithsonianInstitution Scholarly Press, pp.29–36.

Salter, S.J., Cox, M.J., Turek, E.M. et al. 2014. Reagent and laboratory contaminationcan critically impact sequence-based microbiome analyses. BMC Biology, 12: 87.

Weiss, S., Amir A., Hyde, E.R. et al. 2014. Tracking down the sources of experimentalcontamination in microbiome studies. Genome biology, 15: 564.

Agathe Riquier1, Natalia Ivanova2, Paula T. DePriest1, Robert J. Koestler1

Preserving functionality of contemporary

art with argon gas ?

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR CONSERVATION

OF HISTORIC AND ARTISTIC WORKS

IIC 2016 Los Angeles Congress

Agathe Riquier1 agathe.riquier@gmail.com, Natalia Ivanova2, Paula T. DePriest1, Robert J. Koestler1

Are the isolated microbes

able to grow, persist and

survive in argon

environments?

Does the microbial

population differ in

composition of the

dominant microbes after

argon exposure?

?

Conclusion

Argon

Figure 1: Artworks under study: Condensation Cube; versions over the world.

© 2016 Agathe Riquier. All rights reserved.

Research Questions

Water source A

Control Argon1 Argon2

Water source B

Control Argon1 Argon2

Sampling 1

• February 2016

Sampling 2

• June 2016

1 Museum Conservation Institute, Smithsonian Institution, Suitland, MD, USA2 Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada

Table 1: Coverage for detected microbial OTUs - Rhizobiales included.

Table 2: Coverage for detected microbial OTUs - Rhizobiales excluded.

© 2016 Agathe Riquier. All rights reserved.