Artlab Australia builds wide reputation from Adelaide city in 1985 as leader in conserving cultural collections
Artlab Australia provided conservation services to major South Australian cultural institutions such as the Art Gallery of South Australia, as well as providing services to clients overseas, interstate and locally.
Images (main image by Saul Steed) courtesy Artlab Australia and Art Gallery of South Australia
Artlab Australia became a recognised leader in conserving cultural collections, building a national and international reputation from 1985, when it started as South Australia's State Conservation Centre.
A commercial business unit within the South Australian government's ArtsSA and then the department of premier and cabinet, Artlab Australia was at Kintore Avenue in the centre of Adelaide’s North Terrace cultural precinct.
Artlab Australia – the largest conservation centre in the southern hemisphere – provided expert services in preserving, caring for and managing the state’s cultural collections. It worked principally for, and in partnership with, the major collecting institutions such as the Art Gallery of South Australia, South Australian Museum, the State Library of South Australia, the History Trust of South Australia and Carrick Hill. A significant part of its work involved the conserving and preserving sculptures, monuments and fixtures within heritage buildings and other historical sites.
Artlab Australia also provided conservation services for a corporate clientele, community collections and private clients within Australia and overseas on a fee-for-service basis.
Its team of qualified conservators applied expert and skilled conservation treatment of art and historical items, including paintings, books, photographs, textiles, sculptures, monuments and large technological items. Restoring murals and decorative paintwork, historic interiors, mosaic and terrazzo floors, stained glass windows, carved timberwork, carpets and curtains, furniture and other fittings such as lights, balustrades and decorative railings were also in Artlab’s scope of services.
Restoration projects included the reredos (altar pieces) at St Peter's College, Adelaide, and chapels at New Norcia monastery in Western Australia. Artlab also did several projects outside of Australia, including cultural preservation in Bali in partnership with the Indonesian government and others, funded by the World Bank, and work in Tapai and Hong Kong.
In addition to complex and delicate practical treatments, Artlab Australia services included disaster preparedness planning, environmental management of display and storage conditions to prevent deterioration. Its research and analysis contributed to developing conservation practice and to a greater knowledge and understanding of cultural artefacts and works of art.
Artlab Australia offered training of conservators through internships, conservation capacity building projects overseas, and education and advisory services to support communities in preserving their cultural heritage. Artlab also was involved in the broader management of heritage buildings and sites.
