When was ReCoop set up and with what aims?

ReCoop was set up just under 12 years ago by a group of conservators who had just graduated from the University of Malta’s very first bachelor’s degree in conservation which was offered by the Malta Centre for Restoration, Bighi.

During our course of studies we were mentored by experts from several prestigious international centres, including the Getty Institute of Conservation in California and the Istituto di Restauro in Rome. These offered us a wealth of learning opportunities and experience.

As keen professionals at the onset of our careers, we wanted to offer a service which included our different areas of specialisation. There was a definite sense of professional entrepreneurship – we really wanted to keep ourselves employed while doing what we love and this is what we have been doing ever since.

What growth have you achieved since then?

ReCoop grew stronger by adapting to new opportunities in our market and today we have 13 professional employees on our payroll. Over the last couple of years, ReCoop has extended into the conservation of architecture. ReCoop has been awarded major European funded tenders for restoration of Malta’s bastions with works completed in Valletta, Birgu, Mdina and the Citadel in Gozo.

This newer expansion in no way undermines our in-house restoration at our conservation laboratory in Mrieħel. ReCoop has done conservation and restoration works on baroque masterpieces by Francesco Noletti, Alessandro Algardi and Mattia Preti as was involved in the conservation of Carapecchia’s Chapelle Ardente at St John’s Co-Cathedral.

In what conservation and restoration areas do you specialise?

As in so many other professions, restoration and conservation have various specialisations and it is extremely challenging – if at all possible – to be an expert in all fields even though the basic principles are shared between them. In fact, the bachelor’s degree in conservation was divided into four areas of specialisation and a student could be trained to be a paintings conservator (easel paintings, mural paintings and polychrome sculpture), stone conservator (stone, glass, metal and ceramic), textile or paper conservator. ReCoop was set up to offer a holistic service including these varying specialties. As a cooperative with conservators and restorers specialised in different fields, we have been able to join forces and offer a holistic service to our clients while embracing the field of art historical research. This set-up has also allowed ReCoop to expand into a more multidisciplinary team with members from the art historical profession, designers and architects. We also provide opportunities to all our members to attend specialisation courses in different fields.

Does every area of specialisation require a different approach?

The basic principles are the same. Restoration processes should be reversible or at least retreatable, not alter any of the original materials and should respect the original intent of the artist or architect as well as the artefact’s history.

On the other hand processes and materials are dynamic: they are changed, adapted and researched for each and every artefact. We do not use the same processes and materials to restore every oil on canvas. Often, these present varying and particular deterioration phenomena and may have individual manufacturing techniques. The role of the conservator is to analyse the artefact and its deterioration phenomena through diagnostic investigation, research and art history and then, together with a team of experts, formulate the best treatment plan for the object in question.

Research and development of materials is an ongoing process worldwide and therefore we are in constant contact with manufacturers and researchers to bring the latest technologies and materials to Malta. This enables us to offer the best conservation and restoration solutions to our clients to ensure the safest and latest technology is applied.

Malta has a significant cultural and historical wealth. Yet does this put greater demand on conservation efforts?

The sheer density of artefacts on the island may be considered an overwhelming challenge for any restoration endeavour. Just a quick look into our churches in practically every village core exposes a wealth of works of art and architectural gems worth conserving and preserving for generations to come.

Professional restoration is still a relatively recent concept and career option in Malta. Restoration and conservation was established in Malta as a profession in 1999 by the formation of the then Malta Centre for Restoration and the creation of a degree in collaboration with the University of Malta. Prior to this degree, restoration in Malta was carried out by either foreign individuals or Maltese trained abroad, artists, or self-taught restorers. Internationally, in the last 50 years or so, restoration has shifted from being craft to a science.

The profession was further strengthened locally by the 2002 Cultural Heritage Act which identified the role of the conservator and restorer. The act had also the obligation to issue conservators and restorers warrants to distinguish professional conservator and restorers from others. Nevertheless this was never implemented and to this very day everyone can, so to speak, be an amateur restorer.

We all recall the image of the Ecce Homo ruined by a Spanish ‘restorer’. Unfortunately, such occurrences are not uncommon. This situation is also present in Malta resulting in objects being altered irreversibly as a result of the application of inappropriate techniques, materials and sometimes cost cutting. Marketed materials applied to our stone have not necessarily been formulated for this use and most of these ‘treatments’ actually cause more harm.

These are issues that we, as restorers are faced with on a daily basis. The role of the conservator should be better established. It should be at par with that of an architect, art historian and curator with each professional working together in a multidisciplinary team and enabling the best decisions to be taken for the better preservation of the artefact, object and monument in question.

Would you consider conservation and restoration to be a science, an art or a combination of both?

Conservation and restoration are a combination of both art and science. Conservation is deeply rooted in art and in the humanist tradition but it also engages with scientific methods and scientific tools. Indeed conservation provides a beautiful embrace between the humanist field and science. Care must be taken that restoration is not reduced to being a scientific exercise and it is essential that the element of humanist judgement in the appreciation of art remains a vital contributing factor to any conservation project.

You have been involved in national conservation and restoration efforts. Which have been the most significant?

Every conservation project provides its own challenges and the conservation and restoration of a small 17th-century glass item may provide a challenge which is as exciting as the restoration of monumental architecture.

In terms of scale the most significant challenges undertaken by ReCoop were the restoration of bastions and fortification while in terms of painting and statuary, ReCoop has been involved in the conservation and restoration of works by the major protagonists of art in Malta.

The conservation project of Antonio de Saliba’s Virgin and Child panel was one of the most difficult while the restoration of the lunette of the Martyrdom of St Lawrence by Mattia Preti at St John’s Co-Cathedral remains the most challenging work undertaken by the company. Equally significant was the rehabilitation and restoration of the Carmelite Priory in Mdina and Vincenzo Manno’s entire vault decoration of the Mdina Cathedral.