Overcoming Challenges in Street Art Murals Conservation: A Comparative Study on Cleaning Approach and Methodology

Street art, and its preservation, has become one of the most discussed and still open topics in the field of conservation. The absence of a sharable conservation protocol in terms of cleaning and protection is a delicate subject to deal with. The cleaning of contemporary murals and urban artworks st...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Moira Bertasa, Chiara Ricci, Arianna Scarcella, Francesca Zenucchini, Giulia Pellis, Paola Croveri, Dominique Scalarone
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-10-01
Series:Coatings
Subjects:
gel
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6412/10/11/1019
Description
Summary:Street art, and its preservation, has become one of the most discussed and still open topics in the field of conservation. The absence of a sharable conservation protocol in terms of cleaning and protection is a delicate subject to deal with. The cleaning of contemporary murals and urban artworks stained by graphical vandalism is a real challenge, due to the similar chemical composition of the materials involved. In this work two different approaches to the cleaning of street art murals, namely chemical methods and laser cleaning, are reported and compared with the aim of identifying a suitable conservation practice. Ad hoc concrete mock-ups coated with a paint layer and a simulated vandalism on top have been prepared and used for the testing and analytical assessment of the cleaning procedures.
ISSN:2079-6412