Hey everybody.
A lot of you have asked me about
my please do not touch sticker
on my computer.
And so today we're going
to talk about just that.
I have with me
Richard McCoy, who's
trained as an art conservator.
But now he works on sort
of general architectural
conservation preservation.
Is that about right?
I like to say
cultural heritage.
And that's kind of a funny
word, but it captures most
everything.
So Richard, I said you were
trained as an art conservator.
But what is an art conservator?
RICHARD MCCOY: Art
conservators are kind
of the art doctors in a museum.
They are the folks that
work to restore paintings,
to fix sculptures, to take
care of costumes and textiles.
They're the folks
that get to touch
the artworks in the
museum and to try
to make them look better.
So you're the person
who has to deal with it,
when other people do touch
things they shouldn't.
That's right.
I used to be a
curator in a museum.
And I had a stack of stickers
that said, "please do not
touch" in my drawer.
And every time
somebody would touch
something they weren't
supposed to in the museum,
I'd get a call.
And then I'd sort of
scamper up to the galleries
and put it down, as a
first line of defense.
Just before we put up a
barrier, let's ask them nicely.
Please don't touch.
I put the sticker on my computer
because I thought it was funny,
and because I didn't want
people to touch my computer.
But it's also indicative of a
wider trend of mixed messages
out in the art world.
Where they tell you
you can't touch it,
but sometimes you can.
It's confusing.
So Richard, let's go
through a bunch of artworks
and say whether we can touch
them and we can't touch them.
How about it?
Great.
This is going to be fun.
Let's figure out
what we can touch.
SARAH URIST GREEN: OK, here
is a large outer sculpture
by Henry Moore, outside the
National Gallery in Washington.
Can touch or can't touch?
RICHARD MCCOY: Well,
it's made of bronze.
And if you were to
go up and touch it,
maybe your little fingers
wouldn't do a lot to it.
But then imagine 1,000 people
doing that, every single day.
Next thing you know, there'd
be this big gigantic swipe
mark on it, from
everybody touching it.
So to help it last
longer, don't touch.
SARAH URIST GREEN: OK, next up,
Marcel Duchamp's bicycle wheel.
Can touch or can't touch?
RICHARD MCCOY: Do
you mean, can you
go up and just sort
of spin the wheel?
SARAH URIST GREEN: You want to.
RICHARD MCCOY: No.
SARAH URIST GREEN: No.
RICHARD MCCOY: I mean,
I think that's part
of the fun of this piece is
that it's a bicycle wheel.
And you know it moves.
And so you're just dying
to go up and spin it.
But you can't.
I mean--
SARAH URIST GREEN: And
it's an everyday object.
So it sort of feels like you
should be able to touch it.
Again, it's not so bad
if just you touch it.
But imagine 1,000 people
spinning that wheel every day.
It'd be bad.
It'd be bad.
It wouldn't last very long, and
then you'd destroy the artwork.
Don't touch.
How about this earthwork by
Nancy Holt, "Sun Tunnels?"
RICHARD MCCOY: Yeah,
you've got to get in there.
You have to touch it.
You have to interact with it
and see how the light works.
It's called "Sun Tunnels," and
so you want to be in there.
That's one that was designed
for people to touch.
Hardly anythings
going to happen.
It's going to last a long time
out there in the environment,
and there's not a lot that
you can do to it to damage it.
SARAH URIST GREEN:
Next let's look
at this Jasper Johns piece.
Seems like you might
be able to touch it.
Can I touch it?
RICHARD MCCOY: Oh man, like
you want to go up and just,
like, turn that light switch
on, make that flashlight go
and make it work.
SARAH URIST GREEN:
But I'm guessing no.
RICHARD MCCOY: Yeah, no.
I mean, I don't even know
how that flashlight's
attached to the painting.
If you go up and touch it, you
know it might pop off there.
I mean, I think part of
the mystery of this piece
is allowing you to sort
of imagine what it would
be like with the light working.
And so it's asking you to do
some work when you go see it.
But in the end,
you can't touch it.
SARAH URIST GREEN: Next
up is Valie Export's "Tap
and Touch Cinema."
It's a piece from 1968.
And you have to touch.
She's inviting you to touch.
She's made a cardboard box
theater around herself.
And you are invited
to stick your hands
in, through the curtain,
and touch her naked torso.
Must touch.
RICHARD MCCOY: OK, so here's
one that I think a lot of people
ask about, is Donald Judd.
He's sort of famous for these
really high end finishes.
But in the end, no way, sorry.
SARAH URIST GREEN: Why not?
RICHARD MCCOY: Well, this is
a really sensitive surface
that are usually in
unfinished metal.
And so if you touch
them once with even just
kind of a greasy
fingerprint, it's
going to leave that
fingerprint there.
And if it's not
immediately wiped off,
it'll eventually
etch into the metal.
Ugh.
An artwork that I would
really like to discuss
is Ai Weiwei's "Sunflower
Seeds" at the Tate Modern
that was in Turbine Hall.
And if I remember
correctly, you were supposed
to be able to walk on it.
But then they had to
change their tack.
Do you remember what happened?
RICHARD MCCOY: That was a
really interesting project.
I really loved that piece.
And you were originally
supposed to walk out on it.
But in the end, as
people were walking
on those individual sunflower
seeds, they were crushing them.
And the paint and
dust was coming up,
and it became a health hazard.
It actually became
dangerous to people's lungs.
So sometimes artists and museums
have to change their approach.
They're just
looking out for you.
A lot of times, museums aren't
trying to be a buzzkill,
but they're trying to
keep the artwork safe,
and they're trying
to keep you safe.
And they have to be
responsive to the way things
change and the way
you interact with it.
Can we talk about one
of my favorite pieces?
Of course, of course.
What is it?
Great.
I love Felix Gonzalez Torres.
Me too.
And one of the pieces
that I like a lot
is the candy spill, which
is a pile of candy that's
usually in a corner.
And it's the weight
of his partner.
And you are supposed to
go and take a piece of it.
So this is one you can touch.
There's another one that
Gonzalez Torres does,
this paper piece,
that's usually installed
in the middle of a gallery.
SARAH URIST GREEN:
It's a stack of paper.
And you can go and you can
roll one up and take one.
I usually take one,
and I'll tack it up
in my apartment or whatever.
As a conservator and the guy
that has to go and clean stuff,
I see those pieces
and I go take them,
and I wad them up into a big--
What?
Yeah, I love to do it.
Seriously?
It's fun for me in a gallery
to go and trash a piece of work
that you're allowed to trash.
And so I have this
crinkled piece of paper
that then I tack on my wall.
SARAH URIST GREEN:
How about Dubuffet?
Because here's an example of an
artist sometimes you can touch
it, sometimes you can't.
Here's an example
of some gallery
based artwork, some
sculptures, where
there's plinths
surrounding the sculptures,
except for that one over there.
But the plinth is
telling me do not touch.
Why?
They put the plinths up
there for extra protection,
to keep the structures
more stable.
In the event you
did touch them, you
might knock them over and hurt
somebody or even the artwork.
And so sometimes it's not
just about the surface,
it's about stability and making
sure the artwork is safe.
I can respect that.
And also the people are
safe, more importantly.
SARAH URIST GREEN: But here's
an example of a Dubuffet
where you can touch it.
In fact, you're encouraged to.
You have to.
What are we looking at?
RICHARD MCCOY: This
is fiberglass that's
been painted white and black.
And it's a piece that was
designed to be walked on,
even though when you walk on
it, you're sort of damaging it.
They know that, and they're
ready to repaint it every so
often, when it needs it.
So this is one that's sort
of built with a maintenance
plan around it.
SARAH URIST GREEN: All right
now, what about Jeff Koons?
These look sort of like they're
in the Donald Judd category,
like I probably
shouldn't touch them.
RICHARD MCCOY: Yeah, absolutely.
I mean, as you can see,
they're on pedestals.
So they're really trying
to keep you away from them.
And that's not really for
a structural stability.
That's because they know people
love to try to touch these.
And it's the kind of
thing, if you touch them,
you're going to leave behind
grease and fingerprints.
And eventually over time, that's
going to trash the surface.
Do you have a rule of thumb
of when people want to touch
something and when they don't?
It's not only the
kind of material it is,
but it's how close
it is to touch.
So if you could imagine, things
that are sort of at arm height
get touched all the time.
But it's also
shiny metal things.
And it's things that people want
to know what they're made of.
So that Koons is a
really good example,
because is it a balloon?
Is it metal?
Is it plastic?
What is it?
Can I go up and knock on it?
It's in a sense kind of
dispelling the myth of what
this sculpture is.
That's what they're
trying to play with.
And I think in the
end to go up and touch
it is kind of cheating.
I also feel like
when there's kind
of these perfect,
pristine surfaces,
you kind of want
to break the law.
You kind of do
want to mess it up.
But you really shouldn't.
You know Sarah, I
don't think everybody
wants to break the law.
There's rule
followers out there.
Really?
And so I think
part of the problem
is folks understanding when they
can and can't touch something.
OK.
I won't touch it.
So I'm still kind of confused.
There's a lot of mixed messages.
How can we, as an art going
public, figure it out?
I think being a good citizen
in a cultural institution
is the same as being a good
citizen when you're out
in your own town
or your own city.
So think of the
cultural institutions
or the religious institutions,
monuments and memorials.
This is our cultural heritage.
And if we don't
take care of it,
it won't be there for
future generations.
That's the point.
Richard, thanks
so much for coming.
This was really great.
And I hope everybody
got a lot out of it.
Well, thanks for having me.
But you know, since I'm here,
can I do a mini art assignment?
Sure.
OK, so here is your extra
credit art assignment.
What I want you to do is to
go out and find something
that you really want to touch
that you're not allowed to.
Don't touch it, but
take a picture of it.
And then tell us why
you want to touch it.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Oh right I've been
thinking about this.
Keep it clean, you all.
