I've been on a preservation Mission for years... one piece at a time... and I'm thrilled when I see others with the same passion to preserve pieces of the past and hopefully develop a greater public awareness, appreciation and enthusiasm for these items... and pass the mantle to future generations to carry on. So that hopefully they will be given a new Home, new Life and Purpose in the present... and well into the future. Whether whole pieces or fragments, iconic or humble, in good shape or otherwise... I have an affinity for the preservation and repurposing of those items that risk being lost forever or are displaced by 'progress' and change. Architectural Salvage and Religious Art/Artifacts are dearest to my own Heart and so I've been preserving these pieces of the past for quite some time and it would be very difficult for me to see a discarded or abandoned piece and not be drawn strongly to do an intervention. *LOL* Often much to the dismay of my Loved ones as I drag yet another orphaned and forlorn piece Home with me! I delight in seeing such items displayed, offered and equally cherished by others who share a similar passion for their preservation and distribution. To feel a need to rescue or attain these items isn't always understood by many... where they may only see junque or decay and no value or Purpose... we see Found Treasures worthy to be salvaged and saved or sold... or turned into a new creation by the vision we have of what it is to become. Some of these items can be a Holy Grail to the Collector of such genres... and what may make our Hearts flutter and skip a beat can leave others shaking their heads in dismay and simply not 'getting it'. *smiles* We simply wouldn't be satisfied with mere reproductions or brand new shiny, perfect, modern, matched or mass produced pieces. Granted, there can be those magnificent pieces like the amazing lifesized statuary of Madonna and Child recently acquired by 'Sirens And Saints' that can make even the most skeptical critic of Salvage Art take notice. But very often they will focus on the scars, the imperfections and damage to a piece and not on the object being absolutely perfect "As Is"... and maybe even more desireable to us because of the time worn elegance and patina that only age can create in a piece... and not in spite of it. Even though condition is very often important to value even with Vintage and Antique pieces... not always is it mandatory to the preservationist in some of us. The imperfections, crackling, age, chipping, wear, spidering, rust, peeling layers and character developed over time are very often what is highly sought after by those of us who seek to preserve these pieces of History and items of past eras... some items may be left as found and others may indeed be restored, refinished or repurposed. And we do it not only because of Nostalgia or potential profit, though that can play a vital role in our particular enthusiasm and preferences for what we're specifically drawn to and be sufficient motivation, but often out of a sense of duty and Purpose. Most Shopkeepers of these types of items have an affinity with their product, a knowledge of it, a passion and Love for it and a Joy in being around it, displaying it and hunting for it... in offering it to those who seek it. It's almost like a Fraternity of Souls who are drawn to these things... kindred Spirits that derive similar pleasure and satisfaction in what they Love or what they do. There are times when I'm fully convinced that my urge to preserve, to save, to salvage, to rescue, to value the past and be a keeper of it... wasn't so much a choice as it was a Purpose that I was born to play out for a reason... not always one that is understood by others or that I myself fully even understand... but that I just do because it was put within me... Dawn... The Bohemian
It has been said that, at its best, preservation engages the past in a conversation with the present over a mutual concern for the future. - William J. Murtagh