Authors: Simona Škorja, Klara Retko, Maša Kavčič, Lea Legan, Petra Bešlagić, Rok Hafner, Janez Kosel, Lidija Korat Bensa, Rožle Repič, Miha Humar, Jaka Levanič, Špela Pok, Irena Kralj Cigić, Martin Šala, Matej Huš, Polonca Ropret; Museum of Modern Art, European Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science – Slovenia (E-RIHS.si), GreenHer CoE, Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia (IPCHS), Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute (ZAG), University of Ljubljana Faculty of chemistry and chemical technology (UL FKKT), University of Ljubljana Biotechnical Faculty (UL BF), National Institute of Chemistry (KI), National Museum of Slovenia (NMS).

Slavko Tihec (1928-1993) created his aquamobiles at the turn of the 1960s and 1970s out of a desire to recreate organic movement. His kinetic sculptures are based on research and empirical experiments in designing structures driven by underwater currents and electric current into soft, free movement. Floating forms on the water surface, which simultaneously create sound, evoke associations of life and constant transformation in the viewer. The Museum of Modern Art in Ljubljana and the national node of the European Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science E-RIHS.si present a selection of scientific research on the artwork Verticals (1969) by Slavko Tihec. This dynamic and visually enigmatic kinetic sculpture represents one of the most radical breakthroughs in Slovenian and Yugoslav art of the second half of the 20th century. In preparation for the conservation-restoration intervention on one of the most recognizable works of the Museum of Modern Art, questions arise on how to connect numerous research data into a meaningful whole and translate them into the language of experience, which directly influences the understanding and preservation of the artwork’s materiality. Scientific analyses reveal its materiality, technological design, and aging processes, but in the beginning, middle, and end, it is the human hand that moves, tests, and preserves the matter.

Acknowledgments: The research was made possible by the Slovenian Node of the European Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science (infrastructure program I0-E012 of the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency).