To conserve, to preserve, to restore a work of art is a defying act against the destructive nature of time. The mortal hand of the conservator lingers on the edge of entropy, in an attempt to launch an object as far as possible into the space-time continuum. This rebellion against chaos and destruction gave birth to the idea of creating an allegory of new works based off real cases of restoration by RECOOP, namely the Baroque crucifix from the Parish Church of Tarxien, the monument by Domenico Guidi of Grandmaster Nicolas Cotoner at St John’s Co-Cathedral and the recently restored painting of the Madonna Portiuncola by Mattia Preti at the Church of St Francis in Valletta.
These works were all marked by the inevitable tyranny of time, partially consumed by biological agents and oxidation. RECOOP's intervention peeled away the residues of combustion and entropy to reveal a new truth for modern times. This truth unveiled by a physical act, rests on three foundations comprised of the understanding of matter, perception and the impact on the communal body. The depth of process intertwined with conceptual abstractedness give birth to an allegorical machine made up of multiple layers, which acts as a tight channel between the divine and terrestrial realm. An allegory
which breaks from the Dantesque notion of seeking truth through ascent by moving laterally, through matter, process and
residue.