In my previous post, I alluded to the risks of not hiring a professional for preservation/restoration work. Speak of the devil that same story has reared its head again today. She apparently volunteered to restore the 19th century image for her church and botched it. The results of the restoration can be found in any news story on the issue or by simply browsing meme sites such as 9gag for a few minutes (werewolf Jesus, monkey Jesus, fresco FAIL, restoration FAIL, the list of names is long indeed...) It has spawned its own hashtag: #DIY Jesus on blogging sites... Who knew failure could be so... popular.
The woman who attempted the restoration of the fresco has now hired lawyers and wants a cut of the money the church has raised due to an increase in tourism prompted by her "work." Apart from a clear demonstration of "free isn't always better" and of the problems that can arise from volunteer labor, albeit in the extreme, there is another valuable point to consider. Apparently all you need is a meme to get people to visit a location (preferably without destroying objects.) Certainly promoting errors and the destruction of objects would not be the goal but this seems like a feasible strategy to not only foster public involvement with a historical site but also inject a little humor. If it generates a little revenue on the side, no harm done (unless of course there is a severe art restoration, well... fail).
Here's the story.
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