Study on the Influence of Gunpowder Residues Found in Paper-Based Materials. Jen Jung Ku, Research Assistant and Paper Conservator, and Fei Wen Tsai, Associate Professor, Tainan National University of the Arts, Taiwan.
Gunpowder is used as a medium in modern physical and conceptual art. This presentation described experiments in artificial aging of gunpowder on paper in order to develop preservation standards for dealing with this material.
The presenters concluded that keeping gunpowder affixed to the artwork is a foremost problem for this form of art; therefore consolidating gunpowder without changing its physical texture is a subject for further exploration. Since gunpowder is a hazardous material, safe storage is another consideration.
Artists who have used gunpowder as a medium include Edward Ruscha, Matthew Stromberg, Aoife van Linden Tol, Rosemare Fiore, Cai Guo-Qiang ,and Robert Weibel .
Here is a short video in which Edward Ruscha discusses gunpowder art: