How do institutional practices such as collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and communication become aspects of artworks? Conceptual and installation art, as well as the use of exhibition replicas, are primarily based on agreements that dictate their preservation, reinstallation and remaking. With reference to specific case studies, the lecture will investigate how artists, conservators, museum professionals and the audience all become participants in the creative process these agreements facilitate. Subsequent challenging questions that arise regarding the reception and conservation of works of art as a result of this necessary collaborative involvement will be discussed.