AICCM BulletinPub Date : 2016-07-02DOI: 10.1080/10344233.2016.1249203
R. Tait, Mar Gomez Lobon
{"title":"The conservation treatment and visual reintegration of a major repair of a painted portrait photograph of the Reverend William Henry Browne","authors":"R. Tait, Mar Gomez Lobon","doi":"10.1080/10344233.2016.1249203","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10344233.2016.1249203","url":null,"abstract":"This paper describes an evidence-based treatment of a composite painted and photographic portrait, an area which remains underrepresented in conservation literature. Conservation treatment was undertaken on a painted photographic portrait of the Reverend William Henry Browne (1800–1877), c. 1860s. Browne was the Rector of St John's Church and Archdeacon of Launceston, and a prominent figure in the colonial days of northern Van Diemen's Land. The portrait was painted with watercolour, pastel and gouache over a salted paper photographic print, lined onto a fine cotton fabric and mounted on a strainer. It had suffered severe damage resulting in a large loss of both the paper and fabric supports comprising a large section of the sitter's head. The conservation treatment involved unstretching, removal of the fabric lining, a blotter ‘wash’, lining onto a new cotton cloth similar to the original and stretching the work back onto its original strainer. The large loss was fully reconstructed with imitative reintegration techniques, using a small photograph of the sitter found in a 1914 pamphlet as a reference. This treatment involved combining the skills of both paper and paintings conservators, as the object is a technical combination of both a photograph and a work of art on paper, and is presented as a painting, i.e. lined with cloth, mounted on a wooden strainer and likely framed. After treatment the quality of the work was revealed, which instigated further work into a plausible attribution.","PeriodicalId":7847,"journal":{"name":"AICCM Bulletin","volume":"37 1","pages":"87 - 95"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10344233.2016.1249203","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59923679","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AICCM BulletinPub Date : 2016-07-02DOI: 10.1080/10344233.2016.1251682
I. MacLeod, And Rinske Car
{"title":"Conservation of a mid-19th Century Pretiosa Mitre From New Norcia, Western Australia","authors":"I. MacLeod, And Rinske Car","doi":"10.1080/10344233.2016.1251682","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10344233.2016.1251682","url":null,"abstract":"Conservation treatment and associated scientific analysis of a significant pretiosa (Latin, precious) mitre from the Benedictine Monastery at New Norcia, Western Australia is presented. Analysis of the pH and surface chloride readings showed that increased acidity contributed to the deterioration of the silk fibres, which could be directly related to the levels of retained sweat indicated by the measured chloride ion activity. Migration of acidity from the external silk fabric into the oiled cardboard internal stiffeners necessitated the insertion of replica pieces into the subsequently disassembled mitre. Prior to this work, the corroded gilded silver alloy decorative elements on the disassembled mitre were conserved in situ through reductive consolidation in a 0.1 wt.% sodium dithionite solution at neutral pH. Considerable couching was conducted to stabilise the metalwork and the damaged silk panels on both faces of the mitre, owing to extensive wear from repeated and extended use. Extensive biological degradation of the original silk lining had rendered the original materials with insufficient structural strength to undergo conservation treatment, ultimately requiring replacement with a matching modern silk. All original materials were kept as part of the research collection held by the New Norcia community to allow for future possible DNA analyses.","PeriodicalId":7847,"journal":{"name":"AICCM Bulletin","volume":"37 1","pages":"106 - 96"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10344233.2016.1251682","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59923908","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AICCM BulletinPub Date : 2016-07-02DOI: 10.1080/10344233.2016.1238990
Sarah Babister, Danielle Measday
{"title":"Assessing taxidermy on display: contexts, tools and challenges for natural sciences conservation","authors":"Sarah Babister, Danielle Measday","doi":"10.1080/10344233.2016.1238990","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10344233.2016.1238990","url":null,"abstract":"Wild: Amazing Animals in a Changing World, a long-term exhibit at Melbourne Museum, showcases biodiversity and environmental change through the display of more than 700 taxidermied animals from Museum Victoria's natural sciences collection. Installed in 2009, the award winning gallery presents numerous preservation challenges due to the large number of specimens on open display and the tiered design, which limits access for regular cleaning and assessment. In recent years increased incidents of physical and pest related damage necessitated a comprehensive in-situ condition survey to obtain current and accurate data. This paper addresses the preservation issues and complications of accessing and assessing taxidermy mounts on open display and investigates the use of GoPro HD Hero® 4 action cameras as a condition reporting tool. The context of the Wild exhibition as part of an increased trend for displaying taxidermy will be discussed and future directions for research in the conservation field to assist in the preservation and display of taxidermy are highlighted.","PeriodicalId":7847,"journal":{"name":"AICCM Bulletin","volume":"37 1","pages":"77 - 86"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10344233.2016.1238990","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59923207","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AICCM BulletinPub Date : 2016-01-02DOI: 10.1080/10344233.2016.1206289
Kristin Phillips, J. Bills, J. Gare
{"title":"Developing modified equipment and work practices to reduce the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders from conservation treatment","authors":"Kristin Phillips, J. Bills, J. Gare","doi":"10.1080/10344233.2016.1206289","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10344233.2016.1206289","url":null,"abstract":"Conservation treatments often involve the use of awkward static postures and intensive periods of fine detail work, which can lead to injury. Conservators at Artlab Australia have worked collaboratively with an Occupational Health Physiotherapist/Ergonomist, over the past 10 years and have systematically considered a range of injury risk factors, including movements and postures, load, work organisation, working environment and personal factors. These factors were then evaluated according to a risk-rating matrix that is embedded in the risk assessment process. Using this matrix, the risk rating for musculoskeletal disorders of the neck, upper back, shoulders, elbows and wrists was identified as high. Various innovative engineering solutions were developed that involved redesigning standard equipment including electric, height-adjustable, multi-component tables and adjustable sloped work surfaces for carrying out conservation treatments. This example of a multi-faceted, participative ergonomics approach, combining innovative engineering controls, with changes to the work practices and improved awareness of risk for injury has been highly successful in reducing the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders from conservation treatments at Artlab Australia.","PeriodicalId":7847,"journal":{"name":"AICCM Bulletin","volume":"37 1","pages":"42 - 48"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10344233.2016.1206289","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59922810","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AICCM BulletinPub Date : 2016-01-02DOI: 10.1080/10344233.2016.1206287
Z. Zhu, T. Eckfeld
{"title":"The development of conservation practices in China from the 1980s to the present","authors":"Z. Zhu, T. Eckfeld","doi":"10.1080/10344233.2016.1206287","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10344233.2016.1206287","url":null,"abstract":"This article reviews cultural materials conservation in China from its foundations in the early 1950s when traditional craftsmanship and workshop techniques were practised, through its growth in the 1980s to the present day as a prestigious profession at the leading edge of multidisciplinary science. Its historical evolution is delineated into four phases: traditional, post-revolution, post-1980 and contemporary cultural materials conservation. The current situation of the conservation profession in China is discussed in terms of regulation, organisation, education, cooperation, current challenges and future opportunities.","PeriodicalId":7847,"journal":{"name":"AICCM Bulletin","volume":"37 1","pages":"26 - 34"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10344233.2016.1206287","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59922824","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AICCM BulletinPub Date : 2016-01-02DOI: 10.1080/10344233.2016.1203086
N. Tse
{"title":"The AICCM Bulletin, Volume 37.1 Editorial","authors":"N. Tse","doi":"10.1080/10344233.2016.1203086","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10344233.2016.1203086","url":null,"abstract":"At the 2014 ICOM CC 17th Triennial Conference in Melbourne 2014 our Professor Colin Pearson raised his hand and generously offered an award to the best conservation research in Australia. This was ...","PeriodicalId":7847,"journal":{"name":"AICCM Bulletin","volume":"37 1","pages":"1 - 2"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10344233.2016.1203086","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59922786","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AICCM BulletinPub Date : 2016-01-02DOI: 10.1080/10344233.2016.1206288
Sophie Lewincamp, R. Sloggett
{"title":"Connecting objects, communities and cultural knowledge","authors":"Sophie Lewincamp, R. Sloggett","doi":"10.1080/10344233.2016.1206288","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10344233.2016.1206288","url":null,"abstract":"Cultural objects carry forward the identity of the past into the future. The process of preservation therefore has strong impact on the transmission of cultural knowledge and the definition of identity. The works of Elman Service, Nicholas Thomas and Marica Pointon have examined concepts of geography, economics and politics to argue how, as custodians of cultural artefacts, cultural institutions can reframe the idea of authority knowledge. Informed by this work, and the broader critique of cultural positions by Arjun Appadurai and others, institutions have sought to enhance knowledge and presentations by engagement with collection-specific expert knowledge holders within communities, and, in so doing, to democratise the representation of cultural material. Defined initially by Mary Louise Pratt and later James Clifford, contact zones have been utilised within museums to create shared spaces for dialogue and exchange. Focusing on two case studies, the Returned and Services League LifeCare War Museum in Narrabeen and the Middle Eastern Manuscript Collection at the University of Melbourne, this paper examines how academic specialist knowledge in cultural materials conservation can be aligned with the needs of community-focused museums to enhance knowledge and understanding of the collection, and its conservation needs, through specialist expertise held by communities. It does so by examining how different zones—the initial landing zone, the early exploration zone, the collaboration zone and the transfer of knowledge zone—provide opportunities for potent interactions and complex creative exchanges.","PeriodicalId":7847,"journal":{"name":"AICCM Bulletin","volume":"37 1","pages":"13 - 3"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10344233.2016.1206288","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59922842","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AICCM BulletinPub Date : 2016-01-02DOI: 10.1080/10344233.2016.1206297
Jeremy R. Barns, A. Labrador
{"title":"Carlos V. Francisco's The Progress of Medicine in the Philippines: Renegotiating decisions and collaborations in conservation","authors":"Jeremy R. Barns, A. Labrador","doi":"10.1080/10344233.2016.1206297","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10344233.2016.1206297","url":null,"abstract":"The Progress of Medicine in the Philippines comprises of four oil paintings on canvas executed by Philippine National Artist Carlos V. Francisco in 1953, which were commissioned for the main entrance hall of the Philippine General Hospital in Manila. The Hospital's entrance hall opens directly onto the outdoor environment. With air pollution and pedestrian traffic through the hospital, combined with termite infestation and minor incidents of vandalism, the paintings began to exhibit signs of severe deterioration, such that restoration was performed in 1974, then again in 1991 and in 2006. Nevertheless, the condition of the paintings continued to worsen. This gave rise to the idea of transferring the original paintings to a special gallery of the National Museum of the Philippines, in exchange for high-quality reproductions that would take their place at the hospital entrance. Such an initiative would be unprecedented in the Philippines, but was made possible by the shared recognition of all stakeholders that the paintings were highly significant. This paper describes how a collaborative approach to a large-scale conservation project has led to increased recognition of and support for the conservation department at the National Museum of the Philippines.","PeriodicalId":7847,"journal":{"name":"AICCM Bulletin","volume":"37 1","pages":"35 - 41"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10344233.2016.1206297","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59922863","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AICCM BulletinPub Date : 2016-01-02DOI: 10.1080/10344233.2016.1205837
A. Meredith, R. Sloggett, Jacqueline Healy
{"title":"Reconstructing the archive: Access, documentation, conservation","authors":"A. Meredith, R. Sloggett, Jacqueline Healy","doi":"10.1080/10344233.2016.1205837","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10344233.2016.1205837","url":null,"abstract":"There has been limited research into the role of reconstruction in the preservation of Indigenous Australian archives, both those created within Indigenous communities, and those created about Indigenous people. Following a phenomenological methodology in which the research question is contested against real world experience, two case studies investigate the potential of reconstruction as a methodology in the conservation of Indigenous Australian archival material and the contexts in which it is created and used. First, a comparative analysis of metadata and documentation practices at the Warlayirti Artists’ Centre archive in Balgo, Western Australia, outlines the role of conservation in supporting the reintegration of access to artist-run archives. Second, an interview with the artist Brook Andrew documents how contemporary Indigenous artists create their own archives to disrupt received notions of identity, and to articulate the archival continuum into which contemporary Indigenous identity develops. This study develops a model of reconstruction to provide theoretical and practical guidelines for understanding the relevance and role of archives, and the significance of archival re-appropriation by Indigenous artists. This paper argues that, in supporting and enabling the process of reconstruction, conservators can work with Indigenous Australian artists to sustain their cultural past and collective memory in different material forms into the present.","PeriodicalId":7847,"journal":{"name":"AICCM Bulletin","volume":"37 1","pages":"14 - 25"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10344233.2016.1205837","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59922815","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AICCM BulletinPub Date : 2015-07-03DOI: 10.1080/10344233.2015.1126991
A. Pagliarino, Michael Marendy
{"title":"Ron Mueck In Bed (2005)—A Contemporary Textile Challenge","authors":"A. Pagliarino, Michael Marendy","doi":"10.1080/10344233.2015.1126991","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10344233.2015.1126991","url":null,"abstract":"Following the inclusion of Ron Mueck's In Bed (2005) in the 2010 National Gallery of Victoria Touring Exhibition Ron Mueck and the 2011 Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art Regional Tour In Bed by Ron Mueck, the artwork underwent a major conservation treatment. The treatment focused on remediation of textile staining and discolouration which had progressively increased over the period of exhibition. In addition to the treatment, the Gallery undertook to reproduce three textile components comprising the upper and lower pillowcases and the duvet cover. The monumental scale of In Bed posed considerable conservation challenges in both undertaking the cleaning treatment and manufacturing the reproduction textile pieces. An extensive literature review revealed little published material on the treatment of large contemporary textiles, therefore the treatment methodology was based on principles developed for historic textiles. To wash the oversised textile pieces, the Gallery built a 5 × 8 m custom-designed washtub and drying rack. The use of theatre curtaining in the manufacture of the original and reproduction textiles required experimental work to determine the validity and success of established historic textile treatments applied in a contemporary context.","PeriodicalId":7847,"journal":{"name":"AICCM Bulletin","volume":"36 1","pages":"124 - 135"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10344233.2015.1126991","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59922733","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}