Tag Archive for 'conservation'

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Where do exhibitions go when they die?

Published by Alison Brennan 3 Comments Tags: conservation, exhibitions, museology.

I can’t believe that one of our longest lived exhibitions, Never Done, is finally ………almost done. I am sure that many staff, volunteers and visitors will be saddened by the removal of this old favourite. In 2002 the laundry component of Never Done was removed to make way for the Australian Communities Gallery and now in 2010, 22 years after it was first installed the rest of the exhibition will be dismantled over a two week period in May.

Sentimentality aside, the removal of such a long standing exhibition has very real challenges for the Registration Department, namely where are we going to put the 953 objects located to this display?

When collection objects are put on display their ‘home’ in storage is left free, where possible, for their impending return. As most exhibitions have a relatively short life span of a year or so this is easy enough to do. But the objects in Never Done have been on display for over 22 years and their storage ‘homes’ have been well and truly ‘settled’ by some other object now claiming squatters rights. Yes housing is a bit of an issue in our collection store.

So how do we decide where things are going to go? It is not just a matter of finding a spare 953 spots in the collection store. A bit like how you organise your stuff at home, we have a preferred place for our objects, I mean you are not going to put your toothpaste in the fridge just because there is a space there are you?

If you are unfamiliar with our basement collection store, objects are stored according to a series of classifications. The most obvious is the material makeup of the object; textiles are stored in an area where the temperature is slightly colder than the rest of the store. The textiles are stored according to what can be hung (contemporary clothing) what needs to lay flat in drawers (fragile historic clothing) and what can be stored on shelves in cupboards (shoes).

Some vulnerable objects are stored together, for instance ceramics are always stored on static shelving for safety reasons and paper objects are located to solander boxes inside plan cabinets behind roller shutters to keep the light out. Most other things are stored onto shelving in movable compactus units which are organised by themes, keeping like objects together.

Most of the Never Done objects will be located to the Domestic History area in the basement and as mentioned previously space is a premium down there and we are in the process of undertaking a reshuffle of religion and politics (of course we store the unmentionables together) to make some room and welcome these objects home.

Julius Medgyessy has been put in charge of this logistical challenge and he is in the throes of stocktaking the exhibition on site. Aside from checking that all the objects are correctly located before they are moved the stocktake will also help Julius determine the volume of material to be moved to each of our storage areas; he needs to plan what should go out to Castle Hill storage area, what needs to go the textile store and how much space we need in other areas.

A thorough inspection of the area has also brought to light some dismantling challenges, for instance the sink in the kitchen display is made up of three different objects and will need to be dismantled (do we need a conservator or a plumber)?

Curiously some collection objects on open display have been have been glued in place, possibly the only reason they are still there, so we will need to remove these without causing further damage, and finally who is responsible for handling those dusty taxidermy animals strung up around the exhibition?

Technology has changed since Never Done was installed and collection objects are now given barcodes, which link the physical object with its EMu record. As part of the process of removing this display, Julius will need to prepare an object tag and barcode for each object. The barcode will enable staff to electronically update the new location of the object as it is put into storage; onto a shelf, into a drawer or onto a pallet. Using hand held ‘pocket PC’s” the barcode on each object is scanned as is the barcode at the location the object is going (to get an idea of how vast this is there are over 22,000 locations in the Harwood Basement alone) and viola a new home for this collection object.

one down 952 to go…..

Conservator’s Corner: Investigating our plastics collection

Published by Erika Taylor 1 Comment Tags: conservation, plastic, spectrometer.

Collection: Powerhouse Museum.

During the period 1929-55, the Museum director Arthur de Raymond Penfold became fascinated by a new material called plastic and stated:

The way they stirred the imagination of the public is as much a marvel as the wizardry of the modern organic chemist who gave us the great invention.

The Powerhouse Museum has a wonderful plastic collection which also includes some of the raw materials for plastic fabrication. We have started a preservation research project this year to analyse and identify the types of plastics collected during this period. We plan to identify the composition of each object.

Our analysis is being carried out using a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR). When infrared radiation interacts with matter it can be absorbed, causing the chemical bonds in the matter to vibrate. Chemical structural fragments within molecules are known as functional groups. Each functional group absorbs infrared radiation in the same wave-number range regardless of the structure of the rest of the molecule. For instance, the C=O stretch of a carbonyl group occurs at ~ 1700cm-1 in ketones, aldehydes and carboxylic acids.

Spectrum showing Carbonyl group position at ~ 1700cm-1

This means there is a correlation between the wave-numbers at which the molecule absorbs infrared radiation and its structure. This correlation allows the structure of an unknown material to be identified by comparison of the infrared spectrum of that material to spectral libraries of known materials.

The identification of each object’s composition will help us to determine the conservation needs for each item. We will be considering factors affecting deterioration rates, storage and exhibition requirements. This analysis will increase and verify the information held in the Museum’s object collection records.

Conservator’s Corner: Caring for Planes

Published by Erika Taylor 0 Comments Tags: conservation, Planes, preservation.

We recently acquired the famous Genairco Bi-plane. Tthe Genairco was the first of several aircraft to have flown under the Sydney Harbour Bridge which opened in 1932′.
The bi-plane has been stored at Wiseman’s Ferry in a hangar. The plane could not be flown onto our storage site so it had to be transported by trailer and truck. The wings of the plane had to be dissembled in the hangar and were placed in our truck. The fuselage was then attached to the trailer and moved to our storage area at the Powerhouse Discovery Centre, (PDC) Castle Hill. Once new brackets are made, the bi-plane can then be stored with its wings folded back.

The PDC has 7 ultra-light planes hanging from the ceiling in the display store. Planes are large objects that take up a lot of space, so hanging them from the roof makes a lot of sense. It saves a lot of valuable space and it allows you to see the planes from different angles. There are arguments in the museum community about strain being placed on components of the aircraft when they are suspended. One alternative is to display planes on stands. However, the stands do not support the wings and the plane still takes up a lot of room in our store. Another alternative is to display the fuselage separately to the wings. We took these points into consideration before deciding to suspend the ultra-lights.

The roof of the display store was built and certified to support the weight of the 7 ultra-light planes. With a new device called a rig-mate girder clamp, the planes could then be suspended from single hanging points anywhere in the ceiling. Six planes were hung in the display store and one was hung upside down in the foyer of the PDC.

The planes were hung with wire cables (to current Australian standards). Specifically designed brackets were made and clamped around structurally strong parts of the plane. The wire cables could then be attached to the brackets. This meant that no holes were drilled into the objects. The planes were then put in place using a block and tackle system.

The twin plank glider only needed one cable. This meant that the wings could be placed at interesting angles using cable attached to the rig-mate girder clamp.

The plane in the foyer is suspended upside down. This presented a different challenge as it was too difficult to turn a plane over once it was assembled. To prepare for hanging the fuselage was turned upside down and the wings and wheels were attached in the upside down position.

Conservator’s Corner- Creating simple wigs for display

Published by Erika Taylor 0 Comments Tags: conservation, mannequinns, wigs.

Ever since the Powerhouse Museum opened in 1988, curator, Lindie Ward and textile conservator, Suzanne Chee have been making simple paper wigs for the museum’s mannequins.

The wigs they have created are mimimal and they enhance rather than detract from the dress on display. Yet, with a few strips of carefully cut and placed paper, they have been able to suggest what hairstyle was worn in the period when the dress was in fashion. The strips of paper are attached to the mannequin’s head with archival double-sided tape. It is a very effective way of creating the correct era for a dress.

Recently, Suzanne Chee gave a workshop to the Encore Historical Costume group in St Marys. The dozen participants found it very interesting. We will soon write an information sheet with photos demonstrating how to do this technique.

Engines- restoration or conservation?

Published by Debbie Rudder 0 Comments Tags: comet engine, conservation, engines, petrol, restoration.

Collection, Powerhouse Museum

Collecting and tinkering with engines is still a popular hobby today. Although fewer young people are getting involved than in the past, some are discovering the fascination of these objects and the skills to be developed by working with them. A large element of this hobby’s attractiveness is the challenge of getting engines running, and, for many collectors, restoring engines to their original appearance.

The debate between restoration and conservation is important in this collecting area. As you can see from the photo of this Australian-made Comet engine, museums tend to argue strongly in favour of conservation. In the past, museums favoured restoration, and they still do in the case of engines found in extremely poor condition. It is the engines discovered with mostly original parts and with some of their original surface intact that are in contention; where a keen restorer will see a little paint amidst the rust, a museum conservator will see precious evidence of the original paintwork marred by a little rust, which can be treated so it does not consume more of the surface. In the case of rare engines like this one, it is hard to argue against the conservation stance.

Debbie Rudder

Bosdyk Doll’s House- part four

Published by Melanie Pitkin 0 Comments Tags: Bosdyk dolls house, conservation, preservation.

Gosia, the Museum's clever objects conservator, at work!

Gosia, the Museum's very clever conservator, in action!

The processes that follow an acquisition of an object into a museum’s collection are not as straightforward as some may think! All incoming objects need to be numbered, catalogued, researched and then documented and conserved. For one object, such as a broken vase, this may be quite time consuming, but if you think of the Bosdyk Doll’s House with approximately 2000 components…well, need I say anymore?!

This week I sat down with the Museum’s Objects Conservator, Gosia Dudek, to find out exactly what her involvement was in caring for the doll’s house.

Melanie: When did you first start work on the doll’s house?

Gosia: I started in September 2008 and finished in May 2009! But, I was working on other projects as well during that time.

Melanie: What was the aim of your work?

Gosia: To prepare the doll’s house for display and storage. This means recording its condition before and after treatment, which includes written and photographic documentation, and then the actual treatment.

Gosia working very carefully, room by room.

Melanie: Can you describe what you were faced with when you first laid eyes on the doll’s house?

Gosia: It is a very large and detailed doll’s house. It’s over two meters high and has 20 rooms complete with furniture, electrical fittings, clothing, numerous homewares, ornaments as well as ‘people’ and ‘pets’. As you can imagine, the scale of all the pieces are rather small – a lot of them are between 3mm to 10mm in height and width.

Melanie: What was the condition of the doll’s house when it first came to the Museum? Were all the pieces attached?

Gosia: A number of the components were originally attached – some were fixed with screws, some were glued with various types of glue or stuck with double sided foam tape or blu-tack. Since the doll’s house was made over a period of 7 years, the tape, tack and glue dated to different points in time and were beginning to show signs of deterioration, mainly loss of adhesive properties. Also, the front of the doll’s house is open. This allowed dust to accumulate inside the house, especially on all the attached pieces and in hard to reach places – although, it was occasionally cleaned by Christine and Frans Bosdyk.

Melanie: Can you describe the types of things you had to do as a conservator to overcome these problems?

Gosia: My job was to clean the exterior and interior of the house and all its components, remove any deteriorated glue, double-sided foam tape, blu-tack, remove tarnish from silver pieces, repair any damaged parts etc. Then, my aim was to re-attach and secure as many pieces as possible using a variety of materials and techniques. Whenever possible I tried to secure objects by physical means using thread, Mylar (clear polyester film), silicon tubing, polyethylene foam, silk organza and metal wire. When that was not achievable, I had to use several types of acrylic adhesives or starch paste. The choice of adhesive depended on the kind of the materials the little objects were made of and where they were to be attached.

If you look carefully, you can see where some of the thread has been used to keep the books and newspapers in place...

Melanie: Can you give some examples of how you used these materials on the different objects?

Gosia: I used thread for sewing and tying things down – such as the tablecloths to the tables; the bundles of linen and towels to shelves; the baby inside the pram and the mattress to the pram; pillows, mattresses and blankets to the beds; bath mats to basins or bundles of books to shelves. I used polyethylene foam to secure drawers to stop them from falling out of their spaces or to secure wine bottles in the wine racks. I glued things like the ceramic and glass cups and ornaments to the furniture and shelves, and used silicon tubing for securing things like the toothbrushes and spoons in their holders. I made stands out of silicone coated wire to support unsteady figurines.

An example of polyethylene foam used inside the drawers

Melanie: So, what didn’t you secure and why?

Gosia: Out of approximately 2000 pieces in the house, 158 individual pieces and assemblies (such as a table with crockery and cutlery on top) were left un-attached. These objects obstructed access to the back of rooms which need to be kept accessible for future cleaning and maintenance. These objects are currently packed and stored separately.

Melanie: How did you ensure you returned the object(s) to the right place in each room after you finished cleaning them?

Gosia: I worked from detailed photographs showing the original layouts of all 20 rooms and the exterior of the house.

Gosia methodically referring to the original photo layout

Melanie: It sounds like incredibly painstaking work! How did you physically manage? I imagine you would need a lot of patience, steady hands and extremely good eyesight!

Gosia: I wear glasses normally and then on top of that, for very fine, detailed work, a pair of binoculars as well! I guess that yes, I must be a patient person, but when you are concentrating you’re aware of nothing else! The part that was a bit awkward for me was the height of the dolls house (it is 211cm tall), so I was standing on a ladder to access the rooms at the top and kneeling on the floor for the rooms at the bottom. The rooms in the middle were just right!

Melanie: For the individual cleaning of objects, what did you use?

Gosia: It depended on the material of the object I was cleaning. I brush vacuumed the exterior and all larger objects and the floors inside the house. Sometimes, when brush vacuuming was not sufficient, I also used groom-stick (a quite sticky, rubber-like material). Most of the objects – ceramic, glass, plastic and some painted surfaces – were cleaned using water and cotton wool buds. For metal objects I used mainly petroleum spirits. Removal of old glue deposits often involved the use of other solvents.

Melanie: Working up close and personal for so long with all the objects in each room must have given you the opportunity to pick up on some intimate details many people probably wouldn’t be able to see. What did you find most memorable?

Gosia: There were so many! Firstly, there are grandma’s dentures sitting inside her dresser; miniature books and bibles with the actual text on individual pages printed inside; six tiny biscuits sitting inside a tiny biscuit tin. Also, there are Swarovski miniature crystals and a gramophone that plays music. And, what about all those amazingly small framed photographs of the Bosdyk family hanging on walls and displayed on top of desks and dressers?! I was also quite touched by the handwritten messages on objects by Frans, such as “Hand made by F. Bosdyk inspired by Christine my wife 28-6-2003”. But the thing that impressed me most was the high quality workmanship and dedication of Frans Bosdyk – the desk in the library is the best example.

Grandma's dentures!

Melanie: You’ve done an amazing job! When will you have to start cleaning it again?

Gosia: Hopefully not for a long time… After treatment the front of the house was sealed with Mylar and a bespoke Tyvek cover was placed over the whole house to protect it from dust. At the moment the dolls house is kept in the Museum’s storage area, in controlled temperature and humidity conditions, awaiting a dust proof display case.

Tag Archive for 'conservation'

Page 2 of 2

Where do exhibitions go when they die?

Conservator’s Corner: Investigating our plastics collection

Conservator’s Corner: Caring for Planes

Conservator’s Corner- Creating simple wigs for display

Engines- restoration or conservation?

Bosdyk Doll’s House- part four

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