media

Sustainability is something that we hear a lot about today. As ever increasing repercussions from climate change affect not only our homes, but our heritage, cultural professionals now have the responsibility to ensure that we are thinking about not only the past - but the future. Sustainability has to be a priority. But how do we do that when we are not trained to do so? When we already have so much on our plates and are constantly pressed for time? We will explore the sustainability lens and how to integrate futures thinking into our practice and our field.

Plastic consumer objects are being used by many artists in their artworks. Typical for these works is a shift from material to concept; the hand of the artist is visible in the way these objects are arranged instead of the way they are shaped. Polyolefin plastics are the most widely used materials for these objects. Breakage and dissociation of parts are common problems. Polyolefin plastics are difficult to adhere, and it is difficult to find a replacement part that can be included in the artwork. Polycaprolactone (PCL) may be a suitable material to recreate disassociated or broken polyolefin objects. It was tested on content, stability in a museum climate, on working properties and its aesthetic qualities. PCL proved to be a convincing match to polyolefins and had good working properties. However, this study also showed that there is difference in composition between brands and that composition can change over time upon aging.

Amir Parsa Sadr is a PhD student in the Chair of Applied Mechanics at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). His research interest lies in the field of computational mechanics, in particular on multi-scale methods applied for fibrous materials and multi-physics problems. His PhD research focuses on the time-dependent degradation behaviour of paper artifacts. In this presentation, he will talk about a computational multiphysics and multiscale model for degradation of paper artifacts.

Marieke Kruithof is a contemporary art conservator in training. In this presentation, she talks about the conservation of time-based media art. Time-based media art is a fast-growing category of public art. All artworks in the open air are exposed to threats from weather, pollution and passers-by, but time-based media art in public spaces is particularly vulnerable due to its use of electronic equipment in this environment which must operate for many more hours than it would in a museum. Even with extensive testing, detailed documentation and elaborate discussions about conservation during the development process, technical equipment may fail unexpectedly. This research aims to illuminate the challenges that arise when caring for time-based media artworks in the public space. Several recommendations that help to ensure the long-term functionality of the work will be presented. These recommendations are the results of research into case studies, based on 12 in-depth interviews with the various artists, owners and stakeholders of five time-based media artworks in the city of Amsterdam.

Francien Bossema is a PhD student at the Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI) on the topic of Computational Imaging for Cultural Heritage. Her research is part of the NWO/NICAS funded Impact4Art project in a collaboration between CWI and the Rijksmuseum. During this presentation she presents the research on the Hugo de Groot book chest. In the ‘Historisch Bewijs’ series, the following question was asked: ‘Can we determine which of three candidate chests, if any, is the original in which Hugo de Groot escaped Castle Loevestein?’. The investigations led to a novel X-ray imaging method for dendrochronology of large wooden objects. Dendrochronology is an important tool to determine the date and provenance of historical wooden art objects, based on tree rings. These are not always accessible on the outside and thus X-ray computed tomography (CT) has been applied to visualise the tree rings non-invasively. For large objects it is often impossible to rotate fully within the scanner as is necessary for CT. The research team developed a line trajectory X-ray tomography technique, in which the object is moved only sideways. Using this easily implementable scanning trajectory, sharp reconstruction images of the tree rings can be obtained. This interdisciplinary project was recently awarded an NWO Team Science Award.

In September 2021, NICAS launched the international project ‘A Global Infrastructure for Heritage Science’, made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The initial phase will map out the common ground between different cultures of conservation and find ways that interdisciplinary and international collaboration can be better used to preserve the material integrity of the object, its layered cultural significance, and its historical context. The international and interdisciplinary team of six Research Associates will introduce ourselves and our goals, which include identifying the major global challenges faced by the field now and in the future, and the opportunities that exist for more fruitful collaboration. We invite attendees to join the conversation and share their experiences, insights, and ideas.

In this NICAS-colloquium presentation, Sanne Berbers will share her PhD project which she started in September 2021. The research will focus on the relation between lipids and synthetic organic pigments (SOP’s). The combination of SOP’s and oil paint in 20th and 21st century oil paints has been shown to give problem of solubility of the paint, migration of SOP components, and colour fading. The lipid fraction and SOP’s of these paints have not yet been studied in relation to each other. This includes both chemical changes and interactions that occur at the start of the drying process and those that occur when the painting ages over time.

Marya Albrecht is working at the Mauritshuis and as a freelance paintings conservator in The Hague, focusing on the research and treatment of old master paintings. In this presentation, she tells about the research about Jan Steen's eclectic use of green and blue pigments. Jan Steen, a prolific Dutch 17th-century artist, has been the focus of a research project at the Mauritshuis since 2012. The aim of the research project is to shed light on the chronology of his works based on the materials he used. Samples of green and blue areas on 37 paintings were analysed using optical microscopy, SEM–EDX and synchrotron μ-XRD. This showed that Steen used a large variety of blue and green pigments: smalt, ultramarine, blue verditer, azurite, indigo and green earth. Elemental analysis of the smalt used by Steen showed that it varies in composition in the different artistic centres Steen worked in. Ultramarine of different qualities was found in many paintings, even peasant scenes. His use of a brightly coloured type of green earth is remarkable, and this pigment was found in ten of the paintings analysed, dating from 1660 onwards.