Conservation of plastics

Dates: 28 June-1 July 2010
Course code: PC1005
Non-residential fee: £345

A collaboration in specialist training between ICN Netherlands and West Dean College.

Plastics can be found in ethnographical and textile collections imitating precious materials like ivory, tortoiseshell and amber, in modern art collections of three-dimensional non-traditional art, in collections of household goods and in collections of scientific equipment. Plastics can be found in every museum collection and this will increase in the future.

How do we deal with plastic and plastic objects in collections? Can we identify plastics or different types of plastic, as this is a relatively new material? There are guidelines for the passive conservation of plastics, but the active conservation of plastics still has to be developed. The aim of the course is to acquaint conservators, conservation scientists and restorers with the current state of knowledge regarding identification, degradation and conservation of plastics as used in our cultural heritage.

Course leader: Thea van Oosten, a senior Conservation Researcher at the Instituut Collectie Nederland in Amsterdam.