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| Banner used on the AICCM website and Facebook advertising conference before and during |
Sponsoring contemporary practice in materials conservation
The Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material (AICCM) is an active and
vibrant professional community of Conservators dedicated to the preservation of
Australia's cultural heritage. Late last
year (2015) the AICCM Tasmanian Division hosted the biennial AICCM National Conference
in Hobart with the theme Illuminating the
new: contemporary practice and issues in materials conservation, which was
chosen to reflect the UNESCO International Year of Light. AICCM was very
grateful to receive sponsorship from Museums Australia Tasmania. This generous support, along with funding
from other organisations contributed to the running of the conference which was
an enormous success. It drew participants from Australia, New Zealand, America
and Asia. For a full conference report see here.
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| Registration Desk - left to right - Nikki King Smith (Tasmanian Division Treasurer), Amy Bartlett (Tasmanian Division President), Stephanie McDonald (Tasmanian Division Secretary) |
Prior
to 2015, the last time the conference had been held in Tasmania was 1990. A lot
has changed since then and delegates were able to enjoy attractions such as the
Museum of Old and New Art in addition to the conference. A welcome reception was hosted by the
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery where Director Janet Carding spoke about the
collection while emphasising the importance of the conservation profession
within a cultural institution. She described the Conservator as the enabler - those
with the authority to make the inaccessible available for exhibit or
research.
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| Tasmanian Member Mar Gomez Lobon presenting |
Throughout the
conference, presentations were divided into a number of themes with digital
technologies and new media being a focus. Keynote speaker Professor Sarah
Kenderdine, Deputy Director of the National Institute for Experimental Arts at
the University of New South Wales and Director of the iGLAM Lab (Laboratory for
Innovation in Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums) spoke about various
types of interactive exhibitions that highlight cultural materials and provide
access to closed historical sites, rare collections and fragile items. She
spoke on the importance of the Conservator's role regarding documentation and
conference delegates were captivated by her presentation.
Contemporary
conservation issues such as dealing with electrical components and time-based
media, along with the use of new technologies such as 3D printing for
conservation treatments were presented. Changing approaches to treatments, the
maintenance of displays, risk management and broadening environmental
parameters were communicated in addition to speciality sessions for objects,
paper and paintings. These included taxidermy, sculptures, plastics, textiles, posters,
painted photographs, paintings and gilded surfaces to name a few.
Field trips took
place on the second day of the conference with site visits to the Shene Estate
and Mawson's Hut Replica Museum. A group also went on a guided, scenic tour of
Kunanyi/Mt Wellington. In addition, a number of AICCM Special Interest
Groups used the conference as an opportunity to catch up. The Book Paper Group,
Photon (photographic materials), Conservation Framing, Conservation Science,
Electron (digital and audio-visual), Exhibitions' Objects, Paintings and Preventive
Conservation all met to discuss future projects and symposiums.
I
would like to thank Museums Australia Tasmania for their sponsorship. Overall, AICCM
has received very positive feedback about the conference and it had the largest
attendance rate for many years with 150 delegates including students. Not only
was it a fantastic learning opportunity for all involved, but it provided a
wonderful chance for networking and to promote Tasmanian arts internationally.
President, AICCM Tasmanian Division
Senior Conservator, Queen Victoria Museum and
Art Gallery
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