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Exhibiting the Conservation of Banners through Film

The museum is proud of its Textile Conservation Studio and the viewing window from Main Gallery Two which gives visitors the opportunity to see our Conservators in action.  Visitors inevitably only see a small portion of the process of conserving banners during their visit, since the conservation of an entire banner can take up to a year.

To provide an even better insight of what conservation entails, and what steps are taken while conserving a banner, the museum is currently producing a short documentary on banner conservation.  It will show the entire process of the conservation of the Amalgamated Stevedores Labour Protection League banner, which was probably made around 1918 to commemorate the Stevedores who lost their lives in World War I. The banner will be exhibited in our galleries in 2014, to mark the centenary of the outbreak of World War I.  Leanne Tonkin, one of our Conservators, will be filmed during different stages of her work, helping to provide answers to frequently asked questions by visitors who have viewed conservation taking place through the viewing window.

After a few filming sessions in which Leanne was filmed carrying out her conservation work, she was interviewed in front of the camera by Exhibitions Manager, Kate Chatfield.  

Banner Conservation Film

Over the last few months conservation work in our Textile Conservation Studio has been filmed.  This is your opportunity to watch banner conservation in action.  There are four parts to watch on YouTube.  

 

 

 

 

 

Humidification Process

15 September 2011

Here, the banner is being humidified which slowly introduces moisture to the textile helping to relax creases and distortions.  The moisture source is gently introduced from beneath the textile so the conservator can monitor the effects of the humidification from above.  The process is closely monitored to make sure the textile remains safe during the treatment.  This process can take many days to complete.