Student Conservator of the Year 2004 Reveals Buddhist Medical Secrets

- The Pilgrim Trust Conservation Awards 2004 -

London, 22 June 2004 - The Student Conservator of the Year Award highlights the achievements of student conservators and the high standards of UK conservation training courses. This year, the coveted £10,000 Student Conservator of the Year accolade goes to Erica Kotze and Camberwell College of Arts for her conservation of a Thai medical manuscript in the Oriental Collection of the Wellcome Trust.

The concertina-format medical folding book, the Samut Thai Khao, or white Thai manuscript, is a 19th-century medical treatise written in Thai script and illuminated with demons whose body markings relate to medical conditions and possible remedies. The book, folded into 57 pages of hand-made paper, measures over six metres when unfolded. It had suffered severe mould damage and some parts had been lost - leaving the document unusable.

Erica’s work, undertaken as part of an MA course in conservation at Camberwell, included both practical and theoretical considerations. She designed and constructed a mount board support in the same concertina format as the manuscript, allowing it to be opened and closed without causing further damage. She also consulted manuscript scholars and Buddhist monks to help translate and interpret the text.

Various combinations of papers were laminated with a refined, gluten-free paste (Japanese Shofu) before being assessed for their thickness, texture, colour, pH, flexibility and suitability for use. A Thai Saa tissue (paper mulberry) closely matching the original was chosen for repairs which were carried out with minimal intervention to preserve historical evidence.

Erica’s work means that the document can now be safely exhibited and accessed by scholars for the first time.

Liz Forgan OBE, Chair of the Judges described Erica’s work as, “inspiring; a beautifully-executed project, backed by independent investigation into the cultural background and context. She has transformed a damaged and unusable object into a wonderfully-presented and accessible addition to the Wellcome Collection.”

The Samut Thai Khao will be exhibited between Oct-Dec 2004 at the Asia - Mind, Body, Spirit Exhibition, presented by Asia House and Wellcome Trust Libraries, at the Brunei Gallery at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London.

Other students short listed for Student Conservator of the year 2004 are:

Christina Margariti, MA Textile Conservation,
Textile Conservation Centre, University of Southampton
Christina’s project investigated three chelating agents for the aqueous cleaning and removal of copper and iron stains on textiles. These metals often leave residues after textiles are washed with water from copper pipes, stored in iron compartments, or equipped with metal threads and fastenings. The dirt and stains left behind are aesthetically disfiguring, and also damage the textile fibres. Christina’s findings will benefit other textile conservators in choosing the correct chelating agent to clean their precious textiles.

Renata Peters, MSc Conservation for Archaeology and Museums
Institute of Archaeology, UCL, and the Horniman Museum
Renata worked on conserving an intricate 3D beeswax casting model for a Benin brass plaque. Wax models were originally intended to be melted away - the “lost-wax” process - but this one had been specially commissioned from the maker for the Horniman’s teaching collection. It was at risk of becoming dusty and brittle. Renata built wax ‘pedestals’ underneath the broken wax pieces to provide extra support. She tested a range of adhesives and waxes to find the best ways to re-attach broken pieces, and analysed samples of beeswax. The finished model is now safe to be regularly used as an educational tool for the large numbers of schoolchildren visiting the museum.

Nanke Schellmann,
MA Furniture Conservation - Royal College of Art / V&A Museum Conservation
Nanke investigated the effect of aqueous cleaning on light-damaged Oriental lacquer - as seen on a Chinese red lacquer chair in the V&A - with water of different pH and ionic concentrations. She discovered that above a critical pH level, aqueous cleaning could greatly improve the visible aspect of degraded lacquer. Her findings provide a vital starting-point for further research and the development of new conservation approaches to the treatment of light-damaged lacquer surfaces.

Presenting the Pilgrim Trust Conservation Awards, Tessa Jowell, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport said, ‘Without collections in good condition, museums, archives and other heritage sites lose their purpose and meaning. Conservators make sure not only that can we see these things, but that we can understand and enjoy them too. The Department of Culture, Media and Sport is supporting their vital work, not least through investing some £7 million in the next two years in collections care in museums through the Renaissance in the Regions programme.’

Full details are available from the Awards website: http://www.consawards.ukic.org.uk
Pictures are available from http://www.papicselect.com under English Heritage/Conservation Awards

- Ends -

Notes to editors:
For further information on the Conservation Awards please visit the website at: http://www.consawards.ukic.org.uk/ or contact Fiona Cameron, Media and Events Manager at the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, on 020 7273 1459 or email [email protected]

Sponsored by the Pilgrim Trust, the Digital Preservation Coalition and the Anna Plowden Trust, the Awards are also supported by key organisations in conservation - the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA), English Heritage, the National Preservation Office, the Institute of Paper Conservation and the United Kingdom Institute for Conservation.

Judging Panel members
Award for Conservation and Student Conservator Award: Chair: Liz Forgan OBE, Chair of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Scott Trust; Dalya Alberge, Arts Correspondent of The Times; Professor Jonathan Ashley-Smith, Senior Research Fellow in Conservation Studies at the V&A Museum; James Hervey-Bathurst, President of the Historic Houses Association and Rosalind Savill CBE, Director of the Wallace Collection.

The Pilgrim Trust was founded in 1930 by Edward Stephen Harkness of New York to award grants for some of Great Britain's more urgent needs and to promote the country's future well-being. The Trustees make grants to projects involved in social welfare, art and learning, preservation, cataloguing and conservation of records and the repair of historic churches. http://www.thepilgrimtrust.org.uk/

The Anna Plowden Trust was established by the friends and family of Anna Plowden CBE, following her death. As one of the first scientifically trained conservators to work in the private sector, Anna Plowden was committed to the promotion and development of the conservation profession through both training and education, which she believed should be of the highest possible standard. The Trust seeks to promote her ideals and interests. Further information is available from: The Anna Plowden Trust, 43 Lansdowne Gardens, London, SW8 2EL.

Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC), launched in February 2002, is a cross-sectoral membership organisation of 27 major UK organisations which aims to ensure that digital preservation is kept on the policy agenda and practical progress in preserving access to important digital resources is made. http://www.dpconline.org/

The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) is the national development agency working for and on behalf of museums, libraries and archives and advising government on policy and priorities for the sector. MLA's roles are to provide strategic leadership, to act as a powerful advocate, to develop capacity and to promote innovation and change. Museums, libraries and archives connect people to knowledge and information, creativity and inspiration. MLA is leading the drive to unlock this wealth, for everyone. http://www.mla.gov.uk/

English Heritage is the Government's lead body for the historic environment. Funded partly by the Government and in part from revenue earned from its historic properties and other services, English Heritage aims to increase the understanding of the past, conserve and enhance the historic environment and broaden access and appreciation of heritage. http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/

The Institute of Paper Conservation is the leading organisation devoted solely to the conservation of paper and related materials. Paper conservation is sophisticated and diverse and one of IPC's main objectives is the advancement of the craft and science of paper conservation both within the profession and in terms of public awareness. http://www.ipc.org.uk/

The National Preservation Office provides an independent focus for ensuring the preservation and continued accessibility of library and archive material held in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Based at the British Library, the NPO is supported by the Library, The National Archives (formerly PRO), The National Libraries of Scotland, Wales and Ireland, The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Oxford University Library Services, and Cambridge University Library. http://www.bl.uk/services/preservation/national.html

The United Kingdom Institute for Conservation (UKIC) is the professional body for those who care for the country's cultural objects and heritage collections. Its members are conservators working in public institutions such as museums and galleries, and conservators and restorers working in the private sector. The Institute exists to foster excellence in the provision of conservation services, to raise awareness of the importance of conservation skills, and to provide information and advice to those requiring conservation services. It operates the Conservation Register, a national database of conservation services. http://www.ukic.org.uk/

The Hamilton Kerr Institute is a department of the Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge. The Institute undertakes the conservation of easel paintings for public and publicly shown collections as well as the Museum, and offers courses in conservation. It aims to educate painting conservators to the highest standard and to contribute to scientific, technical and art historical research. http://www-hki.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/

The British Library - houses the world's knowledge, and with over 150 million separate items it is one of the top three libraries in the world. It is the UK's national library and the world's leading resource for scholarship, research and innovation. Its collection covers every age of written civilisation, every written language and every aspect of human thought. Material held by the Library ranges from ancient Chinese oracle bones to technical reports about the latest scientific discoveries and today's newspapers. Users including industrial companies and academic scholars, have access to the Library's collection in its Reading Rooms and via its global document supply services, which supply over 15,000 documents per day to 20,000 customers in 111 countries. Information on the Library's collection and services is available on the British Library website at http://www.bl.uk/

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