OZhO-177YiYh $17.00 + 0.00

Pergamon

Professional Notes

Conservation

The Durban Museums’ Conservation Centre’)

The Durban Museums’ Conservation Centre is unique in South Africa; it is regarded by many museum profession- als, there as well as abroad, as the finest of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa, and the concept for its foundation did not sud- denly emerge from nowhere.

The Durban Museums’ boast a dis- tinguished record in respect of the con- servation of their collections. From the 1920s to the 1950s there are frequent references in the archival records to conservation matters, and to the restora- tion of items in the collections, despite the fact that there was no ‘official’ conservator during that period on the staff of these museums. The emphasis on conservation was largely due to the keen interest taken in it by the first Director of the Durban Museum and Art Gallery, Mr E.C. Chubb, during his period of office (1910-51). He assigned to one member of staff of the Durban Museums the task of restoring the Gallery’s collec- tion which included easel pamtings as well as sculpture. Brief notes on proce- dures used in restoring individual art works were kept and these have proved to be useful for work undertaken by subsequent conservators.

Mr Chubb was fullv aware of the deleterious effects that’ Durban’s sub- tropical climate was having on most works of art in the collection, and in an attempt to arrest the degradation of these works, he installed fans to keep air

*As from 4 March 1997 the name of the Centre has been officially changed to the Technical Centre.

moving in the public galleries. He also ensured that the Museums Department subscribed to the major conservation publications of the period, thus laying the foundation for a sound library of conservation journals. However one may judge the results of the restoration of works in the Durban Art Gallery’s collection at that time, the fact remains that there were dedicated museum work- ers who cared sufficientlv about the state of the museums’ collections; and that, lacking the present body of scientific knowledge, experiments and experience in the discipline, staff in the Durban Museums had made brave attempts to preserve the collections in the way that they deemed to be the safest and most suitable at that time.

By the 1960s the science of the con- servation and restoration of art and historical objects in museum collections began to gather international momen- tum, and many more academic and scientific articles on these subjects were being published in museum journals. Staff members of the Durban Art Gal- lery and the Local History Museums started to put into practice what was being advocated in publications on the conservation of museum objects. In the 1970s worldwide focus on the preserva- tion of museum artefacts was strength- ened in South Africa through visits by distinguished museum scientists such as Dr A.E.A. Werner, then Keeper of the Research Laboratory at the British Museum, and the late Professor Stephen Rees Jones, Founder Fellow of IIC.

Professional Notes 411

1. General view of the exterior of the Durban Museums’ Conservation Centre showing the distinctive row of chimneys which used to remove the smoke from the ovens cooking meat when the building was used as a municipal beerhall. The paper conservation studio is housed in the block at the corner on the right hand side.

They, too, had an impact on the future development of conservation at the Dur- ban Art Gallery and, subsequently, the Local History Museums.

There were two major reasons for the concentration on the conservation and restoration of the Durban Art Gallery’s collection. The first was Durban’s hot and humid climate and the adverse effects this was having on works of art in the collection. The second factor was the worldwide focus on industrial pollution and its effects on most museum objects.

The first major step in the establish- ment of a Conservation Centre for Dur- ban was taken in 1981 when the Durban City Council agreed to send the Durban Art Gallery’s Art Technician to Gates- head College2 to study easel painting conservation. This was a progressive and commendable decision on the part of the City Council and one which ensured that a valuable and irreplaceable asset would be cared for in a highlv pro- fessional manner. The Gallery’s Art

Technician obtained his Diploma3 and returned to the Gallery in 1983 as the first qualified painting conservator. Due to space constraints in the Durban Art Gallery itself, his studio was set up in rented accommodation in the Central Business District. The studio was divided up into a wet area, a section for cleaning easel paintings, a photographic studio, an office and a generous area in which to place the large vacuum table used for the major procedure of relining canvas paintings. The table was designed and made in England: it is very large in order to accommodate large Victorian and contemporary South African paint- ings in the Gallery’s collection which require relining. The basic layout of the original studio has been repeated at the Conservation Centre.

In 1987 the Durban City Council agreed to another bold step: the estab- lishment of a Paper Conservation Studio for two paper conservators, one for the Durban Art Gallery and the other for the

412 Professional Notes

2. Interior of the dry area of the paper conservation studio at the Durban Museums’ Conservation Centre.

Durban Local History Museums. The first paper conservators were duly appointed in I987 to the staff of the two museums, and both had been trained at Gateshead College. For practical reasons their studio was set up in the same building as the painting conservation studio. The first paper conservation stu- dio was divided up into office accom- modation for the paper conservators, a photographic area (which doubled up as a lecture theatre), a fumigation room, the dry area and the wet room which accom- modated two large, stainless steel sinks for washing works of art on paper. This design, too, has been adapted to suit the architectural layout at the Conservation Centre. Both the painting and the paper conservation studios were provided with the best possible capital equipment, most of which had to be imported.

Advice on setting up both studios was generously given to the Durban Art Gallery by Dr Rosamund Harley4. When the studios were re-located in I994 to the new Conservation Centre, all the spe-

cialised equipment was transferred to the new site. Exhorbitant rentals for the outside accommodation in the CBD, together with the necessity to provide extra space for the storage of art and historical objects and future costume and photographic conservation studios, were the reasons for the establishment of the Durban Museums’ Conservation Centre at 102-120 Prince Alfred Street. The building, previously used as a municipal beerhal15, was rescued by the Museums Department at the eleventh hour from certain demolition. Work on its conver- sion from its proposed ‘new’ use as a radiator works into a Conservation Cen- tre began in I993 and was completed towards the end of 19% when staff, equipment and collections were installed.

The building which houses the Con- servation Centre is owned bv the Dur- ban City Council, and, built in 1914, it is an attractive structure, typical1.y Durban in character with its red facing brick, clerestory windows and rather lovely gable. It is a good example of the

Professional Notes 413

3. Interior of the painting conservation studio at the Durban Museums’ Conservation Centre. with the vacuum lining table in the foreground.

functional stvle of architecture dating from the Unibn Period (IvIo-6I), and it is situated in close proximity to the museums it serves. A simple, L-shaped building designed in the form of two distinct rectangular halls, form two axes which lock into the street layout. The short side of the rectan.gle is used prima- rily by the Gallery, while the long side of the ‘L’ which turns the corner in the street at a right angle, is occupied by the Local History Museums, and the paper studio is situated right at the end of that side of the building.

Adaptation of the building for use as a conservation and storage centre was undertaken by the City of Durban’s Architectural Services Department, and the brief was very clear. It was to create spaces which were to be essentially functional, to provide the safest possible conditions in which to conserve works of art in all media and to preserve the special character of this charming building. The most distinctive feature of the exterior of the building, the row of chimney stacks, dominates the sky line; their original

function was outlets for smoke from the fires used to cook the meat served in the former beerhall. Now these oven niches are used to house plan chests for the paper conservation department.

The Conservation Centre is divided into various departments: the Durban Art Gallery’s painting conservation stu- dio is situated in a large, airy space at the front of the building at the start of the short part of the ‘L’ shape. It boasts a very well equipped studio so that the painting conservator is able to carry out a comprehensive range of procedures, major as well as minor, in conserving and restoring easel paintings. Furthermore, the bulk of the Durban Art Gallerv’s collections is stored at the Conservation Centre. There are four main storage areas: the Zulu basketry and furniture store; the store for unframed works of art on paper; the store for sculpture, Zulu beadwork and works of art in fibre; and the main painting store, equipped with sliding screens to accommodate oil paintings as well as framed works of art on paper which are housed in an area of

414 Professional Notes

4. Storage area at the Durban Museums’ Conservation Centre used for the reserve collec- tion of paintings of the Durban Art Gallery. The sliding rack system is freestanding within the storage area.

that store which has a maximum light level of 5Olux. To prevent cracking of indigenous wood sculptures carved from ‘green’ timber, the Gallery has recently established two new storage areas so as to acclimatise gradually all newly acquired indigenous wood sculptures to more closely controlled air-conditioning. The primary store is equipped with fans, but no air-conditioning; while in the secondary store the temperature is set to 21°C with 70% R.H.”

Works of art in all four main storage areas are conserved under conditions best suited to each and which ensures their maximum safety. All the stores at the Centre have in common the following features: they are all fitted with closely controlled air-conditioning which is set to 21°C and 55% R.H. Climatic condi- tions are monitored weekly from the readings taken from the thermohygro- graphs; all stores are dust proofed; storage cabinets and shelving in every store are raised above ground level so as to protect

works of art in the event of flooding; stores are fitted with anti-burglar bars; correct light levels are rigorously main- tained when staff are working in stores; and at all other times stores are kept locked and in darkness. The entire build- ing is fitted with alarm systems, with an electrified fence running round the peri- meter. Guards are on dutv round the clock; and there is a securitv gate at the front entrance to the site. The stores are continually monitored for insect infesta- tion and for leaks, and all areas within the Conservation Centre have been equipped with carbon dioxide fire extinguishers and smoke detectors, in addition to a water sprinkler system throughout the building. Regular safety meetings are held to ensure that the highest standards of security are being maintained in every respect by the two museums. A disaster plan has been drawn up for the Centre so as to enable every staff member who works there to act effectively in the event of an emergency.

Professional Notes 415

The Durban Art Gallery’s section of the Centre has excellent facilities for photographic documentation of the Gallerv’s collection, as well as for the mounting and framing of all works of art on paper. Furthermore, the costume store of the Local History Museums is located at the corner of the ‘L’ shape of the building. This store accommodates those Museums’ entire collection of some 7500 items of clothing worn by people in KwaZulu-Natal from the 1820s onwards. Climatic conditions in this store are rigorously monitored and the method of storage is of the highest museological standard, appropriate to the importance of the items being stored. Abutting the costume stores are studios for archival photography and for techni- cal work involved in mounting exhibi- tions at the Local History Museums. This space flows through to the paper conservation studio situated at the very end of the long side of the building. Like the painting conservation studio, the paper studio is also extremely well equipped. It accommodates two paper conservators: one for the Durban Art Gallery and the other for the Local History Museums.’ The studio is divided into two major sections: the dry area and the wet area.

The curatorial, conservation and tech- nical staff who work at the Conservation Ccntre believe that the late 20th century museum cannot afford to maintain a passive and traditional attitude towards the work that is undertaken bv it. There is every reason to extend our thinking about how museum expertise can be used to generate revenue for the Centre so that it may keep on operating. The staff are aware of the likelihood of future cuts in museum budgets and their major concern is to devise ways and means of becoming less dependent on traditional sources of funding. It would require, however, a decision of the Durban City Council for the Conservation Centre to be allowed to proceed with money-making ventures. The kinds of projects which could be introduced as part of fund raising schemes for the Centre are:

- identification service for works of art in private collections;

- restoration of works of art from private and corporate collections;

- offering training to personnel from other museums and art galleries and to history students in selected areas of museum work;

- photographic printing for the pub- lic;

- assisting members of the public and corporations to build up their own private art and history collections;

- providing expertise on how to care for works of art in private collec- tions;

- mounting and framing works of art for the public;

- packing works of art for transporta- tion;

- design and construction of exhibition displays for commerce, trade, indus- try and tourism;

- cabinet making, model making, sig- nage and construction of display stands; and

- secure storage of valuable works of art belonging to private collectors.

The major way to reach the public the Conservation Centre serves is through becoming better known as a public service. This means that we need to develop our public relations skills and to improve our contacts using all the mod- ern media at our disposal, including the internet. We need to develop the high- profile image of a Centre which is widely recognised as offering specialised ser- vices of the highest possible standard to museums and public alike. The core work of the Durban Museums’ Con- servation Centre must continue to pre- serve our local, national and interna- tional art and historical heritage for posterity! but we need to take bold, imaginative and practical steps in order to survive.

Photo Credits The Durban Art Gallery, South Africa

416 Professional Notes

Notes 1. The Durban Museums are funded by

the Durban City Council. They com- prise the Durban Art Gallery, foun- ded in 1892, the Durban Natural Science Museum, established in 1887 and the Local Historv Museums. The latter is a group of fi;e museums, the first of which came into being in 1920 as the Old Durban Room which was housed during that period in the present Durban City Hall.

6. Contemporary sculptors, particularly from KwaZulu-Natal, often use ‘green’ wood (that is wood which has not seasoned) to carve their works. If such works are immediately placed in closely controlled air-conditioning they crack. The primary as well as the second wood stores enable these works to dry slowly, thus minimising the risk of cracking when they are eventually placed in a controlled environment.

2. Gateshead College: now the Uni- versity of Northumbria at Newcastle.

7. “The sub-tropical climate of the

3. The two-year Diploma course has now coastal resort of Durban presents

been converted into a Masters Degree. serious problems to the stability of art

4. Dr Rosamund Harley, a past Head of works, particularly those on paper.

the School of Conservation, Gates- Mould growth, embrittlement, foxing

head College, Tyne and Wear, UK. and cockling of the paper supports are

5. Municipal beerhalls were established the main symptoms of the extremes in climate. Mixed media and modern

in Durban from c.1908. The particular beerhall in which the Conservation

materials are commonly used by con- temporary South African artists who

Centre is now housed opened in 1914. often execute their works on incom- It was named in Zulu, Mashashe, and patible supports. The effects of severe it was last used as a beerhall in 1968. Beerhalls were introduced by the

climatic fluctuations on frequently

Durban Municipality to generate fragile and problematic contemporary

profit from the sale of Sorghum beer and historical works, emphasises the

to Blacks in the belief that by control- necessity. for fully qualified paper and

ling the type and amount of alcohol easel painting conservators perma- nently based at the Conservation

drunk they would be alleviating a Centre.” (Note contributed by Phil- number of health problems experi- ippa Hunt, Paper Conservator, Dur- enced by African workers and cutting down on drunkenness and lawless-

ban Art Gallery, and Sian Parry, Paper Conservator, Local

ness of Africans living in town. History

Museums).

Display The Open Display of Textiles as Arranged for the ‘William Morris Exhibition’, London, 1996

As mounted in the Victoria and Albert number of large textile hangings, cur- Museum, London, May-September tains, carpets and tapestries in this 1996, the display of a considerable exhibition proved to be a rewarding