{"id":1335,"date":"2022-01-10T09:57:15","date_gmt":"2022-01-10T09:57:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/conservation\/?p=1335"},"modified":"2024-05-27T15:54:03","modified_gmt":"2024-05-27T15:54:03","slug":"putting-the-pieces-together-the-challenges-of-working-on-architectural-models-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/conservation\/2022\/01\/10\/putting-the-pieces-together-the-challenges-of-working-on-architectural-models-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Putting the Pieces Together: The Challenges of Working on Architectural Models (Part 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today we have the first instalment of a two-part series from our Projects Conservator, Mhairi Boyle. In this first instalment, Mhairi discusses the assessment and the first treatment steps involved in the conservation of three large architectural models created by Percy Edwin Alan Johnson-Marshall (1915-1993) (Accession numbers PJM\/PJMA\/EUD\/B\/9.1; PJM\/PJMA\/EUD\/E\/1; and PJM\/PJMA\/EUD\/B\/1.5).\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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Since beginning my contract as Projects Conservator, I have been involved in a wide variety of work. From\u00a0meeting and greeting art couriers from Greece\u00a0to examining a frog muscle specimen, there\u2019s never been a dull moment. One of the great things about working with the Centre for Research Collections is the collaborative nature of my job.\u00a0I work with archivists, curators, librarians, and anyone and everyone who needs the advice and assistance of a conservator.<\/p>\n

Most recently, I have been working with\u00a0Collections Care\u00a0Assistant Sarah Partington, Preventive Conservator Katharine Richardson, and\u00a0Archivist\u00a0Grant Buttars\u00a0to\u00a0assess and treat three\u00a0large\u00a0architectural models of the University of Edinburgh.\u00a0The models were created by the architect and previous Professor of Urban Design and Regional Planning, Percy Edwin Alan Johnson-Marshall (1915-1993), between 1962 and 1976. They provide a fantastic snapshot into the\u00a0developing\u00a0landscape of Edinburgh during this period\u00a0– Grant pointed out several building proposals which had never\u00a0gone ahead, and most excitingly, the location of the Burke and Hare Tunnel which is visible from the\u00a0within the\u00a0Law School\u00a0building\u00a0in Old College.\u00a0The\u00a0aim of the conservation treatment is to stabilize the models so that they\u00a0can\u00a0be safely transported to another\u00a0University\u00a0building, keeping them accessible to researchers who wish to view them.<\/p>\n

\"Model<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\"Top

The models provide a snapshot of potential extensions and changes to the University from 1962-1976.<\/p><\/div>\n

As a paper conservator, I usually work on flat objects such as letters and maps, as well as\u00a0repairing\u00a0books in-situ when required.\u00a0It has been challenging, and very interesting, to examine and treat such large composite objects.<\/p>\n

The models have several inherent vices, which means that there are elements which will inevitably decompose and become more fragile over time. They\u00a0can be considered ephemeral objects: like film posters and newspapers, the materials\u00a0used to create the models\u00a0were never intended to stand the test of time.\u00a0\u00a0The lichen used to create the trees has become very brittle and fragile over time, and in some cases, now has a post-apocalyptic feel to it.\u00a0Low-quality papers, cards, and adhesives have been attached to the wooden components of the models. One of the models was exposed to the elements in\u00a0one of the University\u2019s lobbies, wherein a rogue bird popped in to leave its \u2018mark\u2019 on the roof of one of the models.<\/p>\n

\"The

Poor quality adhesive hardens and fails over time.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Model

The lichen used to create the trees has decomposed, becoming brown and blackened.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"A

The hole on the bottom left of this photo is a peg hole, where a loose element was once attached.<\/p><\/div>\n

The largest model is composed of removable elements, attached in place by wooden pegs.\u00a0We had a lot of fun\u00a0locating the proper sites for some of the detached elements, hearkening back to my first ever lockdown days which were filled with jigsaws and puzzles. The loose and missing elements of the models were extensively documented, and most pieces were reattached after consultation with Jonathan Santa Maria Bouquet,\u00a0the University\u2019s Musical Instruments Conservator\u00a0and resident wood expert.\u00a0This will be discussed in detail in the second blog of this series.<\/p>\n

After removing loose debris with a Museum Vacuum and\u00a0using a smoke sponge to remove surface dirt, Sarah and I got to work reattaching loose paper elements with wheat starch paste, and thicker card elements with EVA adhesive.<\/p>\n

\"A

Collections Care Assistant Sarah Partington re-adhering loose paper elements.<\/p><\/div>\n

Working on these models has been a great chance to work closely with colleagues from different departments. In the second and final blog of this series, I will examine the different adhesives used in this project and the reattachment of some of the loose elements.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today we have the first instalment of a two-part series from our Projects Conservator, Mhairi Boyle. In this first instalment, Mhairi discusses the assessment and the first treatment steps involved in the conservation of three large architectural models created by … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":71,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[201,54,69,20,62],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7lwn4-lx","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/conservation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1335"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/conservation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/conservation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/conservation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/71"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/conservation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1335"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/conservation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1335\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1905,"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/conservation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1335\/revisions\/1905"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/conservation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/conservation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/conservation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}