POPART: Preservation of Plastic Artefacts in Museums

The 'Preservation of Plastic Artefacts in museum collections' (POPART) project (2012) looked at issues with synthetic materials in collections of 'modern' objects from the C19 and C20.

About

Characterisation of plastic artefacts is a complex analytical problem and represents a challenging area of research as most materials are extremely inhomogeneous either due to the production process or due to degradation processes. POPART looked at issues such as:

• identification
• characterisation
• deterioration
• stabilisation of plastics that were less stable than was once believed.

Aim

The aim of POPART was to develop a pan-European strategy that targeted better conservation and maintenance of plastics in museum collections. And to develop statistical tools to analyse spectral data from a portable near infrared (NIR) spectroscopic tool. (NIR is used in diffuse reflectance mode allowing non-invasive analysis and non-contact characterisation of 3D objects if coupled to a fibre optic probe.)

Outputs

Gianluca Pastorelli, developed a proof-of-concept identification application for a handheld NIR spectrometer, which could be developed into a handy tool for use in non-laboratory conditions.

The POPART project hope to lead quantitative NIR chemical imaging and develop the first quantitative 2D NIR maps of plastic heritage objects for identification and mapping of plasticiser distribution. This research was to be done in collaboration with Specim Imaging Ltd.

POPART exposed 25 samples of historic plastics in 11 different environments across Europe and Egypt, to study the behaviour of plastic materials in environments with different climates and levels of pollution. The project hoped to have important implications for the management and conservation of plastic artefacts, and be extremely useful to prescribe their care, storage or exhibition. 

Impact

POPART addressed important issues on the preservation of plastics that were shared by museums, conservation laboratories, conservation science institutes, training programmes and companies.

The research contributed to developing a European wide accepted strategy to improve conservation and maintenance of plastic artefacts in museum collections.

A POPART book was published in 2013 which evaluated and established recommended practices and risks associated for exhibiting, conserving and restoring art museum collections created with synthetic polymers.

An international conference took place in 2012

People

Dr Gianluca Pastorelli 
Research Assistant

Dr Matija Strlic
Principal Investigator

Project partners

• CNRS-CRCC, France
• Victoria & Albert Museum, UK
• National Museum, Denmark
• IFAC - CNR, Italy
• Instituut Collectie Nederland, The Netherlands
• Polymer Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovakia 
• Atelier Régional de Conservation Nucléart, France 
• SolMateS BV, The Netherlands 
• Morana RTD d.o.o., Slovenia
• University College of London, Centre for Sustainable Heritage, UK
• The J. Paul Getty Trust (Getty Conservation Institute - GCI), USA

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Image credit

Unsplash: Luna Wang

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