I’m Jigmet Yangchen, an archaeologist and heritage conservator in training. I am fascinated about the history woven into our heritage. Heritage conservation allows me to safeguard the stories, traditions, and artifacts that define our identity. It promotes a deeper connection between the past, present, and future.
My initial encounter with heritage and heirloom conservation occurred when I discovered a course at Heritage Preservation Atelier. This course was conducted by senior conservator Namita Jaspal. I joined the course and learnt about conservation, its ethical considerations, documentation, materials, deterioration, and treatment. Ethical considerations in conservation include retaining authenticity. Minimal intervention is crucial. Documentation is needed before, during, and after conservation. Sustainable conservation practices are vital. Accessibility is very important.
Organic, inorganic, or hybrid materials—These materials deteriorate for several reasons. Oxidation, hydrolysis, biodegradation, and corrosion are the main causes. These processes break the carbon chain in materials. As a result, materials become brittle, discoloured, stained, rusted, etc. However, they can be treated by removing deteriorating agents, consolidation, and prevention.
Two methods of cleaning —Dry cleaning and Aqueous cleaning (dry cleaning has to be done before aqueous cleaning). We have to first check whether cleaning is needed. This is done by assessing the condition of the medium before performing any cleaning method on it. If both cleaning methods are required, we always start with dry cleaning. It can be done with erasers, soft cloths, sponges, and brushes based on the medium’s needs.
Aqueous cleaning methods include immersion, slant wash, floating, screen wash, suction, blotter wash, gels, and humidification. These methods use solutions like tap water, de-ionized water, distilled water, buffer-loaded water, and pH-adjusted water. Before applying any solution, thoroughly remove eraser crumbs. Perform spot testing to ensure that the solution does not damage the medium. The main purpose of this cleaning is to remove deteriorating agents. It adds flexibility and removes adhesive. The cleaning increases strength. It also removes dust and dirt and eliminates stains, etc. from the medium.
During this one-month course, I acquired practical knowledge in various aspects of conservation. This includes documentation and stitching techniques used in textile conservation. Additionally, I gained hands-on experience in fungus cleaning, mounting artworks, and creating archival corrugated phase boxes.
