Twists and turns: stabilising an artefact for the David Livingstone exhibition

By Jill Plitnikas, Artefact Conservator

What are these four conservators so busily repairing? A net for catching antelopes! This interesting object is part of the new temporary exhibition Dr Livingstone, I presume? currently on at National Museum of Scotland. The net was collected by Livingstone himself and is one of a number of objects in the exhibition which were sent back from Africa to what was then the Scottish Industrial Museum, now the National Museum of Scotland.

Working on the antelope net in the conservation laboratory.

The South African net is made from the bark of the baobab tree (probably Adansonia digitata). One of the most versatile trees in Africa, the baobab is a source of food, water, fuel and much more, including plant fibres used in the making of cordage. The bark has been processed to form 2-ply S-twist cords, which have been knotted in turn to create the net’s structure. The entire object is over 3.5m in length and 1m in width.

When the net was examined in the lab, it was discovered that many of the cords were completely or almost broken, a condition likely resulting from use.

One of the many damaged cords.

Two Textile Conservators and two Artefact Conservators then put their heads together to devise a method for repairing the damaged cords.

After testing out a few different materials and techniques, we decided upon using paper twists to replicate the cords.  The paper chosen to form the twists was a Japanese mulberry or kozo paper, which is made from the long inner bark fibres of the paper mulberry or kozo tree (Broussonetia papyrifera). Mulberry paper is a popular repair material in conservation as it has considerable strength because of its long fibres, is chemically stable and available in a variety of weights.

Strips of three different thicknesses were first cut with feathered edges to reproduce the varying cord diameters found in the net. The paper was then toned with watercolours to produce three different shades of brown.

Toning the Japanese mulberry paper strips with watercolours.

Once the shade and thickness of the paper was matched to the cord to be repaired, the conservator created the twist with her fingers, wound it around the damaged cord, and secured it in position with wheat starch paste.

Twisted paper strips ready for use.

Applying the wheat starch paste.

Securing the paper twist to the damaged cord.

After the repair of around fifty damaged cords, the net was finally stable enough to go on display in the Livingstone exhibition!

One of the mended cords.

Dr Livingstone, I presume? runs at National Museum of Scotland until 7 April 2013.

 

In the footsteps of Livingstone: a visit to Malawi

By Dr Sarah Worden, Curator of African Collections

In April 2012 I spent three weeks working with staff from Chichiri Museum, Blantyre, in Malawi. It was my first time there and I was continuing our partnership work with Museums of Malawi. Scotland’s connection with Malawi goes back to Scottish missionary and explorer David Livingstone’s arrival there in 1859. It was this connection that I was particularly interested in following up as  we are planning a special exhibition at National Museum of Scotland from 23 November 2012 to 7 April 2013 to commemorate two hundred years since his birth in Blantyre, Lanarkshire in 1813.

Sarah with the Chichiri Museum staff.

We had a busy schedule to make the most of my time there and, together with a film crew from Malawi Broadcasting Corporation, we travelled throughout the country filming interviews with historians, clergy and officials to record what people in Malawi think about Livingstone today. We also filmed historic sites associated with Livingstone’s travels through the country, which are recognised as national monuments. This footage will be seen in the exhibition and will also be used for an MBC TV documentary.

On the road with the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation crew.

I also took the opportunity to visit different museums to find out more about the role of the museum in Malawi to share with my colleagues at National Museums Scotland. This will help us identify areas for development of the partnership, including skills sharing and knowledge exchange. Fieldwork is also a wonderful opportunity for curators to add to the collections. I brought back a range of objects including specialist wooden carving from the Mua Mission in Central Malawi and chitenje cloths decorated with political slogans worn by women across Malawi.

Sarah with staff and pupils from Mbame School.

The visit was a great experience and really productive. For me, the development of existing relationships and forging new links with the museum staff is one of the lasting outcomes and I look forward to continuing to build on this, sharing ideas, skills and plans for the future.

 

A visit from Museums of Malawi

By Sarah Worden, Curator, African collections

At the beginning of October, National Museums Scotland welcomed Acting Director Lovemore Mazibuko and Mike Gondwe, Education Officer from Museums of Malawi. They were here to discuss plans for working together on a forthcoming special exhibition in 2013 to commemorate the birth of Scottish missionary and explorer David Livingstone 200 years ago. Livingstone was the first European to document Malawi in the mid 1800s and continues to be remembered as an important figure in Malawi. During the week we successfully identified a number of potential collaborative projects which will enable our exhibition to reflect the legacy of Livingstone in Malawi today.

In a packed programme of meetings and talks, Lovemore and Mike visited Conservation, Digital Media and Collections Management to discuss the development of a new national museum in Malawi and the potential for collaboration in the future. We also dropped into a schools session working with our African handling collections. Impressed with our new Education Suite, Mike pointed out to the class how lucky they were, as in Malawi his sessions were for classes of 200 who didn’t even have access to paper or pencils.

Mike, Lovemore and Sarah drop into a schools session in the Learning Centre at the National Museum of Scotland.

Their visit would not have been complete without a day at the David Livingstone Centre in Blantyre, Lanarkshire (a major lender to the exhibition), but there is no doubt that the highlight of the visit came when we managed, at the last minute, to arrange a personal greeting with HRH Princess Anne, who was visiting he museum to open the special exhibition Admiral Cochrane, The Real Master and Commander.

Lovemore and Mike’s visit is, I hope, the beginning of a rich and fruitful partnership between National Museums Scotland and Museums of Malawi, continuing in 2012 when I visit Museums of Malawi and, with their help, collect content for the exhibition in film, photos, points of view and objects. I will also be looking to see how we can share some elements of the exhibition with those in Malawi celebrating the bi-centenary of Livingstone and establish a more lasting collaboration.