Zprávy památkové péče 2020, 80(1):106-112 | DOI: 10.56112/zpp.2020.1.12

Issues of possible conservation and restoration of polymeric materials

Ivana Kopecká, Eva Svobodová

Národní technické muzeum

Today, artistic and design works made of synthetic polymers are significantly represented in museums and galleries, whether they are art collections (paintings, sculptures), industrial arts (design, textiles), or technical collections (parts of machines and devices). The first problems with their conservation and restoration date back to about the last quarter of the last century.
This article deals with semi-synthetic or fully synthetic materials in the form of films, fibers, foam, or three-dimensional objects (with the exception of photographic materials, synthetic textiles, and synthetic binders of modern painting, since this issue is addressed by a number of highly specialized studies). It should be noted that even this defined section of polymeric materials is extremely diverse. There is a vast amount of synthetic materials, and they degrade very quickly compared to mineral materials. The study of their degradation processes and attempts at their conservation and restoration is dealt with by many experts, since this area is still relatively little mapped in the context of fine arts.
The degradation processes of synthetic polymers differ from that of "classical" materials, and the demands on the knowledge of the restorer also differ. The restoration of synthetic polymers cannot be subject to the same criteria as the restoration of conventional materials, nor to the same ethical requirements. In particular, the requirement to preserve the original material or reversibility is in many cases unattainable. Even the qualification requirements for the restorer cannot be the same. The artistic skills of a restorer or conservator are, in this case, just as important as a theoretical knowledge of polymer chemistry. The article draws attention to the need for an interdisciplinary approach in finding ways to restore and conserve these non-traditional materials; it also draws attention to the fixed and irreversible life limits of some of them, given their physical and chemical nature. Ethical principles of restoration of synthetic polymer works while preserving their authenticity should be the subject of professional discussion in the future.

Keywords: synthetic polymers, conservation of plastics, degradation processes, conservation, restoration, ethical principles of restoration

Published: March 1, 2020  Show citation