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Scientific brains behind exhibition of antiquities

The Young Reporter (2004, April), 36(07), pp. 8.
Author: Zoe Chan Chung-wun. Editor: Victor Lam Ka-wai.
Permanent URL - https://sys01.lib.hkbu.edu.hk/bujspa/purl.php?&did=bujspa0015380

By Zoe Chan Chung-wun

02009277@hkbu.edu.hk

ANYONE who has visited museums before might be getting more appreciative of the values of the exhibits. Old stuff, basically. But for those of you not in the know, there are specialists who treat traces and relics chemically to restore them to their original states.

Conservators are those people whose job is to preserve museums’ collections. Currently there are about 30 conservators in town, and they are handling specifically either three-dimensional archaeological objects or two-dimensional ones.

The Central Conservation Section (CCS) is the curatorial department preparing various kinds of displays and taking care of crumbling relics housed in 18 museums in Hong Kong.

Assistant curator Lai Wing-fai specialises in conserving paper artefacts and paintings. To him, because of the fragility of paper, the conservation process is difficult but challenging.

Giving a brief demonstration of what he is working on, Mr Lai, as usual, adopts scientific methods to disinfect an antique Chinese handwriting first. Then, making use of a suction table, he manages to remove mildew spots on the foxed artwork by applying some chemicals. But the key step, he is keen to note, is to beware of the temperature, light sensitivity and humidity that may affect the whole process.

“The items will be mouldy if the humidity is too high... [If reversed, ] they may be broken into pieces,” Mr Lai explains.

As expected, the prerequisite of entering this profession is holding a degree in chemistry rather than fine arts and history.

Alice Tsang Cheeho, another curator from CCS, explains that they are required to do scientific research in laboratories all the time, but it is a plus for them to do the matriculation courses in fine arts and history.

She then draws an analogy, saying, “As long as the needle doesn’t have two sharp ends, we'd like to take on those who have profound knowledge of chemistry.

“It’s always hard to train laymen to use the sophisticated equipment.”

It seems fascinating to get a job in the field. As Mr Lai remembers, he worked for an oil laboratory those days, dealing with petroleum and lubricants all day long, but soon he spotted a recruitment advertisement in a paper which brightened up his prospect afterwards.

Mr Lai says with a chuckle, “The work there was tedious compared with what I’m doing now.”

Besides the uses of the various chemicals and equipment, Mr Lai gets to know the historical background to the artefacts by reading books and carrying out analyses. And yet, he totally disagrees that his work does not entail any artistic sense.

Conservators must have the sense to choose the best approach to repair the shabby, valued objects. “But we always bear in mind that we’re not making a new item [out of the old stuff],” Mr Lai says.

Pondering about an additional bird that a conservator draws aiming at beautifying a painting, Mr Lai, to his disappointment, supposes that the creative work is too subjective, needed to be removed to re-gain the original appearance of the artwork.

Whenever asked by the donors of antiques to make a few slight modifications, Mr Lai says they usually persuade them not to add anything new to the original. He raises this ethical issue, hoping other conservators will not do so.

Relic restoration needs professional trainings in foreign countries, such as England, Italy and the Netherlands. Graduates of the discipline must first work together with experienced conservators to hone their skills.

Take Mr Lai as an example, he went to Canada to learn more about the techniques of conservation because there he could immerse himself in a different environment which promoted a sense of the past.

“In big museums in European countries, you can sometimes watch some videos showing how conservators work beside an exhibit,” he adds.

It is no surprise that Italian students also spend time in Hong Kong perfecting their techniques as well as exchanging ideas.

To strive for precision, conservators are always working under pressure. “Every archaeological find is unique. If you break it, you can’t look for anything to replace it,” Mr Lai explains.

Any sense of accomplishment? Mr Lai replies, “The greatest achievement, of being a conservator, is to let visitors see the original form of a [ruined] antique.”

“[Conservators] heals the ‘wounds’ of the antiques, and finally, this old stuff can show visitors their historic moments in the past.”

Michelle Lee Ho-wing, a fine arts student from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, finds conservators’ work meaningful.

“I really admire them so much. It's all the conservators’ efforts that make us get a chance to appreciate the artworks created by renowned masters ages ago,” she says.

Knowing that she is not qualified to be a conservator (as she can hardly obtain a chemistry degree), Ms Lee, in a sad mood, says, “That means I can never become [a conservator] no matter how well I’ve explored in art.”

Edited by Victor Lam Ka-wai

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