The C Word

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Together with special guest host Jane Henderson we peer at our loggers, spot check our homes, and crunch our data in an attempt to demystify environmental monitoring! Also tune in for an interview with Michael Hall from Meaco and Austin Senseman from Conserv.

03:38 Freaking out vs chasing the flat line
07:36 From ye olde thermohygrograph to wireless loggers
09:22 Confession time
12:54 Costs, costs, costs
19:41 How do we crunch our data?
27:27 Interview with Conserv
41:42 Kloe looked into apps
43:42 When to spend the money
48:36 Why are you collecting your data?
51:51 What do we even worry about?
55:15 The umbrella stand
57:59 Interview with Meaco

Show Notes:
– Going Green: https://thecword.show/2018/09/19/s04e01-going-green/
– Museum Pi: https://thecword.show/2017/06/21/s01e09-museum-pi/
– The One with the Arduino: https://thecword.show/podcast/s06e03-the-one-with-the-arduino/
– What’s Best for My Collection? New Approaches to Environmental Monitoring: https://www.connectingtocollections.org/environmental_monitoring/
– Thermohygrograph: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermo-hygrograph or https://ago.ca/agoinsider/conservation-notes-get-know-hygrothermograph
– eClimateNotebook: https://www.eclimatenotebook.com/
– Conserv: https://conserv.io/
– Hanwell app: https://hanwell.com/news/hanwell-app/
– Lapka: https://mylapka.com/pem/#apps
– The highly revered logger Jenny covets: https://www.preservationequipment.com/Catalogue/Instruments/UV-Light-Monitors/UV-Light-Monitor
– Narbeth Museum (home of the original umbrella stand): https://www.narberthmuseum.co.uk/
– Meaco: https://meaco.co.uk/

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Hosted by Jenny Mathiasson, Kloe Rumsey, and Jane Henderson.

Intro and outro music by DDmyzik used under a Creative Commons Attribution license.

Made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license.

A Wooden Dice production, 2021.

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We think about communicating in different ways with fellow podcaster and conservator Lucy Branch. We discuss podcasting, video platforms, and good old-fashioned radio and TV. Kloe tries out TikTok, and Jenny interviews YouTubing conservator Lucilla Ronai and Lucia Scalisi from The Repair Shop!

01:42 On the benefits of podcasting
14:07 Interview with Lucilla Ronai
24:07 Why we should be using video platforms
32:46 Kloe’s TikTok adventures
43:47 Adventures in radio
46:46 How about TV?
50:05 Interview with Lucia Scalisi

Show Notes:
– Sculpture Vulture podcast: https://sculpturevulture.co.uk/
– The Future Conservators’ Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/user-979095571/future-conservators-podcasttheme
– The Conservation Starter: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4r66EnLu8RyDfrA0kaxgrQ
– Our TikTok account: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMex8pmnn/
– Some Girl Called Bobbi: https://www.tiktok.com/@huckabuckgirl
– The Repair Shop: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08l581p

Support us on Patreon!

Hosted by Jenny Mathiasson, Kloe Rumsey, and Lucy Branch.

Intro and outro music by DDmyzik used under a Creative Commons Attribution license.

Made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license.

A Wooden Dice production, 2021.

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Together with special guest host Emma Duggan we go behind the scenes, under ground, even into the freezer! In short we explore the world of extreme or unusual store methods in museums and heritage, ranging from cold and dry to super soggy. Tune in for interviews with Toby Jones from the Newport ship project, Angela Middleton from Historic England, and Sarah Allen from Lux & Livre.

01:36 How can storage even be extreme?
03:54 Keeping stuff in a salt mine
11:42 Kloe is obsessed with the Svalbard Global Seed Vault
14:42 Interview with Sarah Allen
23:52 Low oxygen solutions
27:50 Interview with Toby Jones
36:58 Interview with Angela Middleton
50:36 Storage is sexy
52:18 Go listen to our new song!
52:51 Patreon shout out

Show Notes:
– Upcoming 2021 exhibitions at the Wellcome: https://wellcomecollection.org/exhibitions
– Two presentations on the Cambridgeshire archaeological archive storage solution: http://sharemuseumseast.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Quinton-Carroll-PDF.pdf and https://www.icon.org.uk/asset/98468873-7144-4AC7-B9A3E0ABF10236E0/
– DeepStore: https://www.deepstore.com/
– Svalbard Global Seed Vault: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svalbard_Global_Seed_Vault
– National Film Preservation Foundation: https://www.filmpreservation.org/
– National Park Service guide to cold storage: https://www.nps.gov/museum/coldstorage/html/intro1_1.html
– BBC video clip about the British Library low oxygen storage: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-30929009
– Project Airless on the NatSCA blog: https://natsca.blog/2016/03/18/project-airless/
– The Newport Ship: https://www.newport.gov.uk/heritage/en/Newport-Ship/Newport-Ship.aspx
– Historic England’s ’Preserving Archaeological Remains’ publication: https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/preserving-archaeological-remains/
– Isle of Wight case study on reburial: https://research.historicengland.org.uk/Report.aspx?i=16040&ru=%2fResults.aspx%3fp%3d1%26n%3d10%26a%3d4480%26ns%3d1
– Rotterdam’s new store: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/sep/21/radical-transparency-will-rotterdam-open-museum-change-art-the-depot-boijmans-museum
– Our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwHBfYsHR0UBAiA_VhMeOIw
– ’Something to Conserve’ (a conservation anthem): https://youtu.be/1ML6jAN19vk

Support us on Patreon!

Hosted by Jenny Mathiasson, Kloe Rumsey, and Emma Duggan.

Intro and outro music by DDmyzik used under a Creative Commons Attribution license.

Made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license.

A Wooden Dice production, 2021.

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We’re joined by Front of House champions Will Tregaskes and Abi Godfrey as we talk about how conservators and visitor services can join forces, smash silos, and all enjoy our jobs more. What’s it like being the face of the museum? What does good teamwork look like? And what’s the best bit about working as FoH?

03:24 What do we mean by Front of House?
07:03 Volunteering vs paid work
12:18 The journey into FoH
18:37 A seat at the table
21:41 FoH as conservators’ BFFs
34:01 Siloing is toxic
39:11 Impact of the pandemic
43:50 Looking ahead
48:09 Questions, comments, corrections
48:036 Patreon shout out

Show Notes:
– Front of House in Museums: https://fohmuseums.wordpress.com/
– The FoH 2019 survey: https://fohmuseums.wordpress.com/category/fohmuseums-research/
– A Front-of-House Charter for Change: https://www.museumsassociation.org/campaigns/workforce/a-front-of-house-charter-for-change/
– Tate redundancies in 2020: https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/tate-job-redundancies-coronavirus-union-strikes-1202696706/
– Follow #FoHmuseums on Twitter: https://twitter.com/fohmuseums

Support us on Patreon!

Hosted by Jenny Mathiasson, Kloe Rumsey, William Tregaskes, and Abigail Godfrey.

Intro and outro music by DDmyzik used under a Creative Commons Attribution license.

Made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license.

A Wooden Dice production, 2021.

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We get a little extra jolly with our festive co-host Emily O’Reilly as we open Christmas crackers with terrible jokes and rustly hats, attempt some predictions for the year ahead, do a conservation quiz, and play a game of deception. Tune in for a seasonal Dear Jane, a holiday tipple at the Benchwork Bar, and of course: a new conservation Christmas song!

04:02 The smouldering ruins of our 2020 predictions
08:28 Attempted predictions for 2021
11:28 Cracker time!
14:56 The Big Fat Conservation Quiz
27:50 Would I lie to you?
34:41 What’s in your tree?
43:32 What are we grateful for?
46:02 A Conservator’s White Christmas
49:54 Benchwork Bar: Scrapbook
52:48 Dear Jane

Show Notes:
– Books found in Romanian (not German) basement: https://www.euronews.com/2020/09/18/stolen-books-worth-2-7m-found-in-romanian-basement-during-police-raid
– Darwin’s missing notebooks: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/nov/24/charles-darwins-notebooks-reported-stolen-from-cambridge-university
– Bubble lights video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5un4DdKQZvs
– CSP Music: https://www.instagram.com/csp_music/
– Go follow Amanda Richards for more conservation cocktails: https://twitter.com/ConserveItAll

***

A Conservator’s White Christmas (lyrics by Jenny Mathiasson and Kloe Rumsey; vocals by Chris from CSP Music)

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas
All archival and acid free
With safe exhibits within RH limits
To smiles in the gallery

I’m dreaming of a dry Christmas
The ones where ceilings never leak
May your stores be stable all week
May you find the blunder traps you seek

I’m dreaming of a safe Christmas
Just like the ones I’m hoping for
No objects missing and curators listen
Binning the last cotton glove

I’m dreaming of a clean Christmas
Without a health and safety fright
May your labs be cozy and bright
And may all your Christmases be right

***

Support us on Patreon!

Hosted by Jenny Mathiasson, Kloe Rumsey, and Emily O’Reilly.

Intro and outro music by DDmyzik used under a Creative Commons Attribution license. Additional music and sound effects by Audio Jungle, CSP Music, and Calum Robertson.

Made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license.

A Wooden Dice production, 2020.

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Together with guest host Jane Henderson we explore how university teaching has changed this year and what conservation training looks like in a pandemic. Kloe and Jenny take turns to talk to people from different teaching institutions about this year’s challenges and victories. Also tune in for a Dear Jane about what makes a good dissertation!

00:02:05 Remember the time of supreme over-coping?
00:08:54 How has teaching changed?
00:16:14 Finding a new way
00:22:13 Kits galore!
00:24:47 Time and distance are kings
00:26:40 Student responses
00:31:57 Upskilling but also setting limits
00:34:37 What would we like to keep once this is over?
00:37:37 Interview with Karen Thompson from University of Glasgow
00:47:00 Interview with Eric Nordgren from West Dean College
00:58:57 Interview with Emily Williams from Durham University
01:09:38 Interview with Lynda Skipper from University of Lincoln
01:21:16 Interview with Renata Peters and Carmen Vida from UCL
01:34:00 Dear Jane
01:40:44 Patreon shoutout

Show Notes:
– Icon Conservation Higher Education Institutions Network (CHEIN): https://icon.org.uk/groups/higher-education-network
– Student resilience event: https://icon.org.uk/events/students-and-graduates-resilience-in-the-current-climate
– Heritage Conservation Learning in the COVID World – Challenges and Opportunities: https://www.iccrom.org/video/heritage-conservation-learning-covid-world-challenges-and-opportunities
– Jane’s article on managing uncertainty in collections care: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00393630.2018.1479936
– UoG Textile Conservation blog: http://textileconservation.academicblogs.co.uk/

Support us on Patreon!

Hosted by Jenny Mathiasson, Kloe Rumsey, and Jane Henderson.

Intro and outro music by DDmyzik used under a Creative Commons Attribution license.

Made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license.

A Wooden Dice production, 2020.

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Together with special guest host Libby Finney we chat about professional development and training in the time of Covid-19: what counts as CPD, how do we access training opportunities, and what is it like delivering training remotely? Also tune in for an interview with Abigail Bainbridge, chair of Icon Book & Paper Group, about the webinar series ’Conservation: Together at Home’ from earlier this year.

01:27 What remote CPD have we been doing?
08:42 Switching from traditional training to online only
12:47 What do we miss about in-person CPD?
22:02 What works for delivering training?
37:35 Interaction online
42:10 Opinions from listeners and followers
46:17 Live, recorded, both!
49:09 Advice for lockdown learners
52:06 Interview with Abigail Bainbridge

Show Notes:
– Regional collections care training via Museum of London: https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/supporting-london-museums/training-and-skills/collection-care-training
– Future Learn courses: https://www.futurelearn.com/
– Creating engaging videos on a budget: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBDXRF6LgU8
– Link to our poll on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thecwordpodcast/status/1325089036080394240
– Mental health and Zoom meetings: https://peoplemanagingpeople.com/general/facts-remote-work-mental-health/
– Icon Book & Paper Group conference next year: https://icon.org.uk/groups/book-paper/bpg21-conference-mod-cons
– Conservation Together at Home webinar series: https://icon.org.uk/groups/book-paper/conservation-together-at-home-webinar-series

Support us on Patreon!

Hosted by Jenny Mathiasson, Kloe Rumsey, and Libby Finney.

Intro and outro music by DDmyzik used under a Creative Commons Attribution license.

Made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license.

A Wooden Dice production, 2020.

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We’re joined by special guest host Patrick Whife, Icon’s Training & Development Manager, as we talk about the challenges facing the conservation and wider heritage world — and what we can do support the sector. We talk advocacy, unions, CPD and more! Also tune in for a review of ’Culture is Bad for You’ which gets Jenny all fired up.

01:08 What’s the current picture like?
07:02 What do we know of the impact on conservators?
11:52 Kloe’s justified anger
19:45 Hey, maybe join a union
26:57 What’s Icon doing right now?
31:26 What are other bodies doing?
33:46 Advocacy, jobs, and apprenticeships
40:26 Accreditation and CPD during a pandemic
45:35 Review: Culture is Bad for You
50:56 Patreon shout out

Show Notes:
– Museums Association Redundancy Tracker: https://www.museumsassociation.org/campaigns/workforce/redundancy-tracker/
– Icon Coronavirus Impact survey: https://icon.org.uk/news/icon-coronavirus-survey-loss-of-work-for-conservators
– Icon Coronavirus Hub: https://icon.org.uk/resources/coronavirus-guidance
– UK unemployment summary: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52660591
– Trade unions call for overhaul of ’disastrous’ cultural policies: https://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/news/2020/10/trade-unions-call-for-overhaul-of-disastrous-cultural-policies/
– Public and Commercial Services Union: https://www.pcs.org.uk/
– Twitter paper about conservators and unions: https://twitter.com/PhilParkes4/status/1202210961899376640
– Science Museum Group strike from 2019: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/aug/30/science-museum-workers-england-strike-pay
– Prospect Union: https://prospect.org.uk/
– Bectu: https://bectu.org.uk/
– Fair Museums Job Summit Week: https://fairmuseumjobs.org/2020/11/09/fmjsummit-first-sessions-announced/
– Go follow Fair Museum Jobs: https://twitter.com/fair_jobs
– Go follow Shittish Museum: https://www.instagram.com/shittishmuseum/
– Conservation Together At Home series: https://icon.org.uk/groups/book-paper/conservation-together-at-home-webinar-series
– Kickstart job scheme: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/kickstart-scheme
– Museums Association Covid Hub: https://www.museumsassociation.org/campaigns/advocacy/covid-19/
– Museums Association Redundancy Hub: https://www.museumsassociation.org/careers/redundancy-hub/
– Culture is Bad for You: https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526144164/ and https://www.amazon.co.uk/Culture-Bad-You-Inequality-Industries/dp/1526144166/

Support us on Patreon!

Hosted by Jenny Mathiasson, Kloe Rumsey, and Patrick Whife.

Intro and outro music by DDmyzik used under a Creative Commons Attribution license.

Made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license.

A Wooden Dice production, 2020.

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Huddle around the camp fire of your imagination with us as we trade ghost stories and creepy anecdotes with special guest host Aly Singh: it’s time for our first ever Halloween special! Also tune in for bewitching brew at the Benchwork Bar, and a review of ’Anatomica: The Exquisite and Unsettling Art of Human Anatomy’ for extra goosebumps!

01:19 Creepy collections and odd objects
11:23 Working in haunted places
39:50 What would WE haunt?
44:11 Conservation Halloween costumes
48:04 Benchwork Bar: Worker’s Comp
50:08 Review: ’Anatomica – The Exquisite and Unsettling Art of Human Anatomy’

Show Notes:
– Aly Singh: https://www.alysingh.com/
– Ingenium: https://ingeniumcanada.org/
– The Haunted Walk: https://hauntedwalk.com/
– Ghosts NT book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ghosts-Stories-Encounters-National-Heritage/dp/1905400373/
– Ghost caught on camera: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj7CXk3hg-0&feature=youtu.be
– Cemetery Club: https://cemeteryclub.wordpress.com/tours/
– Anatomica – The Exquisite and Unsettling Art of Human Anatomy: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anatomica-Exquisite-Unsettling-Human-Anatomy/dp/1786275716 and https://www.morbidanatomy.org/books/preorder-anatomica-the-exquisite-and-unsettling-art-of-human-anatomy-signed-by-its-author-morbid-anatomy-founder-joanna-ebenstein

Support us on Patreon!

Hosted by Jenny Mathiasson, Kloe Rumsey, and Aly Singh.

Intro and outro music by DDmyzik used under a Creative Commons Attribution license. Additional sound effects from Audio Jungle, Sound Bible, and public domain sources.

Made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license.

A Wooden Dice production, 2020.

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We’re joined by special guest hosts Jeremy Uden and Marina de Alarcón from the Pitt Rivers Museum as we discuss the return of cultural objects. What are some of the attitudes we’ve encountered, and what is the role of the conservator in this? Kloe talks to Mark Furness about preparing objects for return, and Daniel Schwartz about how we can become better facilitators. Also tune in for a review of ’Plundered Skulls and Stolen Spirits’ by Chip Colwell.

00:00:52 Repatriation or restitution?
00:03:01 Attitudes in the sector
00:10:47 Where did we get these things to begin with?
00:13:38 Knowing what you’ve got
00:16:41 Role of conservators
00:24:32 Reactions and dialogue
00:28:19 Stewardship not ownership
00:31:23 Gains, not losses
00:37:35 Our place within restitution
00:44:06 Interview with Mark Furness
00:55:58 Interview with Daniel Schwartz
01:04:55 Review: ’Plundered Skulls and Stolen Spirits’

Show Notes:
– Repatriation vs restitution: https://collectionstrust.org.uk/cultural-property-advice/restitution-and-repatriation/
– About NAGPRA: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nagpra/index.htm
– Pitt Rivers removal of human remains from display: https://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/news/2020/09/pitt-rivers-museum-removes-shrunken-heads-from-display-after-ethical-review/
– Bronze cockerel returned to Nigeria: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/nov/27/bronze-cockerel-to-be-returned-to-nigeria-by-cambridge-college
– Museum Ethnographers Group: http://www.museumethnographersgroup.org.uk/en/
– Plundered Skulls and Stolen Spirits: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plundered-Skulls-Stolen-Spirits-Americas/dp/022629899X

Support us on Patreon!

Hosted by Jenny Mathiasson, Kloe Rumsey, Jeremy Uden, and Marina de Alarcón.

Intro and outro music by DDmyzik used under a Creative Commons Attribution license.

Made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license.

A Wooden Dice production, 2020.