The C Word

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/

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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, 2020.

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.

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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

We’re joined by special guest host and material scientist Anna Ploszajski as we try to unpick how conservators approach the materials they use for treating objects: what do we look for and how do we use them? Kloe takes us through her thought process when she tries a new paint range and Jenny encourages people to share their low tech testing. Also tune in for a Dear Jane about whether or not conservators need to be artistic.

01:48 Getting to know your materials
03:50 Are specialisms a myth?
05:55 Trying new things
12:01 How do we find and test new materials?
18:44 Kloe’s experiments with Lascaux Sirius and textiles
44:56 The practical side of testing something new
48:36 Dear Jane
51:53 Patreon shout out

Show Notes:
– Handmade podcast: https://www.annaploszajski.com/podcast
– Oddy testing: http://www.conservation-wiki.com/wiki/Oddy_Test
– Accelerated aging tests: https://www.conservation-wiki.com/wiki/Accelerated_aging_test
– Lascaux Sirius colours: https://lascaux.ch/en/products/colours/lascaux-sirius-watercolours

Support us on Patreon!

Hosted by Jenny Mathiasson, Kloe Rumsey, and Anna Ploszajski.

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.

We’re joined by special guest host Fi White as we chat about filming in heritage settings: from bodice rippers and period dramas to music videos and news segments! Kloe interviews Wendy Somerville-Woodiwis about actors on trains, and Jenny talks to freelance filming conservator Kate Bertenshaw about the basics of film crew herding. Also tune in for a review of the film ’Those That, at a Distance, Resemble Another.’

04:11 Our experiences of filming
11:20 Set dressing and adapting the space
23:55 Why don’t we share filming experiences more?
30:07 Risks and rewards
36:43 Interview with Wendy Somerville-Woodiwis
49:10 Interview with Kate Bertenshaw
56:50 Review: ’Those That, at a Distance, Resemble Another’

Show Notes:
– Sell Out? conference: http://www.sharemuseumseast.org.uk/events/event/6th-annual-ucm-share-collections-care-conference/
– The Colin Firth cake: https://variety.com/2020/tv/global/jane-austens-mr-darcy-was-turned-into-a-life-sized-cake-1234760208/
– Royal carriages in Station Hall: https://www.railwaymuseum.org.uk/whats-on/station-hall
– Kate’s LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/kate-bertenshaw-11b74724
– Trailer and information about ’Those That, at a Distance, Resemble Another’ (2019): https://jessicarinland.com/those

Support us on Patreon!

Hosted by Jenny Mathiasson, Kloe Rumsey, and Fi White.

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.

We have a catch up and chat about returning to work after lockdown. We read out and listen to some contributions from people who either have gone back into work or are waiting to get the green light. Round off the season with a First Wave Back cocktail at the Benchwork Bar on your way out!

00:52 What’s our situation like?
08:52 Our Twitter poll
13:29 How museums are changing
15:53 Listener contributions (part 1)
30:21 Listener contributions (part 2)
48:52 How do we feel right now?
51:59 Benchwork Bar: First Wave Back

Support us on Patreon!

Hosted by Jenny Mathiasson and Kloe Rumsey.

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.

We zoom in on the topic of photography conservation and photos in collections with guest host Lorraine Finch. From positives to negatives, we build a picture of some common things look out for and discuss some ways of storing vintage photos. Also tune in for a review of ‘Twentieth-Century Color Photographs – Identification and Care’ and an Albumen cocktail (and mocktail) at the Benchwork Bar!

00:00:45 Do object conservators come across many old photos?
00:06:44 What sort of photos do we mostly encounter?
00:15:13 Book recommendations galore
00:16:23 Kloe frets about modern photography
00:20:53 Polaroid revival and instant photos
00:23:24 Common types of damage
00:31:56 Storage solutions
00:39:19 Treat it or lose it
00:47:25 Review: ‘Twentieth-Century Color Photographs – Identification and Care’
00:53:37 Benchwork Bar: Albumen
01:01:40 Patreon shout out

Show Notes:
– Lorraine’s previous episodes: https://thecword.show/2018/05/02/s03e04-looking-after-your-conservator/ and https://thecword.show/2019/09/18/s06e01-conservation-on-a-budget/
– The Centre for Photographic Conservation: http://www.cpc-moor.com/index.htm
– Winston Churchill Traveling Fellowship: https://www.wcmt.org.uk/why-apply/travel-grant
– Image Permanence Institute: https://www.imagepermanenceinstitute.org/
– George Eastman Museum: https://www.eastman.org/
– Care and Identification of 19th-Century Photographic Prints: https://store.imagepermanenceinstitute.org/care-id-photographic-prints
– Photographs of the Past – Process and Preservation: https://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications_resources/books/photos_of_the_past.html
– Sub-zero storage of photographs: http://wilhelm-research.com/subzero.html
– ZINK technology: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zink_(technology)
– Lorraine’s articles on the PEL blog: https://www.preservationequipment.com/Blog/Blog-Posts/Blog-Categories/Photographic
– Photographic Negatives – Nature and Evolution of Processes: https://s3.cad.rit.edu/ipi-assets/publications/negatives_poster_booklet.pdf
– Twentieth-Century Color Photographs – Identification and Care: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Twentieth-Century-Colour-Photographs-Identification/dp/0500517193/ or https://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications_resources/books/20th_century_color.html
– Go follow Amanda Richards for more conservation cocktails: https://twitter.com/ConserveItAll

Support us on Patreon!

Hosted by Jenny Mathiasson, Kloe Rumsey, and Lorraine Finch.

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.

We squint at the topic of light in this illuminating episode: guest host Sarah Potter enlightens us while Jenny thinks about communication and Kloe reveals she has super eye sight. Christina interviews David Saunders and Jenny reviews his new book about museum lighting. Also tune in for a Dear Jane about dissertations, and a Fluorescent Bulb at the Benchwork Bar!

00:03:00 How we light our galleries
00:15:40 Light monitoring routines
00:20:13 Light levels and material types
00:21:41 Communicating about low light levels
00:28:13 Lights inside cases are basically the devil
00:31:54 Interview with David Saunders
00:59:37 Smart glass?!
01:01:40 Review: ‘Museum Lighting – A Guide for Conservators and Curators’
01:05:45 Dear Jane
01:10:50 Benchwork Bar: Fluorescent Bulb
01:13:53 Patreon shout out

Show Notes:
– Contemporary Art episode: https://thecword.show/2019/04/17/s05e03-contemporary-art/
– Connecting to Collection Care webinar ’How to Change a Lightbulb: LED Lighting for Museums’: https://www.connectingtocollections.org/how-to-change-a-lightbulb/
– Example of the handheld monitor we talk about: https://www.preservationequipment.com/Catalogue/Instruments/UV-Light-Monitors/UV-Light-Monitor
– ‘Spread or Sacrifice: Dilemma for Lighting Policies’ by Agnes Brokerhof, Pieter Kuiper & Steph Scholten: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00393630.2018.1504439
– Hampton Court Palace and Smart Tint: https://shop.smarttint.com/Hampton-Court-Palace-Smart-Tint-Inc_b_1058.html
– Museum Lighting – A Guide for Conservators and Curators: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Museum-Lighting-Guide-Conservators-Curators/dp/1606066374 or https://shop.getty.edu/products/museum-lighting-a-guide-for-conservators-and-curators-978-1606066379
– Go follow Amanda Richards for more conservation cocktails: https://twitter.com/ConserveItAll

Support us on Patreon!

Hosted by Jenny Mathiasson, Kloe Rumsey, and Sarah Potter.

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.