School of Historical and Philosophical Studies - Research Publications
Permanent URI for this collection
Search Results
1 - 10 of 81
-
ItemArtistic practices of the Bohol School of Painting: An analytical and archival study of nineteenth-century panel paintings in the Philippines(Archetype Publishing, 2005)In the center of the Philippines on the island of Bohol, a unique panel painting practice evolved linking western artistic methods introduced by the Spanish with Filipino knowledge of materials and techniques. The scientific analysis of five nineteenth century panel paintings belonging to the Baclayon Parish was undertaken and combined with an archival investigation of the Parish Archives to develop a better understanding of their provenance. Results illustrate the western construction methods used in the panel paintings with an oil medium as well as the utilization of local materials such as Kedondong wood for the panel support, cotton and bast fiber paper for a gap filler between the wood panels, and a transparent brown hydrocarbon for the ground layer. Some of the pigments identified correlate with the geological deposits from the region and others correspond with the archival church records. Other identified pigments were not referenced in the archives or found locally. The latter indicate the importation of high quality pigments, not of Filipino origin. Further, the good condition of the panels highlight their sound preparation and an environment suited for these particular works.
-
ItemNo Preview AvailableIdentification of polymer-based artefacts from the former Wheeler Residence at the Mernda archaeological site in Victoria, Australia: A comparison of attenuated total reflectance and reflectance spectroscopic techniques(International Council of Museums, 2021)The purpose of this investigation was to identify the polymers in artefacts recovered from archaeological excavations at the former Wheeler Residence using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared and reflectance spectroscopy. The results from both techniques are compared and discussed. Identification will assist with the long-term management and storage of these polymer-based artefacts. Evaluation of these two sampling techniques included whether the physical characteristics and polymer type of the artefacts favoured the use of one technique over the other. The inherent challenges of archaeological artefacts such as cataloguing conventions, awkwardly shaped fragments and soil encrustations complicated the analysis. Of the 270 samples analysed, 67% were identified as containing ten different types of polymers, with the remaining 33% consisting of unidentified polymers, encrusted polymers in which only soil bands or other materials such as glass were identified. Although reflectance achieved better results for certain types of artefacts, it also revealed limitations. The identified polymers are compatible with the proposed occupation of the site from 1852 to the 1970s.
-
ItemShould we clean plastics like we clean paintings? A study in cleaning plasticised poly (vinyl chloride)(University of Cambridge Museums, 2023)Cleaning plastics poses a significant issue in cultural collections. Highly susceptible to attack from mech- anical, organic and ionic cleaning agents, it can seem impossible to find products that adequately clean plastic materials without causing damage in the process. This paper aims to address these issues. It explores how techniques, knowledge and decision-making processes used in painting conservation can be adapted and used to deliver sophisticated, inexpensive, and accessible strategies for cleaning plastics. Using plasticised polyvinyl chloride as a case study, this paper demonstrates how principles of pH, ion concentration, polarity, chelation, gel-formulations and colloidal interface can be used to arrive at optimal methods for cleaning plastics. Combinations of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR), optical microscopy, colourimetry and accelerated ageing were used to determ- ine the effectiveness of and damage levels of the cleaning processes being evaluated. Ultimately it was found that neat solvents, detergents and acidic or basic aqueous solutions should not be used unaltered but should rather be tailored specifically to the needs of the polymeric material being treated.
-
ItemNo Preview AvailableOntology and knowing: A framework for conserving a rare musical instrument within and beyond the archive(International Council of Museums, 2023-09-18)Conserving cultures other than one’s own and working from the outside provokes questions of authority and the unknown in materials conservation. This paper focuses on identifying knowledge for cultural materials conservation of world culture objects, specifically a rare Indonesian musical instrument known as a bundengan. The study examines the ambiguous tensions surrounding a rare instrument located in an archive geographically isolated from its source community and how it acts as a social trigger to revive living heritage and performance practices, and to build culturally responsible communities of practice in conservation. An ontological framework to expand the knowledge of objects within and outside the archive is presented. The reiterative ontology draws on four disciplinary domains – archives, ethnomusicology, conservation, and performance – to build upon processual knowledge and networks of care, allowing deep connections with contemporary performance communities to emerge.
-
ItemNo Preview AvailableBones of Contention: Social Acceptance of Digital Cemetery Technologies(ASSOC COMPUTING MACHINERY, 2023)
-
ItemNo Preview AvailableAuthentication, Attribution and the Art Market: Understanding issues of art attribution in contemporary Indonesia(ACAH: The International Academic Forum, 2018)The widespread circulation of paintings lacking a secure provenance within the Indonesian art market is an increasingly prevalent issue that questions trust, damages reputations and collective cultural narratives. In the long-term, this may impact on the credibility of artists, their work and the international art market. Under the current Indonesian copyright laws, replicating a painting is not considered a crime of art forgery, rather a crime of autograph forgery, a loophole that has allowed the practice of forgery to grow. Despite widespread claims of problematic paintings appearing in cultural collections over recent years, there has been little scholarly research to map the scope of counterfeit painting circulation within the market. Building on this research gap and the themes of the conference, this paper will provide a current understanding of art fraud in Indonesia based on research undertaken on the Authentication, Attribution and the Art Market in Indonesia: Understanding issues of art attribution in contemporary Indonesia. This research is interdisciplinary in its scope and is grounded in the art historical, socio-political and socio economic context of cultural and artistic production in Indonesia, from the early twentieth century to the contemporary art world of today. By locating the study within a regionally relevant framework, this paper aims to provide a current understanding of issues of authenticity in Indonesia and is a targeted response to the need for a materials evidence based framework for the research, identification and documentation of questionable paintings, their production and circulation in the region.
-
ItemNo Preview AvailableSpeckle and Conservation(International Seminars, 2008)The aim of this research is to demonstrate the usefulness of speckle, a trait of an expanded laser beam, for the non-destructive testing of artwork in both the imaging of subsurface structure and the quantitative detection of physical movement of canvas. Laser Speckle Contrast Method (LSCI) is a useful method for the viewing of subsurface layers and movement. By investigating the statistical properties of dynamic speckle it is possible to reveal drawings that are hidden beneath scattering layers such as the primary layer of paint or adhered paper. This is achieved by taking a series of speckle images captured in a short time frame and applying one of a number of post processing algorithms. We explore the limitations of this method when applied to various paper samples that have a sketch executed in various media beneath the top layer. The ability to resolve gray scale images was examined as well as looking at the dependence of the contrast of the revealed drawings to the temperature of the surface. Current work is being done on using LSCI to reveal indentations in artwork caused by the application process. The successful use of Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry (ESPI) both in the laboratory and in-situ for the detection of in-plane movement of painted canvas due to humidity fluctuations and the out-of-plane movement of paint as it dries has also been demonstrated. Canvas paintings can be very susceptible to movement due to changes of the environment. ESPI is a non-destructive technique yielding sensitive results that can detect displacement on a surface of less than the wavelength of the illuminating coherent light source. While ESPI has been successfully applied to the in-situ study of painted frescoes, previous studies have employed tensile testers as a support for painted canvas. We have shown a portable version of ESPI to be of use in tropical environment in the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore with original artworks where variations in humidity occur and the samples have not undergone special preparation before analysis, revealing significant directional movements. Furthermore, a simple variation in the direction of beams paths permits the characterisation of out-of-plane movement, specifically as the height of paint shrinks due to the drying process. We have used ESPI to view the drying process of alkyd resin paints over the time period of 24 hours.
-
ItemBundengan: Social media as a space for collaboration in the conservation and revival of an endangered musical instrument(ISI Press, 2017)The widespread use of social media in cultural heritage and conservation projects principally makes use of its capacity for public-facing engagement and the promotion of cultural institutions and events. Its potential as an inclusive, accessible and dynamic research output is less well-established. This paper focuses upon the potential of social media as a complementary form of conservation documentation, in response to the use of interdisciplinary and cross-cultural collaboration between source communities and collecting institutions as a means to preserve both material and intangible cultural heritage. Using the conservation of a rare and endangered musical instrument called bundengan as a case study, this paper will assess the uses of social media platforms in both documenting and enabling collaboration between the source community in Wonosobo, Java, Indonesia, and academic researchers based in Indonesia and Australia.
-
ItemInvestigating Vynol: Australia’s first artists’ acrylic and vinyl-acrylic emulsion paints(Pulido & Nunes; ICOM Committee for Conservation, 2017)Vynol Paints, established in 1964, was the first manufacturer of artists’ acrylic paints in Australia. However, it has received minimal recognition in the art historical, conservation and technical art research fields. It is the aim of this paper to address this research gap by considering its relevance to material knowledge and conservation practice, as part of a broader investigation into the relationship between acrylic paints and the Australian colourfield painting movement. Vynol was found to be used by artists featured in the seminal exhibition, The Field (1968), at the National Gallery of Victoria. This interdisciplinary study presents archive material, interview findings and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis of Vynol paints, showing connections between the movement’s artists and the manufacturer. It reveals that, during the 1960s, Vynol produced vinyl-acrylic paints – copolymers of polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) and an acrylate monomer, a formulation that was likely used by some of the artists associated with The Field exhibition. Hence, identification of the PVAc/acrylic copolymers using FTIR spectroscopy is explored.
-
ItemGender system justification predicts decreased blame towards perpetrators of sexual harassment(University of Melbourne, 2020)Sexual harassment is a pervasive social problem with serious physical and psychological repercussions. Whilst the #MeToo movement has shone a spotlight on the issue, public reactions to perpetrators remain divided. Building on system justification theory, we argue that this division can be explained by individual differences in the desire to safeguard the gender hierarchy. To investigate this claim, we conducted a correlational study (n = 185) to examine whether gender system justification predicts perceptions of sexual harassment as unintentional and benign, and whether this leads to decreased blame judgements towards perpetrators. Results largely supported our hypotheses: we found that individuals who are high (vs. low) on gender system justification are more likely to view sexual harassment as unintentional and harmless and are less likely to blame perpetrators. Additionally, our analyses revealed that the effect of gender system justification on blame was mediated by differing perceptions of harm, but not intent. These results suggest that the exoneration of perpetrators may be motivated by a desire to maintain the status quo of gender relations, and that this motivation may result in the interpretation of evidence in a manner that favours exculpating perpetrators.