School of Historical and Philosophical Studies - Research Publications
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ItemCollections of paint colour charts, paint tins and paintings as a source for developing an understanding of paint making history(Museums Australia, 2011)A project looking at a collection of painting items from a studio used by the artist Sidney Nolan (1917-1992) from 1951 to 1953 is beginning to grapple with the subject of house paint technology from the pre World War II period up to the mid 1950s. Sidney Nolan was particularly engaged with house paint as an artist’s medium, and it seems sought information from paint makers to obtain a deep technical understanding of these complex paint systems. A number of additional collections of paint material held in Sydney museums have been identified that hold potential to provide new information on paint resins and pigments. A collection of historic paint colour charts which use the paint itself in the swatches of colour, and a collection of early synthetic paint resins from 1934-1937, are both valuable sources for analytical standards and the dating of technologies in Australia.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableBuilding evidence for use in criminal cases – standard practice and methodologies: a case study in Australia(AiA, 2014-05-07)In criminal and civil investigations relating to art fraud, the question of how evidence is gathered is as relevant as the question of what is gathered. The sensitive nature of the evidence also means that often the sharing of information between professionals, such as curators, gallerists and art historians is minimal and restricted. Sometimes art historical accounts provided as evidence can be difficult to verify against properly referenced data, while the materials analysis data can be open to various interpretations. In addition, assertions of art fraud have been met with action for libel. As a result, the lack of an integrated analytical and investigative methodology can hamper investigation, making conviction difficult. As an interdisciplinary study conservation is seen to provide ‘objective’ scientific data that can explicate and verify propositions about the source or history of an artwork. Drawing on work undertaken at the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation (CCMC) this paper discusses the development of standards, methodologies and guidelines for data collection to strengthen prosecution procedures and meet the evidentiary requirements of the courts, and explains why conservation provides the critical and objective procedures useful in bringing forward a successful prosecution for art fraud.
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ItemAssessment of the effect of nitric oxide-based treatments on biofilm formation: A comparison with biocides used in paint formulations and the treatment of cultural heritage(Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 2013-10-22)Biocides are chemical substances used in the treatment of damaging biological growth. They are commonly added as ‘preservatives’ to paint formulations to prevent biofouling. They are also applied in the control of organisms responsible for the biodecay of cultural material. The demand for sustainable, low-toxic alternatives to conventional biocide use, requires a more sophisticated approach to biocidal systems (Denyer & Stewart 1998). We have investigated how the anti-bacterial properties of the free-radical molecule nitric oxide (NO•), when used in combination with commercial biocides, can enhance their efficacy.
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ItemBuilding a legacy in contemporary art in Timor-Leste(Pulido & Nunes; ICOM-Committee for Conservation, 2014)Arte Moris is an artists' collective that was established in Dili after the destruction that resulted in the aftermath of the Popular Consultation. In 2012 a series of interviews were conducted with staff in Arts Moris. These interviews identified youth-oriented art programs as an effective framework for building cultural and educational product in a future Timor-Leste.
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ItemNo Preview AvailablePreserving the Past: How to ensure the development of the conservation profession in Australia is preserved for the future(AICCM, 2011-10-19)The first AICCM conference “Conservation in Australia”, which was held in Canberra in 1976 at the Australian National University, was organised by the few conservators located in Canberra. The intervening 35 years have seen changes in the organisation and conservation profession. This 2011 AICCM National Conference, “Conservation in Australia: Past, Present and Future”, now back in Canberra, will allow us to view where we have come from, and examine the challenges for the future development of the AICCM and Australian conservation profession.
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ItemThe Sacred Life of Trees: What trees say about people in the prehistoric Aegean and Near East(Monash University, 2012)The realistic nature of the glyptic idiom of Minoan Crete, as expressed in images of tree cult, has resulted in the general assumption that such illustrations depict real places within the Cretan landscape. Variously termed ‘rural sanctuaries’, ‘sacred enclosures’ or ‘open-air shrines’, glyptic iconography is the main source of evidence for this category of cult site and its supposed characteristics, thought to range from the architecturally elaborate to the ephemeral.1 This paper argues that, as a result of the miniaturisation process involved in the creation of glyptic motifs, it is more likely that images of tree cult are not scenes, but signs, comparable with more minimalist Cypriot and Israelite examples. In order to support this contention, the paper will initially contextualise the images chronologically and spatially.
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ItemAuthentication in a legal framework: Methodologies that underscore art authentication in practice(International Council of Museums, 2014-09-14)The ideal of art authentication in practice stems not solely from a need to protect market interests, but from a need to protect the interests of artists and the integrity of their artistic legacies (Spencer 2004). This paper looks at the legal context for the methodologies that underscore art authentication in practice, and the legal framework that should preposition the gathering of evidence, external to a court proceeding. Essentially, it seeks to explore the question: Should the potential for litigious action bind the process of art authentication to a legal evidence-based framework? This paper is presented with regard to the investigations of the oeuvre of the contemporary Australian artist Howard Arkley (1951–1999), currently being undertaken as part of the author’s PhD thesis at the University of Melbourne, Australia.
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ItemIn-situ, non-invasive investigation of an outdoor wooden sculpture(International Council of Museums, 2014-09-14)This paper reports on the development of a radio- frequency sensor unit for the non-invasive monitoring of Bruce Armstrong’s outdoor wooden sculpture constructed from River Red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis). This technique collects realtime data in situ in outdoor environments. Sensor units employing electromagnetic radiation in the microwave to radio frequency part of the spectrum can detect moisture changes, mould growth and termite infestation in specimen Australian timbers used in works of art. Model experiments using wood samples showed that moisture changes,decay levels, invasion of wood by insects such as termites and wood deterioration due to fungal attack can be detected with both ‘look through’ and radar-based microwave sensors. The monitoring provided information on the time response, temporal and cyclic activity of an outdoor, exposed wooden sculpture to moisture. A radio-frequency sensor is applicable for the monitoring of cultural materials to inform damage functions and dose values.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableArtist oil paints in Thailand(International Council of Museums, 2014-09-14)The deterioration of artist paints and paintings in Thailand’s tropical climate is unique. This paper outlines the research and production of Pradit oil paints by Thailand’s Silpakorn University, which are manufactured in collaboration with artists, researchers, scientists and conservators. Following eight years of natural ageing in Thailand and three years in Melbourne, Australia, the paint films were technically and analytically examined to identify the oil paints more susceptible to the effects of climate. Lightfastness, solubility, crack patterns, contact angle and the real time response of oil paint films to moisture identified the more susceptible paints. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) with attenuated total reflectance (ATR) and synchrotron radiation FTIR microspectroscopy (SR-μFTIR) identified the signatures associated with chemical changes in the paint films. Given the harsh climatic conditions in tropical Thailand, the integrated study aims to provide artists with a wider range of painting choices and for materials scientists and conservators to approach preservation issues in the region from a proactive, informed position.
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ItemGender, Language and the Body: Manual Knowledge of Physical Culture in Postcolonial Laos(Asian Studies Association of Australia (ASAA), 2010)