If you are a fashion aficionado — or even just an avid social media user — you may have seen Kim Kardashion wearing Marilyn Monroe’s iconic dress at the Met Gala, the debate that ensued and the subsequent public rage at the deteriorated condition it is in now. A fair share of accusations have been passed around but the collective emotional connection to a dress that many did not even know existed before the Gala — is rather interesting to note.
Many consider it pop culture heritage and champion its preservation. The same sentiments remain with items closer to home, right here in India. “Several people or organisations send objects for conservation to our labs. Some have historical value and others, emotional. Some people want to leave these items for their children to witness. So, it is important to conserve it so others can see the traditions (that existed),” explained Merrin Anil, art conservator at the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) at a virtual talk ‘Conserving Material Heritage’, hosted by INTACH Chennai Chapter.
What’s in the lab?
Material objects for conservation are of distinct nature, informed Merrin. They can be categorised into two — mobile (paintings, wooden objects, taxidermy, wall paintings) and non-mobile (wall paintings). These can be further split into organic materials, that include paper and textile, and inorganic materials, including stone and metal. “There are many environmental factors such as moisture, humidity, and light that contribute to the deterioration of these objects. Light, for example, can act with the pigment and dye of a texture and gradually degrade the fabric.
And certain biological factors can take over and destroy an object, like how wood is organic and absorbs moisture. In the rainy seasons when the humidity increases, the wood can invite fungal conditions, termites, and pests. Human intervention can also add to the problem,” she goes on, as an image of a wood and lacquer sculpture takes on the screen. The sculpture had broken when a packaging service was to deliver it to the owner. The same was reintegrated and made whole by INTACH’s lab in Delhi, where experts work on conservation of various mediums, research and training.
The process of preservation
The process of conservation involves several steps — examination (studying the object to understand what kind of condition it is in, what damage it has taken and more), documentation (for streamlined communication in the form of photographs, text or graphical representation), test and trial (tests on small swatches because sensitivity different based on each objects), treatments, and research and training. “Conservation can also be in different ways. We take up conservation if we need to expand the lifespan of an object from deterioration. So we need to arrest the problem, understand and then rectify it.
Conservation, itself, can be divided into preventive, curative and restorative,” Merrin says. An example of preventive conservation is storing textiles in rolls, as opposed to folding them as that would create a crease that could ruin the fibres over time. “If you come back to textile, say a sari, that has been folded, after 10 years, and open it, you will see a deep mark where the fabric is fragile. The same could cause tears to occur over the line. In rolls, there will not be much damage over a long time.
A curative method would be to mend any issues and you can enhance the beauty of the object by restoring it. You may use a patch of the same shade and material. It may not look good for the sari but if someone has an emotional connect to it, it can retain it,” notes Merrin. Perhaps, we are looking forward to something of the sort when it comes to Marilyn Monroe’s dress as well?
In the lab
The INTACH labs also take in new con-servators and students, who may have come in with the-
oretical knowledge but may need practical experience in the field, informs Merrin. They join the lab, and gain exposure to different items, often during their internships. Hence, training students is another duty of the lab.