TY - JOUR
T1 - A Comparative Surface Cleaning Study of Op Structure, an Op Art PMMA Sculpture by Michael Dillon
AU - Angelova, Lora V.
AU - Sofer, Gates
AU - Bartoletti, Angelica
AU - Ormsby, Bronwyn
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was conducted within the NANORESTART (Nanomaterials for the Restoration of Works of Art) project, which received funding from the European Union under the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, Grant Agreement 646063. Thei authors are thankful to: all NANORESTART partners, in particular, David Chelazzi, Nicole Bonelli, Michele Baglioni, Rodorico Giorgi, and Piero Baglioni for providing materials and training; Tate Conservation, Research and Photography Departments - Joyce Townsend, Deborah Potter, Deborah Cane, Andrew Wilson, Joe Humprhys and Roger Murray; Mark Kearney and Emma Richardson, both formerly UCL.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Crown Copyright, Collection Care Department. This article is published under an Open Government Licence www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/.
PY - 2023/1/2
Y1 - 2023/1/2
N2 - The cleaning of a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) sculpture, Op Structure by Michael Dillon (1967, Tate Collection T03717), was undertaken as a case study during the NANORESTART project. Novel cleaning techniques, including microemulsions and gels, were evaluated and compared against more commonly used treatment methods on mock-ups created to broadly represent the conservation challenges presented by this artwork. The experimental design is presented, including the creation of mock-ups of a contemporary plastic work that required surface soil reduction and removal of two non-original labels with different pressure-sensitive adhesives. More than thirty cleaning systems were applied to soiled mock-ups and evaluated using a combination of imaging, instrumental analysis, and empirical observations. A summary of results, which reflect the decision-making process that led to the final treatment strategy, is presented. After extensive trials, surface cleaning was carried out using an aqueous surfactant-chelator solution applied with microfiber cloths; adhesive labels were removed with dilute water/propan-2-ol cotton poultices.
AB - The cleaning of a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) sculpture, Op Structure by Michael Dillon (1967, Tate Collection T03717), was undertaken as a case study during the NANORESTART project. Novel cleaning techniques, including microemulsions and gels, were evaluated and compared against more commonly used treatment methods on mock-ups created to broadly represent the conservation challenges presented by this artwork. The experimental design is presented, including the creation of mock-ups of a contemporary plastic work that required surface soil reduction and removal of two non-original labels with different pressure-sensitive adhesives. More than thirty cleaning systems were applied to soiled mock-ups and evaluated using a combination of imaging, instrumental analysis, and empirical observations. A summary of results, which reflect the decision-making process that led to the final treatment strategy, is presented. After extensive trials, surface cleaning was carried out using an aqueous surfactant-chelator solution applied with microfiber cloths; adhesive labels were removed with dilute water/propan-2-ol cotton poultices.
KW - adhesive
KW - case study
KW - cleaning
KW - evaluation
KW - gels
KW - Plastic
KW - poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)
KW - sculpture
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85130791322&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/01971360.2022.2031459
DO - 10.1080/01971360.2022.2031459
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85130791322
SN - 0197-1360
VL - 62
SP - 58
EP - 77
JO - Journal of the American Institute for Conservation
JF - Journal of the American Institute for Conservation
IS - 1
ER -