Assessment of plastics in the National Trust: a case study at Mr Straw's House

The National Trust is a charity that cares for over 300 publically accessible historic buildings and their contents across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. There have been few previous studies on preservation of plastics within National Trust collections, which form a significant part of the more modern collections of objects. This paper describes the design of an assessment system which was successfully trialled at Mr Straws House, a National Trust property in Worksop, UK. This system can now be used for future plastic surveys at other National Trust properties. In addition, the survey gave valuable information about the state of the collection, demonstrating that the plastics that are deteriorating are those that are known to be vulnerable, namely cellulose nitrate/acetate, PVC and rubber. Verifying this knowledge of the most vulnerable plastics enables us to recommend to properties across National Trust that these types should be seen as a priority for correct storage and in-depth recording

A SUSTAINABLE APPROACH FOR URBAN INTEGRATION OF HAMM M SAM RAH IN THE HISTORIC CITY OF GAZA

Throughout historical ages, Gaza has been viewed amongst the most important cities of Palestine. The historic centre of Gaza is among the most important sites in the city as it bustles with business activities and is the place of major historic sites, and cultural and architectural legacy in the region. The city of Gaza used to have several public baths which were built to meet the hygiene and health needs of the local inhabitants. Furthermore, they played an important social role as gathering places for socio-cultural events, parties and meetings. It is most unfortunate that a large number of these baths have disappeared, apart from the Samarah bath in Al Zaitoun neighbourhood at the heart of the old city. Hence, the preservation of this unique genuine heritage building is of high importance. This paper attempts to establish key scenarios to integrate the hammām into the Old City urban fabric. The study is based on the hypothesis stating that a sustainable approach can be achieved by associating the hammām to its urban context. Thus, the hammām will constitute an important part of a touristic tour including the main urban entities composing the old City: Al-Omari Mosque, Qisaria Market, Pasha Palace and Khan Al-Zait. Three main scenarios will be proposed, analyzed and explored. The study concludes by suggesting an appropriate scenario for the adaptive re-use of the building, in order to preserve the hammam

From Silk to Digital Technologies: A Gateway to New Opportunities for Creative Industries, Traditional Crafts and Designers. The SILKNOW Case

Nowadays, cultural heritage is more than ever linked to the present. It links us to our cultural past through the conscious act of preserving and bequeathing to future generations, turning society into its custodian. The appreciation of cultural heritage happens not only because of its communicative power, but also because of its economic power, through sustainable development and the promotion of creative industries. This paper presents SILKNOW, an EU-H2002 funded project and its application to cultural heritage, as well as to creative industries and design innovation. To this end, it presents the use of image recognition tools applied to cultural heritage, through the interoperability of data in the open-access registers of silk museums and its presentation, analysis and creative process carried out by the design students of EASD Valencia as a case study, in the branches of jewellery and fashion project, inspired by the heritage of silk

From cultural quarters to creative clusters – creative spaces in the new city economy

Copyright @ 2009 Institute of Urban HistoryInstitute of Urban History, Stockhol

Textiles in Texts: Literary Representations of Women's Textile Crafts

Textiles in Text

Rescue and Recovery: Working with Glasgow School of Art's Archives after the Mackintosh Building Fire

On 23 May 2014 a fire broke out in Glasgow School of Art’s A-listed Mackintosh Building. This building was also home to the School’s Archives and Collections Centre and its heritage collections. These included archives, textiles, paintings, and object collections which were housed in four dedicated storerooms, plus a large number of plaster casts and examples of Mackintosh Furniture that were located throughout the building. The day of the fire, and the weeks immediately after this event were an incredibly busy, emotional, and important time for all of GSA’s staff and students. For the Archives and Collections service and for the Library team members, they comprised the assessment, where feasible the removal, and the initial stabilisation of our holdings, a task hugely aided by input from an army of volunteers. This article provides a timeline of events, describing what actions were taken and the experiences of those involved. It also outlines the different challenges related to dealing with this event, the lessons learnt from these challenges and the potential activities that will take place as part of GSA’s longer-term recovery plans

Industrial Heritage and Agri/Rural Tourism in Europe

This report provides a description and analysis of how, why, when and where industrial heritage based tourism and rural tourism have developed in Europe. It discusses current issues in those subjects and suggests ways in which both activities could be expanded, made more viable and sustainable, and so deliver greater economic, environmental and socio-cultural benefits for the local communities involved and for Europe as a whole

Natural Sciences in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage

A Special Issue of the international journal Sustainability under the section Sustainability of Culture & Heritage has been made, entitled Natural Sciences in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage. The bridge between science/technology and the humanities (archaeology, anthropology, history of art, and cultural heritage) has formed a well-established interdisciplinary subject with several sub-disciplines; it is growing exponentially, spurred by the fast development of technology in other fields (space exploration, medical, military, and industrial applications). On the other hand, art and culture struggle to survive due to neglect, lack of funding, or the dangers of events such as natural disasters and war. This volume strengthens and exerts the documentation of the sustainability of the issue that arises from the outcome of resulting research and the application of such a duality link. The sustainable dimension emerges from society, education, and economics through the impact of cultural growth, all of which produce a balanced society, in which prosperity, harmony, and development are merged at a sustainable local/regional/national/social level. A wide range of subjects linking the applied natural sciences with archaeology and the cultural heritage of innovative research and applications are presented in this volume

Heritage Conservation and Social Engagement

Heritage Conservation and Social Engagement explores different kinds of engagement, participation, access, and creative use of resources motivated by the practice of conservation, and offers ethical and practical perspectives from which to approach cultural heritage projects. The chapters are structured around the themes of engagement and participation, with an emphasis on the value of cross-disciplinary collaborations and the adoption of more encompassing approaches to conservation decision-making. The authors explore the complexities of these collaborations, which are often influenced by the colonial baggage of museums and whose effectiveness vary according to context, objectives, methods and resources available. Given the variable nature of the factors involved, providing evidence for the beneficial impacts of engagement is not always a straightforward task. For a strong body of evidence to be formed, it is essential that conservators continue to create spaces to debate methods that may open new frontiers. Efforts to promote inclusion and engagement through museum collections and the broader heritage sector are becoming even more socially relevant, as in recent years we have observed a rise in intolerance towards minority groups in traditionally democratic societies. The heritage sector is responding strongly, however, as it has the tools to help fight prejudices that are invariably based on misinformation or manipulation of facts. This book joins these efforts, in the knowledge that nothing can be done without dialogue and engagement