CCI conservation scientist Season Tse and I recently had an
opportunity to learn more about conservation in Taiwan and to
share CCI’s conservation knowledge at the International
Symposium for Conservation of Paper and Textiles, which
was held at the National Center for Research and Preservation
of Cultural Properties (NCRPCP) in Tainan on December
15 and 16, 2004. We were honoured to speak about conservation
activities at CCI and share textile and paper conservation case
studies and research with an audience of museum professionals
from all over Taiwan. Holly Kruger and Yasmeen Khan from the Library
of Congress, Washington, and Boon-Nee Loh from the Heritage Conservation
Center in Singapore also presented papers about conservation activities
at their respective institutions. A paper by Professor Chunmei
Lin of the Tainan National University of the Arts (TNNUA) illustrated
condition documentation and storage of textile collections at
the National Taiwan Museum in Taipei. Professor Fei Wen Tasi,
also from TNNUA, talked about preservation activities for paper-based
collections at the same museum. Dr. Jiuan Lin, a local conservator,
summarized the environmental factors that impact on the preservation
of collections in museums. All of this information will be widely
available when the symposium postprints are published in 2005.
In addition to the knowledge we gained at the symposium presentations,
we learned a lot through first-hand exposure to the Taiwanese
museum and conservation community.
Taiwan exhibits the lush countryside juxtaposed with burgeoning
development that is now so characteristic of Asia. Also evident
is a strong drive toward ‘cultural investment’,
an endeavour in which NCRPCP is a very active player. Established
in 1997 to preserve cultural property, NCRPCP’s focus
is three-fold, including historic sites, historic buildings,
and cultural relics. The Center provides service to cultural
organizations, academics, conservation professionals, and the
public under a mandate that includes conducting conservation
research and analysis, developing treatment techniques, training
specialists, writing museum policy to assist in cultural relic
management, hosting symposia and other outreach activities,
developing conservation standards, publishing, and exhibiting.
One example of their outreach activities is the 2003 symposium
Management Policy for Conservation Institutions and International
Cooperation between Conservation Institutions.
NCRPCP is located in Tainan, a city in southern Taiwan that
is rich in history and cultural property and also recognized
for its literature. The magnificent building in which the Center
is housed is a national historic site, the original Tainan State
Hall. Renovated in 2003, this building is also home to the National
Museum of Taiwanese Literature. Inside it is beautiful and spacious
with state-of-the-art lecture hall, library, administration
spaces, and several treatment and analytical labs, many of which
are not yet fully furnished. The site also includes a Confucian
temple unifying the historic architectural complex into a ‘cultural
garden’ resource that is accessible to both professionals
and the public.
In the days preceding and following the conference, we had
an opportunity to visit and meet with conservation and collection
staff of some of Taiwan’s leading museums and universities.
Our first stop was the National Palace Museum in Taipei, a
must-see for tourists. While there we viewed exhibits of ancient
Chinese bronzes, delightful jade objects, intricate carved ivory
objects, illustrated texts, etc. — incredible objects
from a number of different dynasties. We were also privileged
to have a behind-the-scenes look at the storage of their vast
collection of scrolls, the paper lab, and the installations
to digitize the collection.
At the National Taiwan Museum, where the paper and textile
collections are held in the Anthropology Department, we met
the conservator in the object treatment lab and examined several
textiles.
Just outside of Taipei is the Chinese Textiles and Clothing
Culture Center, of the Graduate Institute of Textiles and Clothing
at Fu Jen Catholic University. Established in 1993, this Center
collects and preserves costumes, textiles, and accessories from
Taiwan Aboriginal, Taiwanese, Han Chinese, and Chinese minority
cultures. The Center includes a reference library, exhibit space,
treatment lab, registration area, and photography lab. Its collection
is beautifully housed in compactor units.
Our last tour was to TNNUA, the campus of which is outside
of Tainan in a little village in the countryside. This university
is home to 1000 students and faculty, but it has been teaching
conservation for only 3–4 years and only a small number
of students are currently training in areas of specialization
that include furniture, objects, paper, and paintings conservation.
The conservation labs are housed in a spacious, purpose-built
facility erected in 2003.
Season and I were delighted to represent CCI in this exercise
in international collaboration. The NCRPCP and symposium organizer
Ms. Hoyu Chang were most gracious and generous hosts, and the
two volunteer guides that provided translation attended to our
every need. We particularly enjoyed meeting new colleagues and
renewing a few previous acquaintances, as well as exchanging
information with other cultural professionals. The knowledge
of the Taiwanese museum and conservation community that we gained
from this experience can now be shared with others.
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