My name is Cathryn, and I am one of the second-year conservation students on placement. My placement is in the Bevaringcenter Fyn (Langelands Museum) in southern Denmark. The lab is responsible for the conservation of several museums across the region, so the work is widely varied, and sometimes involves a bit of travel. I have several major projects underway at the moment. A dolls’ house from a ‘correctional’ girls home (Vejstrup Pigehjem), which shut in 1963, is one of the major projects. It is one of the few objects remaining from the home, which makes it a rare and valuable object. It also has wallpaper in most of the rooms, one of which has Hans Christian Andersen stories depicted. Mould, dirt, and warping are some of the major issues with it. The conservation of the wallpaper has been particularly challenging, but has enabled me to work closely with the paper conservator at the lab.
A waterlogged barrel from a medieval castle is another project. The focus of this project is less on the conservation of the object, but rather, the research and recording of the barrel. I have designed my own timber recording form specifically, and will be trying to reconstruct the original form by examining the staves and by comparison with similar objects.
My other major project is a museum store which has had a mould outbreak. Initially, my colleagues and I searched the store to find the mouldy objects. We are now in the cleaning and treating stage to remove the mould spores, and hopefully, prevent their regrowth.
My next project will be gap-filling and colour matching a pixie head (from a figurine) for a private owner.
If anybody has any questions, or would like some more details, feel free to email me at: [email protected].