Object Description and Condition
The Gould/LaFetra House model from 1966/1968 is a wooden structure with pale cardboard floors and roofs mounted to a cork base and supported by a plywood board underneath. Most of the base and structure, except for the turquoise chimneys, is uncolored, but there are a few blue papers applied to selected surfaces, such as the front door and the pool.
Made in 1983, the model for the Open House has a plastic structure with a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) base, in which a polystyrene (PS) construction is inserted and partially supported by foam blocks and foam boards. Its transparent areas are closed with PS sheets. Filigree metal hand rails secure all the platforms. The pool, on the other hand, is made from wood with a wavy glass surface. All solid areas are spray-painted with an alkyd resin. The model was originally positioned on a gigantic wooden base that will not be included in Overdrive (and which is therefore omitted in these images).
Both the models came into the Research Institute’s collection with debris, structural damage, and losses, as seen in the images below.
Treatment Discussion and Material Analysis
In order to choose a proper treatment and the right conservation materials, we consulted the curators of the Research Institute’s architecture collection; Tom Learner’s science lab at the Getty Conservation Institute undertook analysis of the plastic materials in the Open House model.
During discussions, the curators and conservators agreed that we should attempt to reconstruct the area of loss on the front of the Gould/LaFetra House model, so as not mislead future viewers about the architect’s original design. Fortunately, there was enough evidence from the original’s remains for us to determine the dimensions of the missing pieces. We also confirmed the model’s original appearance through further research. Had this not been the case, we would have accepted the object’s damaged condition, since it is imperative not to change the architect’s intent.
Cleaning Techniques
After determining a treatment proposal, conservators usually begin by cleaning an object. A dry cleaning technique is often most suitable for an architectural model. We used a Nilfisk vacuum cleaner with HEPA filters that collect the very finest dirt particles. We attached micro tools to the trunk of the vacuum cleaner for a careful, but at the same time efficient, work procedure for stable areas.
For more fragile areas, we removed the micro tools, lowered the suction power, and used small soft-hair brushes
To prevent the vacuum cleaner from sucking up any loose model pieces, we inserted a piece of Hollytex® between the parts of the vacuum trunk. The piece was pushed a bit into the trunk to maximize the dust-collecting surface and to prevent the vacuum cleaner from clogging too quickly. Once in a while, we opened this connection and bagged all the remains in small polyethylene (PE) bags. They would later be stored with the object.
Some surfaces still appeared less than clean after vacuuming, so we decided to apply further cleaning techniques.
For coarse-pored surfaces such as cork or wire mesh, a durable foamlike material called bead mat by BEADALON® can help. Its surface is designed to keep beads from rolling, but also to collect fine dirt particles between its fibers. The material can even be used in very fragile areas where standard cleaning techniques might cause damage, since the textile does not require pressure, and therefore is very gentle. Tools such tweezers can be used to handle small-cut pieces. Furthermore, the mats are washable and reusable. This cleaning material was identified by conservator Linda Roundhill, owner of Art and Antiquities Conservation, LLC, and introduced to me by conservator Jane Bassett from the Department of Sculpture and Decorative Arts Conservation at the J. Paul Getty Museum.
Another advanced cleaning technique employs Lascaux® Acrylic Adhesive 360 HV on a wooden stick. The stick can easily be prepared by dipping its tip into the adhesive. This adhesive remains sticky after drying to a film, and therefore can collect dirt even from surfaces such as wood and paper, and can give access to narrow edges and corners. This technique derives from paintings conservation, where it is used to carefully clean paint flakes.
Glossy and shiny surfaces on plastics, on the other hand, can easily scratch when dry-cleaned. We observe this phenomenon, for instance, on display bonnets made from polymetylmethacrylate (PMMA, Plexiglas®), which suffer circular scratches from abrasive dust particles. During the three-and-a-half-year-long research project POPART, specialists throughout the world investigated the best cleaning techniques for plastics. They concluded that using lubricants while cleaning would noticeably reduce surface damage.
The dirt on the plastic surfaces of the Open House model was water soluble. Since polystyrene (PS) is not harmed by water, we cleaned the transparent plastic sheets using water with a minimal detergent addition, followed by purification with distilled water, so as not to leave water stains. The same cleaning technique was applied to the painted model surface.
Adhering Techniques
Different structures and materials require different conservation materials, as well as different techniques, for assembling detached parts. Wooden constructions are commonly reassembled using hide glue, an adhesive consisting of proteins from animal skins or bones. The rectangular construction of the Gould/LaFetra House model, allowed us to use traditional assembling tools such as lightweight clamps. In rare cases, when pieces were too small or in inaccessible areas, we used light weights or low-adhesion ScotchBlueTM tape.
Readhering parts on plastic models is often more complicated, not only because we need to use reliable analytical instruments to identify materials before reassembling them, but also because we need to carefully choose the most appropriate adhesive for each specific plastic. Many plastics are used in art objects containing very many components, which can also differ depending on when a plastic was made. In addition, the discipline of plastic conservation is still a young one, having existed for only 20 years (compared to the preservation of culture heritage more broadly, established for over a century). This is why we still gain conservation knowledge of plastics with each project, and will proceed with similar investigations in future years. One final challenge of working with plastics is that the makeup of plastic components keeps changing. For all these reasons, we must be careful in choosing an adhesive: it should not degrade the material, should not age (yellow or change adhesion properties), and ideally should be removable, in case a better way of treating an object be found in the future. In short, the decision-making process for plastics is more complex than for other materials.
In the Open House model, the construction was built up in three layers, which all came to us with detached elements. Furthermore, the model would travel for the exhibition, which can cause mechanical impact on its joints. The chosen adhesive should, therefore, resist aging and provide great tensile strength: it would be very difficult, for instance, to reach a reopened joint in the model’s interior, and such an opening could even cause structural weakening. The transparent polystyrene sheets at the base of the model, with their rigid construction, could be readhered using an aqueous adhesive. All this thinking led us toward a polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) adhesive, which is fairly stable in terms of yellowing and pH-changes, but definitely has good strength.
Just as the process of choosing an adhesive can be complicated, so too are the techniques used to apply it. Because architectural models are often lightweight constructions made of delicate materials, we often place pieces together using supports such as T-pins on foam blocks or wooden sticks, as well as small-size weights or binder clips, and sometimes even low-adhesion ScotchBlueTM tape for securing pieces lightly into place. The tape’s ends are folded in to minimize the surface area it contacts, and to ease its later release.
Conclusion
Conserving architecture models is quite challenging, but at the same time very interesting, due to the variety of materials used in the models, often including low-quality materials, assembled quickly. Very little has been published on conserving architectural models and their material mixes, which makes it a young discipline in the conservation field, and one that calls for further investigation as well as more publications to facilitate better exchange among colleagues.
This paper is related to the exhibition Overdrive: L.A. Constructs the Future, 1940–1990 and provides an inside look at some of the preparation work undertaken by the Getty Research Institute’s Department of Conservation and Preservation. I compared one wooden and one plastic model in their materials, conservation approaches, and treatments. I also outlined a few conservation “tricks” in the areas of cleaning techniques and readhesion of flimsy model pieces. I further summarized the current state of research on conserving architecture models, and provided an introductory typology and general history of such models.
Acknowledgements
Lisa Nash, conservator at RIBA, London, UK
Karen Potje, head conservator at CCA, Québec, Canada
Regula Künzli, object conservator at the Wien Museum, Vienna, Austria
Nigel Bamforth, senior conservator at the V&A Museum, London, UK
Christian Walter, model conservator at DAM, Frankfurt, Germany
Rodger Griffith, conservator at MoMA, New York, USA
Margo Delidow, former fellow at MoMA, New York, USA
Jasmin Abfalter, Vienna, Austria
Marianne de Bovis, Washington DC, USA
Marilyn Meerschiff, Berlin, Germany
Wim de Wit, curator at Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, USA
Tom Learner, scientist at Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles, USA
Jane Bassett, conservator at J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, USA
Tobias Friedrich, conservator at the MAKK, Cologne, Germany, for his translation of Marianne de Bovis's paper from French.
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