Stuff happens: a material culture approach to textile conservation

Textile conservation, defined here as the preservation, investigation and<br/>presentation of textiles, is often viewed largely as a technical and<br/>aesthetic problem. This research develops an alternative view by<br/>understanding objects as being subject to both material and social<br/>change. The dynamic aspects of this material and social process is<br/>emphasised as ‘stuff happens’. This research proposes, and provides<br/>evidence for, a material culture approach to textile conservation, and<br/>demonstrates its development and application. An analysis of case studies<br/>shows how the material and the social interact at the point of assessment<br/>and intervention. Examination of the material aspects of textile<br/>conservation reveals that social values influence decision-making. Values<br/>held at the time of conservation are shown to depend on the categories<br/>used. Investigation of these categories demonstrates that any anomalous<br/>quality of the textile undergoing conservation allows for contestation of<br/>social values. As values change over time, analysis of each conservation<br/>assessment and intervention reveals a comparison of values held at<br/>different times viewed retrospectively. The resulting approach is centred<br/>on the interaction between things, persons and language where each<br/>mediates relations of the others. It is argued that this material culture<br/>approach enhances understanding of the dynamic material and social<br/>environment of textile conservation principles and practices.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

Ph.D.

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Southampton

Year dc:date.issued

2009

Author dc:creator

• Eastop, Dinah

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Brooks, Bill