Save the plastic
Mark, in collaboration with Vejle Museums, has explored how best to preserve plastic objects in museum collections. As part of the project, the museums have produced a practical guide to help other museums care for the types of historical plastics commonly found in cultural history collections.
Plastics in Museum Collections
Plastic may not be the first material that comes to mind when we think of objects worth preserving in a museum. Yet plastic objects now make up a significant part of many museum collections. Plastic toys, hair clips designed to imitate tortoiseshell and countless other everyday objects are becoming part of our cultural heritage.
Some types of plastic, however, can deteriorate rapidly if they are stored, handled or displayed under unsuitable conditions. Mark, in collaboration with Vejle Museums, has therefore investigated how museums can best identify and preserve historical plastic objects.
As part of the project, the museums produced a practical guide designed to help museum professionals make informed decisions about plastic objects in their collections. It provides guidance on identifying different types of historical plastic, recognising signs of deterioration and assessing an object’s condition. It also helps staff determine how objects should be handled and stored to slow down deterioration and prevent damage to both the object itself and other objects stored nearby.
In this way, the guide translates specialist knowledge about plastics into practical collections care that can be applied in everyday museum work. It focuses on the types of plastic commonly found in cultural history collections.
The guide was developed as part of the project Preventive Conservation Strategy for Plastic Materials, carried out in 2022 and 2023 with funding from the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces’ collections management fund.
During the project, the plastics in more than 300 museum objects were identified and analysed using FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy). The results formed the basis for practical recommendations on the preservation, condition assessment and documentation of plastic objects in museum collections.
Read the Guide to Handling and Storing Plastic Materials here. (Only available in Danish.
