Identifying adhesive

I'm a student of restoration and conservation in Vienna at the
University of Fine Arts. I am involved with my diploma which is a
work of the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. It's a work from 1966, a
women's dress where noodles are applied and which then was sprayed
in gold colour.

I'm concerned with the type of glue she used. The artist wrote to me
that she had taken "an ordinary bond for woodwork", but she can not
remember the composition of it.

The results of the gas chromatography mass analysis showed that the
glue consists of pine resin most likely colophony and also protein
was found. The glue had soaked up from the textile and had stiffened
the dress and is of brown colour.

Does anyone knew about a glue that was used 1966 in New York, which
consisted of colophony, probably produced for woodworking? Likely it
was produced industrially for simple use without mixing or
complicate preparing. The artist said that in 1966 it was available
everywhere.

Stefan Lang


                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 18:42
                  Distributed: Friday, March 11, 2005
                       Message Id: cdl-18-42-043
                                  ***