Studentship at University of Leeds and British Museum

PhD studentship
"Breaking the cycle of self-destruction: developing remedial
    conservation treatments for iron-tannate dyed museum objects"
University of Leeds (School of Design) and
the British Museum (Department of Conservation and Scientific
    Research).

Applications are invited for an AHRC Collaborative Doctoral
Partnership PhD studentship, to be undertaken at the University of
Leeds (School of Design) and the British Museum (Department of
Conservation and Scientific Research).

Summary of Project: The combination of tannins (from galls, bark,
leaves or fruits) with iron (from vitriol, mud or iron filings)
yields rich black dyes that have been used worldwide possibly since
prehistoric times, and are still used in parts of the world today.
Unfortunately iron-tannate dyes are inherently self-destructive and
can seriously damage the materials to which they are applied.  Such
materials are widespread in any museum containing ethnographic
and/or textile collections, their preservation presents a major
challenge and deterioration can lead to the total loss of affected
areas.  This project endeavours to develop and adapt chemical
stabilisation methods into practical conservation treatments which
could effectively halt the autocatalytic deterioration by arresting
the metal ion redox cycle using antioxidants and deacidification
agents.

    <URL:https://www.postgraduatestudentships.co.uk/study-or-funding/phd-or-doctoral/breaking-cycle-self-destruction-developing-remedial-conservation-treatments-iron-tannate-dyed--0>

For informal enquiries, please contact Chris Carr
<c.carr<-a t->leeds< . >ac< . >uk> and Marei Hacke <marei.hacke<-a t->gmail< . >com>

Application is by covering letter and CV and should be sent to
c.carr<-a t->leeds< . >ac< . >uk

See

    <URL:https://www.postgraduatestudentships.co.uk/links/goto/40236/18909/outlinks>

Application deadline: 25 September 2014

Marei Hacke
Scientist, Department of Conservation and Scientific Research
The British Museum
Great Russell Street
London WC1B 3DG
UK


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 28:15
               Distributed: Saturday, September 13, 2014
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