ANNOUNCEMENT WORKSHOP: Plastics for dummies – the sequel – part 1

Tuesday the 5th and Wednesday the 6th of April. Design museum in Ghent - Belgium

Practical ways of identifying plastics…

…& making sure they live the dream:  growing old – looking young

Target audience: Collection caretakers (curators), object & heritage conservators/restorers, and everyone else interested in conservation of plastics. No extensive background knowledge concerning plastics is required, though it is a plus.

Why you should attend: Plastics not only have found their way into our everyday life, but also in almost all of our heritage- and art collections. We often feel like they are indestructible and will last forever and that we don’t need to worry about them in our collections, nor that they need priority care. But, what once seemed like a flawless, bright and shiny future, now shows a lot of cracks. Most plastics age much faster than our traditional materials do. What is more, during their aging process they can also form a great threat to the natural materials that surround them. Plastics not only need special attention when it comes to preventive conservation; what delays the decay of one plastic might accelerate the aging of another. Therefore, it is essential that these various types of plastics are properly identified.

True, it’s usually not possible to do this in detail without thorough knowledge or any specialized lab equipment, which isn’t accessible to all...  Still, there are many other aids for characterization and identification. That is where this workshop comes in, so be there and get to know your own collection and objects, their nature and their needs.

Program details will follow as soon as possible.

Organisation: FARO. Flemish interface centre for cultural heritage. In participation with the Design museum in Ghent.

Tutor: Prof. Dr. phil. Friederike Waentig, Professor for the Conservation of Wooden Artifacts and Modern Materials. CICS - Cologne Institute for Conservation Sciences

Institut für Restaurierungs- und Konservierungswissenschaft.

Language: English.

Price: 198 euro

Number of seats: 11

Date & location: 2 Days – Tuesday the 5th and Wednesday the 6th of April. The workshop will take place in the Design museum in Ghent - Belgium.

To subscribe to the workshop go to:

More information:

Griet Kockelkoren

Note: The workshop described above is part 1 of a series. A second workshop will follow at the end of this year. Its aim will remain the same, though this workshop will also focus on recognizing plastics through ‘easy’ lab-research with a minimum of means necessary. The knowledge gained in the first workshop is required to attend the second. Plastics for dummies – the sequel – part 2 is organized by FARO in participation with the Photo Museum in Antwerp. More information will follow at a later date.