Last month, our curatorial team participated in the global event, #AskaCurator. In case you missed it, here’s our Collections Manager, Suzanne, answering some of your questions. Where do you keep things not on display? The artefacts not currently on display are kept in specifically designed storage rooms. The storage rooms have environmental conditions of specific […]
From the Vault: Gutal
Take a peek into our 14,000+ collection with our new blog series, From the Vault! Every other week, we’re sharing interesting stories about one of our artefacts. What is the provenance of this pair? When did they enter the BSM collection? This pair entered the collection in 2005. They were acquired for the museum by […]
Fabricating Mannequins: Displaying Pants and Shorts (Part II)
There are two mannequin forms that were created for a pair of Inuit pants and a pair of Greenlandic shorts both on display in Art and Innovation: Traditional Arctic Footwear from the Bata Shoe Museum Collection. The exhibition designer determined that the best look would be to pass an acrylic rod through each leg. An […]
Plastics Blog – Chapter 4 – Who Are You? Plastics Identification
Guest Post 2012 By Samantha Conover Different plastics degrade according to their own particular weaknesses. Some plastics are more vulnerable to light, while others are more vulnerable to moisture. All plastics will eventually degrade, but there are particular plastics that are considered “malignant” or “bad neighbours” because their degradation can actually harm nearby materials. In […]
Ask A Curator with Nishi
Last month, our curatorial team participated in the global event, #AskaCurator. In case you missed it, here’s our Exhibitions Manager and Assistant Curator, Nishi, answering some of your questions. How have you done your job during the pandemic? Thankfully, much of my job can be done in front of a computer, so I was able […]
Plastics Blog – Chapter 3 – The Sincerest Form of Flattery: Leather and it’s Lookalikes
Guest Post, June 2012 By Samantha Conover Proudly Plastic (1990s Patricia Cox Jelly Pumps) vs Plastic in Disguise (1980s faux leather Cougar boots) There are times when designers want plastic to look like plastic. In modern shapes with bold colours, high glosses and transparent elements plastics will proudly proclaim their synthetic nature. There are other […]
From the Vault: Nalin shoes
Take a peek into our 14,000+ collection with our new blog series, From the Vault! Every other week, we’re sharing interesting stories about one of our artefacts. What is the provenance of this pair? When did they enter the BSM collection? These 19th century Ottoman bathhouse clogs called nalin were donated to the museum by […]
Ask a Conservator with Ada
Last month, our curatorial team participated in the global event, #AskaCurator. In case you missed it, here’s our conservator, Ada, answering some of your questions. What does your typical day look like? The first thing I do and the last thing is to check the environment (temperature and humidity) in each gallery and storage room. […]
Plastics Blog – Chapter 2 – When Good Plastics Go Bad
Guest Post 2012 By Samantha Conover In my last blog I discussed the surprising prevalence of plastics within the Bata Shoe Museum. Today I would like to talk about why it’s important to identify and care for plastics. Plastics are often misconstrued as indestructible. In fact, plastics can degrade spectacularly, sometimes causing damage to materials […]
Fabricating Mannequins: Displaying Parkas and Coats (Part I)
Clothing and people come in all shapes and sizes. The challenge of displaying outfits for an exhibition is creating a form with the right proportions. Ten mannequins were required for the exhibition Art and Innovation: Traditional Arctic Footwear from the Bata Shoe Museum Collection; each one was dimensionally different but essentially used the same technique. […]