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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Plastics Blog – Chapter 1 – Plastics in the Museum
Guest Post 2012, By Samantha Conover, plastics specialist At the end of February I began a contractproject at the Bata Shoe Museum. My job is to go through the Western Fashion collection and survey, assess and identify any and all plastic components contained within. Many people are surprised to learn how prevalent plastics are within […]