Fibres and textiles research in the Artist Rooms collection

A number of seminal works in ARTIST ROOMS have significant textile elements.

Dr Anita Quye, Centre for Textile Conservation and Technical Art History, History of Art, University of Glasgow

 Notable examples include those by Beuys (Tails, (1962) Felt Suit (1960s) and Coyote I and Coyote II (both 1980); Kounellis (Bells (2004), Untitled (1960-68) and Untitled (2004)) and Hamilton Finlay (Sailing Dingy (1996)).

Glasgow University’s Centre for Textile Conservation and Technical Art History possesses excellent analytical facilities to characterise textile materials in their unadulterated form and as mixed materials, and to study changes in the chemical, physical and mechanical properties of their fibres.

The Centre envisages many ARTIST ROOMS works benefitting greatly from inclusion in this world-class research to advance the technical study and conservation of modern art collections.

Their inclusion in the Research Consortium brings Glasgow’s unique national facility for accelerated ageing specifically for light- and thermal-ageing studies in museum conservation. Available analytical techniques within the Centre include: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with microscopy (micro FTIR); portable near infrared spectroscopy with fibre-optic probe; UV and fluorescence optical microscopy; and tensile strength testing. Established collaborative links across the University of Glasgow add state-of the-art Raman microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging, SEM with energy dispersive x-ray analysis (SEM EDX), and stress-strain monitoring by digital image correlation (DIC) to the portfolio.

Glasgow can also engage with cutting-edge technical innovation that leads modern collections research. Lab-based microanalysis such as Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) is proving a powerful new investigative tool for a wide range of inorganic and organic materials and the rapid technical development of remote-sensing fibre optic microprobes for SERS is causing much excitement within the analytical science community for in-situ materials identification.

The advent of microprobes enables SERS to be conducted with portable Raman equipment, thereby taking this powerful technique out of the lab and to objects for non-destructive analysis of organic materials.