AIC's 46th Annual Meeting

Since the Natural History Museum, in London, opened to the public in 1881 it has established itself at the forefront of natural history research and public engagement. This has involved a long history of in-house exhibition as well as international loan and touring exhibitions. The ambition and scale of these touring exhibitions has recently been raised substantially with the emphasis on display of original material. This presentation will focus on the first, and most complex, of these “specimen rich” touring exhibitions and the associated conservation challenges. Treasures of the Natural World is a collaborative exhibition containing specimens selected from the 80 million collection items housed within several scientific departments at the museum.This included herbaria sheets, taxidermy, palaeontology, insects, gems and meteorites plus works of art on paper. Over three-hundred collection items required conservation evaluation and in some cases remedial treatment. The size of some specimens ranging from a complete Giant Ground Sloth skeleton to a small selection of iridescent orchid bees, raised logistical challenges and risks for their transport and display. In addition, the touring of Natural History specimens creates interesting challenges for care and conservation with the need to balance the differing display requirements of different materials. An understanding of material properties and deterioration was essential for the safe treatment, transportation and display of these specimens. The environmental and lighting requirements for all specimens had to be assessed and managed while enabling the grouping of specimens within their individual stories. In addition, careful conservation of specimens needed to be undertaken to ensure their stability for transportation between multiple venues over up to a five year period. Alongside these challenges, touring natural history specimens also raise unique concerns in relation to the transportation of fluid preserved specimens, specimens controlled by CITES regulations and inherently hazardous materials. An understanding of the health and safety issues surrounding natural history specimens was also integral to the safety of team members. This presentation will discuss the Conservation team’s response to these challenges and how our understanding of the varied nature of the materials impacted on these responses and outcomes.