Central Conservation Section

Conservation is a primary function of museums, and serves to preserve invaluable and irreplaceable cultural property so that it can be made available and accessible to future generations. As an integral part of museum activities, in 2006 the Conservation Section provided conservation support to 24 thematic exhibitions held on the museum premises and treatment to 940 collection items including paper and paintings, prints and photographs, historical documents, textiles and natural history specimens, metals, organics, ceramics and glass as well as archaeological finds.

Central Conservation Section staff members mount an exhibit for the Artists and Their Models — Masterpieces from the Centre Pompidou, Paris exhibition.

To preserve and display the historic Fireboat Alexander Grantham on land, the Conservation Section devised an unprecedented lifting and installation plan for the Fireboat with input from various collaborating parties. Upon the completion of its extensive overhauling and restoration treatment, the 500-tonne Fireboat was successfully lifted to Quarry Bay Park and duly installed at the central concourse of the Park in March. In parallel, the Section continued to conduct conservation treatment for hundreds of relics and accessories for their reinstatement on the Fireboat and display in the thematic gallery which will be opened for public viewing in 2007.

Lifting of the Fireboat Alexander Grantham from the sea onto a cradle at Quarry Bay Park.

By virtue of its specialised knowledge, the Section is also noted for offering technical assistance in the restoration of local heritage items and preservation of archaeological monuments. It pioneered the use of corn-cob blasting in Hong Kong to remove the aged paint coating on the wooden fixtures of Kom Tong Hall, now known as the Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum, replaced the damaged wall tiles on the balconies with authentic tiles obtained from the recess areas by a novel transfer technique, and carried out conservation work on the unique metal balustrades and stained glass windows of the building. The analytical and research work of the Section also helped to identify the original composition of the paint and moulding materials for reference by the Museum.

A conservator repairs cracked stained glass for Kom Tong Hall.

As an essential part of conservation education services, the Section received 300 students through the year-round School Culture Day programme, while its 44 extension programmes including behind-the-scenes laboratory tours, workshops, thematic talks and seminars attracted over 1 250 participants in the past year.

The recent acquisition of Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy software had enabled the Section to conduct detailed assessment of the condition of different protective coatings on metal collections and to detect the failure of such coatings before they become apparent for formulation of appropriate treatments to arrest the causes of deterioration.

To promote local conservation and museum work and enhance professional links with overseas counterparts, the Section was represented at two international conservation conferences held in the United States and Germany in June and August, respectively, and the Section representatives presented two papers titled 'Chinese Papers: Their Development, Characteristics and Permanence' and 'Bringing a Second Life to a Historic Vessel — The Conservation Strategy for Fireboat Alexander Grantham' on these occasions.