The Conservation Office continued to provide quality preservation and conservation services to public museums, thus ensuring that the museum collections are kept in the best possible condition. The office also provided technical support for an array of thematic exhibitions. During the year, the office was involved in the conservation of 881 cultural objects, including paintings, historical documents, textiles, photographs, metal objects, sculptures, organic objects, and archaeological finds.
The Conservation Office provides technical support for an array of thematic exhibitions. Photo shows conservation specialists mounting an oversized work of Chinese calligraphy at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.
To promote conservation awareness, the office sustained its vibrant education and extension programmes for the general public and school students. A total of 30 programmes comprising behind-the-scene laboratory visits and hands-on workshops were organised for the School Culture Day Scheme and for International Museum Day during the year. More than 1 000 participants, including 513 students from 17 school groups, attended these programmes and were introduced to the pleasures of conservation work.
Students learning batik and textile dyeing techniques at a conservation workshop under the School Culture Day Scheme.
The year 2013 was another successful one for the office in the engagement of conservation volunteers. Some 100 volunteers actively contributed a record 6 327 service hours for a variety of conservation programmes, such as exhibit installation, collection preservation, workshop demonstrations, and practical conservation treatment. The office joined the Volunteer Movement for the first time in 2013, and was awarded the Organisation Volunteer Movement Certificate of Gold at year-end.
Conservation volunteers help with the lining of a Chinese calligraphy piece.
The office mounted a new thematic exhibition entitled Childhood Memories at the Hong Kong International Airport. The exhibition, featuring over twenty nostalgic Hong Kong toy sets selected from the collections of the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, offered visitors the chance to revisit fond childhood memories.
Visitors view the Childhood Memories exhibition at the Hong Kong International Airport.
To foster professional exchanges and experience sharing with overseas counterparts, the office was represented at The Metal 2013 International Council of Museums Conference, held in Scotland in September 2013. A conservation paper was contributed to the conference on a proactive approach in determining the structural stability of an aircraft exhibit at the Hong Kong Science Museum.
