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----------------------------------------------------------------- The diversity of synthetics in industrial furniture production Symposium on conservation of synthetic materials Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, March 25 - 26, 2003 Since the 1960s, synthetic materials have become increasingly com-mon in interior furnishings. The utilization of plastics and other syn-thetics in the production of furniture and household objects and the associated new technical possibilities allowed the creation of forms that would have been inconceivable with standard materials like wood. Those employing synthetics at the time had not yet accumulated em-pirical experience on the durability of the new materials. Decades later, however, we now see the emergence of problems related to the aging process for which new solutions have to be found. At the outset, the production of synthetic objects was not primarily concerned with long use and durability. The task facing museums and collectors today, however, is the preservation of these documents of technical and design-related developments. The need for action is acute, for often there is a lack of suitable conservation measures able to halt the changes in the different synthetic materials caused by their particular composition or external influences. To date, procedures for restoration, conservation and abatement of the incipient processes of materials change are at best rudimentary and often non-existent. The goal of the collaboration between AXA Art and the Vitra Design Museum is the development and application of new techniques for conservation and restoration of synthetic objects. Created within the framework of the project, the restoration workshop at the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein offers the opportunity to develop and document new conservation methods and processes as well as the chance to carry out treatments. The symposium on March 25 - 26 will examine the following ques-tions: Which synthetics are used, what characteristics do they exhibit and, most importantly, what conservation and restoration processes have been established and in which areas do new techniques have to be found. The participation fee for daily symposium materials, 2x lunch, re-freshments and documentation comes to 75 euros. Information & registration: Vitra Design Museum, Alexa Tepen, alexa.tepen@design-museum.de , Tel.: +49 7621 702 3153 Alexa Tepen Vitra Design Museum Charles Eames Strasse 1 D - 79576 Weil am Rhein Tel +49-(0)7621-702 3153 Fax +49-(0)7621-702 4153 -- H-MUSEUM H-Net Network for Museum Professionals E -Mail: h-museum@h-net.msu.edu WWW: http://www.h-museum.net
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