In October this year, I had the opportunity to both present and attend the Icon Book and Paper Conference 2025.
Like many others, I am not comfortable with public speaking. It is something I used to dread in school and university: the blood rushing to the head, the dry mouth, and the shaking hands are things I am all too familiar with. A few years ago, I decided to set myself the challenge of becoming less terrified of it. Advice ranges online from doing jumping jacks right beforehand to release any adrenaline from your body, to visualising your success in the days and moments beforehand.
Whilst there is never a private space in which to do a vigorous workout right before a talk, I can say that visualisation along with a lot of practice and preparation have helped me along on my journey. I started off with small online talks and in-person talks to colleagues, before moving onto presenting my ideas to conservators, first at a local Icon Scotland event before setting my sights on larger symposiums and conferences. Although I am not yet at a TED Talk stage of public speaking mastery, I am happy with my progress and my advice to other conservators is the simplest: practice makes perfect.
The event itself, which I attended both in-person and online, was a lovely way to connect with familiar faces and new contacts. On the first day I attended a studio tour of the British Library, and it was interesting to find out how such a large institution processes their workflow through a bidding system. The tour group were shown some beautiful manuscripts and pith paper drawings, and I learned a bit about different treatment methods I am keen to try.
The interior of the British Library
Gold tooling tools on display at the British Library
On the second day, after the rush of presenting, I was able to settle down and enjoy the rest of the talks. Of particular interest were the first talk about the ‘Graz Mummy Book’, presented by Theresa Zammit Lupi and Lena Krämer which gave an insight into how conservators deal with being thrust into the limelight and under scrutiny by the public. I also found Selene Chersicla’s discussion of Jin-Shofu (wheat starch) nanoparticles and their application in consolidation treatments very insightful, and I hope I can use these in my own practice soon.
My colleague Richard Hawkes and I presenting our talk, ‘Unfolding Decision-Making and Treatment Techniques in the Conservation of Three Maps from Dunham Massey (National Trust), at the Icon Book and Paper Conference, October 2025
I am very thankful to my colleagues at Artworks Conservation, and Icon, for the opportunity to present and attend the conference, and I hope to attend (and perhaps even present) at another one soon.
Mhairi Boyle