18 May 2020

Lecture 19 - Vanessa Applebaum

Preserving Innovation: Considering the Treatment and Materiality of 3D Printed Objects in Museums

We are pleased to be joined in this series by the Icon Modern Materials Network.

Vanessa Applebaum, Conservation and Collections Care Manager, Science Museum (Blythe House)

Overview

It is now possible to 3D print an array of object-types including art, clothing, and even scaffolding for human tissue. 3D printing also has an emerging presence in museums: there are 3D printing exhibitions, and increasing numbers of 3D printed objects in permanent collections. Despite its popularity, there is little information describing correct handling or treatment of 3D manufactured objects. Instead, most literature focuses on 3D scanning and printing as methods of digital preservation and replication. This presentation will demonstrate the complexity and scope of knowledge required when conserving 3D printed objects, and how conservators should understand and approach them.

About the speaker

Vanessa Applebaum is co-chair of Icon's Modern Materials Network. She is an Objects Conservator and currently the Conservation and Collections Care Manager at the Science Museum's object store in West London, Blythe House. She has an MA from the Courtauld Institute of Art in Byzantine Art and an MA/MSc from UCL's Institute of Archaeology in the Principles of Conservation and Conservation for Archaeology and Museums. Her research interests include the preservation of modern materials, object ephemerality and authenticity, and the public's understanding of the field of conservation.