Session guide

These departments are two of the oldest departments of conservation and scientific research in the world. Both are housed in the World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre (WCEC) with its state-of-the-art facilities.

Their principal aims are to preserve the collections for present and future generations and to enhance the presentation and understanding of the Museum’s collection for the varied audiences. Both departments work to study and preserve objects for exhibitions, loans, storage and research, and their members take part in various excavation projects and other fieldwork, helping to look after cultural heritage artefacts, both in the UK and overseas.

Objectives

• You will hear presentations from some of our Conservation and Science teams, which will help you understand how the departments work with the rest of the Museum’s staff and collections.
• How do we ensure objects are fit for display?
• How do we protect and monitor objects while they are on permanent display?
• Gain an understanding of the different pressures on the scientific researchers and conservators at the BM, who assess objects for exhibitions, loans and storage as well as treating new acquisitions, UK Treasure finds and material from excavations.
• See how technology and scientific techniques can provide an invaluable aid to curatorial research, revealing more about how objects were made, used, repaired and posited.
• Learn more about the benefits and challenges of preventative conservation and pest management.
• A Conservation case study:  Conservation for Exhibitions; Refurbishing the Money Gallery at the British Museum.
• A Scientific Research case study:  Dyes along the Silk Roads – a focus on Dunhuang textiles