A one-day workshop for conservators, exploring East Asian papers from their origins to their practical use in paper conservation. The day covers the history of papermaking, with a focus on Japan, and shows how to recognise different Japanese papers and where they fit in conservation work.
Led by Takao Moriki and Shinobu Moriki of Moriki Paper Ltd. in Japan, together with Megumi Mizumura, Senior Paper Conservator at the British Museum.
Programme
- Arrival and light refreshments (9.30-10.00am)
- Morning lecture (10am-12noon): fibres and manufacture, papermaking in Japan, Korea, China, the Middle East and Europe, traditional versus modern Japanese papermaking, and the trade in conservation papers
- Lunch (12noon-12.45pm). Lunch is not provided, but you are welcome to bring your own to eat in the visitors' lounge. Morning-lecture-only attendees leave at this point.
- Afternoon practical session (12.45pm-4pm) in the conservation studio: identification of Japanese paper varieties, fibre examination and analysis, uses such as tear repair, toning and dyeing, a demonstration of wheat starch paste application with a wooden pasting board, and advice on caring for Japanese brushes
Highlights include hands-on fibre analysis and a wooden pasting board plus a sample pack of Japanese papers to take home.
