From: Catherine Rogers (crogers@mpx.com.au)
Date: 02/15/02-08:37:59 PM Z
Hi all,
re exhibiting prints on paper without glass.
Recently I exhibited some ink jet prints on Arches paper and they have come back
from the gallery with an obvious deposit of dirt, bits and pieces stuck all over
them - both on the image area and the bare paper area. Now the prints have to go
to a conservationist to remove all the stuff before they can be exhibited again.
I have not had this problem before. In fact, for three years now I have hung
(pinned) uncovered bits of paper with ink jet prints, also vandykes and
cyanotypes on them and recovered them at the end of the 4 weeks in great
condition - surprisingly so since people often want to touch the surface. At the
gallery where they got damaged, the curator had insisted on cutting perspex to
put over each image a day after the show went up (and well before this problem
was noticed), in order to protect them, as there is a high volume of traffic
through the building. But that action clearly didn't help
I have put the problem down to their heating system. The gallery is a large
space with a rather ferocious heating system which seemed to to me to be
directed onto the walls. And it was very, very hot in my opinion. Here in Sydney
(Australia) I have shown photographs in galleries which don't have any
heating/cooling at all and despite 30 degrees C. and 100% humidity in February
the prints survive OK. Personally I like the direct experience of the texture
and colour of the paper, image and ink, partly because the effect of the paper
and print combination results in it not being clear just how the prints were
made. Somehow the pleasure of the surface is lost when glass or perspex is put
in front. The conservationist is sure that the problem can be rectified...hmmm
cheers
Catherine
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