Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Material

Storing and displaying Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage items

Always remember to be sensitive to the cultural group, and make sure that cultural mores are respected, when handling, storing and displaying cultural heritage material.

For example, with particular Aboriginal community groups, it is appropriate to store items relating to men's business in a separate area to items relating to women's business.

With secret or sacred material, security is important—to make sure that only the appropriate people have access to the items.

Just as there can be appropriate and inappropriate ways to store particular items, it is important to be aware that displaying these items should also be handled sensitively. For example, it may never be appropriate to place some items on general display.

If you are unsure of the appropriate way to handle, store or display any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage items in your collection, contact a curator at your State museum for further information or for contacts with the appropriate people to answer your questions.

Spears in storage. Photograph courtesy of Karen Coote, Australian Museum

Ideal conditions for storage and display

It is important to note that ideal storage conditions cannot always be achieved; nor is it always appropriate to do so, because some items are produced, and used, in extreme climates. For example, if an item has been produced recently, or stored for a considerable time, in a tropical environment, placing it in a so-called ideal environment which is much drier than the conditions it is used to, could cause extensive damage.

This section describes the ideal storage and display environment for most materials. If the ideal environment cannot be achieved, or is inappropriate, the emphasis should be on providing a stable environment.

Ideally, store all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage items in an environment where temperature is constant and moderate—in the range of 18–22⁰C. If temperatures are generally outside this range in your area, it is important to keep fluctuations to a minimum and to make sure that they are gradual.

Relative humidity should be constant and below 60%. Minimise fluctuations in relative humidity, and ensure that they are gradual. Fluctuations in relative humidity can cause severe distortion, cracking and splitting, and cause separation of paint layers from the objects.

Mould grows where the relative humidity is continuously above 65%, mould does not grow when relative humidity is stable and below 60%.

Keep items at risk of drying out too quickly after coming from moist conditions, in an environment where the relative humidity is in the range of 55–65%.

Keep items acclimatised to drier conditions in an environment where the relative humidity is in the range of 50–55%.

Light should be kept to the minimum necessary for the activity. Wherever possible, store items that are not on display in the dark. This reduces the risk of fading and discolouration of a range of materials.

It is necessary to have light when items are on display. The brightness of the light should be determined by the sensitivity of the particular materials to light.

For sensitive materials such as feathers, woven fabrics, dyed materials and watercolours on paper, the brightness should be 50 lux or less. For moderately sensitive materials, the brightness of the light should be 250 lux or less.

For all items the UV content of the light should be less than 30 µW/lm and no greater 75 µW/lm.

Protect items from dust and pollutants.

General storage and display guidelines

Give careful consideration to the storage site and the storage system. In ideal conditions, a good storage system in an appropriate storage site, gives added protection to your collection. If the available facilities or the local climate make it difficult to achieve the ideal conditions, selecting the storage site and maintaining a good storage system are even more critical in preventing damage to the collections.

Wherever possible, the storage and display sites should be in a central area of the building, where they are buffered from the extremes of climatic fluctuations which can be experienced near external walls or in basements and attics. The storage site should not contain any water, drain or steam pipes, particularly at ceiling level. Leaking pipes can cause a lot of damage. Basements should also be avoided, because of the risk of flooding.

The storage and display sites should be well-ventilated. This helps reduce the risk of insect and mould infestation.

Inspect and clean storage and display areas regularly. Thorough and regular cleaning helps greatly in controlling insects and mould. To detect insect infestations early, check objects regularly for signs of infestation—holes and frass, that is, wood powder left by boring insects.

Don't store items in sheds, or directly on the floor.

Cover stored objects with cotton or Tyvek covers. They provide protection from dust and unnecessary exposure to light. These covers also provide some buffering against fluctuations in environmental conditions.

Always give items adequate support and try to reduce the physical stresses that can cause damage.

Spear throwers supported and shelved in storage. Photograph courtesy of Karen Coote, Australian Museum

Hafted axes—note the supports for each item. Photograph courtesy of Karen Coote, Australian Museum

Bark paintings should be stored flat, and any curved or warped areas supported with polystyrene-filled, cotton bags or something similar. This gives the bark the greatest overall support.

Ideally, place barks in drawers such as plan cabinets: to protect them from dust and from fluctuations and extremes in relative humidity and temperature. If suitable drawers are not available, store bark paintings on flat shelving, with support for warped or curved areas as described above.

You can consider placing each bark painting on a flat board, for example, acid-free Foam Cor, mount board or in a box, so that you can lift the item without touching the bark itself. This is particularly helpful when it is necessary to move items in storage or to have the bark painting available for study purposes.

Woven material, such as pandanus, bark string bags and baskets, should be well supported on the inside with Dacron-filled cotton bags. This helps to maintain their shape, and reduces the risk of splitting along the creases, which can occur if they are stored flat. It is wise to support them on the outside with filled, cotton bags as well.

Design similar support systems for items that are on display, especially for long-term display.

This woven bag is padded to help it maintain its shape. Photograph courtesy of Karen Coote, Australian Museum

The support system on the right is designed to prevent distortion of the dance hat on the left. Photograph courtesy of Karen Coote, Australian Museum

Objects made with feathers and/or seeds are prone to light and insect attack. It is better to store them in large, dry, plastic containers with lids in a storage system specifically made to fit the container. As well as protecting against light damage and insect attack, this stops the items being squashed.

Always give carved and painted items adequate support—using systems that will not rub against painted areas and cause paint loss.

Store and display carved and painted items, such as Pukumani poles from the Tiwi Islands, so that their weight is supported and there is no friction on painted surfaces, which could lead to losses.

Smaller items can be supported on polystyrene-filled cotton bags, where the paint can be protected and the carving is well-aired, preventing possible cracking through preferential drying.

Painted bags, for example, decorated bark baskets or painted pandanus bags, can be stored inverted to give uniform support over the unpainted surface, or on doughnut-shaped, padded cushions which hold them upright and touch only unpainted areas of the objects.

Make sure that light-sensitive items are adequately protected.

Store light-sensitive material—such as the pandanus and bark string bags and baskets—away from strong light, because the vegetable dyes fade readily. They can be placed in covered storage boxes, or covered with cotton or Tyvek dust cloths to reduce their exposure to light.

Rotate the exhibitions, so objects are not constantly on display.

Keep light levels low when items are on display, and make sure lights are turned off after hours. Make sure also that heat produced by the lights does not affect your objects.

Always avoid direct sunlight on your objects.