Exhibition view of Fashioning Masculinities. “The Three Graces”
London Research Trip
In June 2022, I traveling to London to research mounting and mannequin techniques. During the nine days I spent there, I visited eight museums, toured four labs, and attended my first catwalk. My trip was made all the more formative to my graduate education because of the lack of travel I have been able to take part in due the coronavirus pandemic. My goal during this trip was to experience the widest range of mounting and mannequin techniques possible to expand my visual language surrounding the display of textiles. Click the button below to read more about my trip.
Image credit: Evan Krape (2021)
Digitally Printed Reproduction Fabric
I am currently (as of July 2022) in the final stages of research and beginning stages of writing about my research into digital printed reproduction fabric as used in visual compensation for treatment.
I have teamed up with Miriam Murphy, textile conservator at the St. Louis Museum of Art for this research. Together we tested four digital prints, two from commercial printers and two printed at home on an inkjet printer. Dyenamix and Spoonflower are the commercial printers and Photofabric and Bubble Jet Set are the at-home printing processes being tested. They are being tested for washfastness, crockfastness, chemical stability (Oddy testing), and chemical safety (solid phase microextraction/gas chromatography mass spectroscopy, performed by Dr. Rosie Grayburn at the Scientific Research and Analysis Lab at Winterthur Museum, Gardens, and Library).
The results of this research will be published in an upcoming Journal of the American Institute for Conservation.
Funding support for my time at SLAM, as well as the materials, is thanks to the Samual H Kress Foundation.
Image courtesy of STiTCH case studies website
Anoxia Treatments: Stabilization for Inherent Vice and Insect Eradication
I am assisting in a lifecycle assessment being conducted by Sarah Sanchez and Sarah Nunberg. This resource will soon be available as a case study on the Sustainability Tools in Cultural Heritage website.
A lifecycle assessment is an analysis of the impact of a material or action from “cradle to grave,” or material manufacture to disposal. An assessment like this enables us to make informed sustainable decisions.
This case study is based on research I did in collaboration with the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation during my second year and models three common low-oxygen systems: AGELESS® ZPT oxygen absorber, nitrogen gas, and argon gas. Each anoxic scenario was applied to three time periods in order to represent a variety of preservation situations: a four-week pest eradication treatment, a one-year long-term storage, and a five-year long-term storage. The enclosure was based on the size of the storage box built for Untitled (Venetian), 1973 by Robert Rauschenberg and material quantities were based on technical guidance and practitioner experience.
RRF is fully supportive of assessing the sustainability of their decisions and supports this research.
I am grateful to have the opportunity to work on this invaluable tool and hope it assists others in making informed decisions about the future of the materials in their collections.
Introduction to Anoxia in the Cultural Heritage Field
During my second year, I investigated anoxia for the use of protecting oxygen-sensitive materials, such as rubber, during my preventive conservation course. I did this in partnership with the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation (RRF) again. This research was conducted alongside the technical study detailed below.
Given RRF’s interest in implementing anoxia to help protect their collection, I wanted to create a resource they could use to either enact the anoxia themselves or at least better understand in what situations they could use anoxia.
Anoxia, or the removing of oxygen from an environment using an oxygen scavenger or replacing it with a gas such as nitrogen or argon, is used for both pest eradication and for the storage of oxygen-sensitive materials. For storage purposes, the anoxic environment must be built to withstand long-term anoxic conditions (5+ years). For pest eradication, the time period is 4-6 weeks.
Please click below for access to the resource.
Technical Study: The Efficacy of Anoxic Storage for Automobile Tire Rubber
The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation (RRF) is interested in implementing anoxic, or oxygen-free, storage for the rubber in their collection, specifically the rubber tire in Venetian (Untitled), 1973, seen above. In working with RRF during my second year (2020-2021), I hope to help them further their goal of enacting preventive conservation practices.
Anoxic storage involves storing an object in an air-tight container with oxygen scavengers, such as MGC’s Ageless Oxygen Absorber. Rubber degrades mainly through two degradative processes that result from atmospheric oxygen and are accelerated by a rise in temperature or absorption of light: oxidative cross-linking and oxidative chain scission. In either case, the removal of oxygen through the use of anoxia has been shown to slow down oxidative degradation processes.
The technical study asks the question of whether anoxic storage is an effective preservation storage solution for tire rubber through comparing condition assessments of artificially aged samples stored with Ageless oxygen scavenger and without. Condition will be assessed through visual examination, optical microscopy, headspace solid phase microextraction for gas chromatography mass spectrometry (SPME-GC/MS), fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
Funding for materials was provided by the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation.
Please email me at kriscnossen@gmail.com if you would like the full report.
Venetian (Untitled), 1973; Robert Rauschenberg; Cardboard, canvas, leather, and tire tread; 57 x 76 x 8 inches (144.8 x 193 x 20.3 cm) depth excludes tire tread; Robert Rauschenberg Foundation; RRF 73.016
Micrograph of Satin weave
Sheer Library
The SHEER LIBRARY is the beginning of a larger project by the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation (RRF) to create resources for the care, preservation, and identification of textiles used by Robert Rauschenberg. This resource covers “sheer” fabrics, focusing specifically on the identification and care of the Hoarfrost series. The SHEER LIBRARY does not cover all of the fabrics used in the Hoarfrost series, as some are not sheer, and not all of the fabrics in this binder will be in the Hoarfrost series. It may also not cover some more specialty sheers, such as gazar. In short, this resource is not comprehensive. It was built to cater to the needs of the RRF and the Hoarfrost series as a pilot to catalyze future textile resources.
Funding for materials was provided by the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation.
Living expense funding was provided by the Delaware Public Humanities Institute (DELPHI).
Front page of 20th century Fashion Timeline
20th Century Fashion Timeline; Conservators Edition
The 20th Century Fashion Timeline; Conservators Edition was an independent study during the Fall of 2020. The goal of the study was to lay a Foundational understanding of 20th century fashion within the realms of haute couture, readywear, counterculture, and department store. My intention was to dive deep into the history of the kinds of fashion that can be found in American Museums and Collections. In contrast to a more formal course, I believe this independent study allowed me to be more intentional about the scope of my research. I have compiled the resource as a Prezi in hopes that it can be more accessible to other researchers. I also hope I am able to expand upon the resource, and details such as construction and sources for materials.