Alice Cole

Research Project: Digital Printing for Textile Conservation

During my three year MA course I have been based in the textile conservation studio of the Victoria and Albert Museum, where I have helped to conserve objects for loans, exhibitions and permanent display. These have included items of costume, various flat textiles and ethnographic objects. I have enjoyed being part of a busy studio and working with such a varied collection.

My final year research project is an investigation into current and potential uses of digitally printed textiles in textile conservation. Digital printing enables the production of photographic quality prints on fabric. This technology can be used to create copies of museum objects: for example, when tapestries in Houghton Hall, Norfolk were taken away for conservation, digitally printed facsimiles were put on display in their place.

Digitally printed fabrics may also be useful for other conservation treatments such as patching or supporting fragile textiles. The ethics of infilling an area of loss in an object and the material properties of the printed fabrics are considered in this project. The results of material testing on three of the main classes of inkjet ink are reported and recommendations on the production of digital prints are offered to conservators.

I would like to thank the Friends of the V&A; for the funding I have received during my studies.