Alexis North
Abstract
Over the next 10 years, The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (Penn Museum) will undergo large-scale renovations and redesigns of their Mexico and Central America, Africa, and Egypt and Nubia galleries, requiring the mounting and display of three-dimensional objects, costumes, and other artifacts. The ability to easily create and customize mounts and supports will be paramount in making sure these galleries open on time and on budget. In recent years, several companies have begun producing proprietary thermoplastic materials specifically for the cosplay community. These materials have many of the same properties we look for in conservation: they are nontoxic, low cost, reworkable, and require only low heat to shape. This makes them extremely useful for conservation, particularly in the area of supports and mounts for artifact display. This study evaluates eight currently available cosplay materials. Each material is characterized with FTIR, and off-gassing and alteration is detected with Oddy testing and A-D strips. After this analysis, the only product that can be recommended for use in direct contact with museum objects is a clear ionomer resin sheet material called TranspArt. For the Penn Museum, using thermoplastic cosplay materials like TranspArt will greatly improve the process of creation and installation of new galleries and open up new possibilities for future displays. Future research will hopefully identify other such helpful materials