Barkcloth: Aspects of Preparation, Use, Deterioration, Conservation and Display

The Conservators of Ethnographic Artefacts organised a two-day workshop on barkcloth (tapa) that was tutored by Ruth Norman. The workshop took place on 2nd and 3rd of December 1997 at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter. Following this successful workshop, a one-day seminar was held on December 4th 1997 at Torbay Museum, at which these eight papers were presented. Topics covered include: the preparation of tapa from Africa, the Pacific rim and Papua New Guinea; how to survey a collection of tapa and the points to look out for; the deterioration of tapa and the form that this deterioration takes; the effects of iron in the processes of deterioration; the conservation of tapa in the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States; the conservation of a Tahitian mourner’s outfit; methods of displaying tapa.