Do you know what this is?

MoDiP has the kind of collection that you may think you are very familiar with. We have objects which we all use every day, and some pieces which are more unusual.

By looking at this distorted image are you able to guess what the object is? What do you think it could be used for?

Post your answer in the comments below or to find the answer click here and you will be taken to the MoDiP catalogue.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Taking on the challenge

At the beginning of October I took on the challenge of doing a PhD. I am now a part time student of the University of Brighton, studying within the disciplines of museum studies and design history.

I will be researching the collecting practices of museums that have a material focus rather than a subject focus. Obviously my main case study will be MoDiP, its collections, use, and practices. There will be occasions when I use this blog to discuss and highlight aspects of my research. 

After more than 10 years working in museums it is very strange to be a student again, even if it is only part time. I hope that it will be an enjoyable journey and that I can share it with readers of this blog. 

Wish me luck! 

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

BXL photographic archive #0040

In 2010, MoDiP was donated a large archive of images relating to a single company. Bakelite Xylonite Ltd, also known as British Xylonite Ltd or BXL, was possibly one of the first British firms to successfully manufacture a plastics material in commercial quantities.  The company was established in 1875 and after a long history went into liquidation in the late 2000s.  The images we have in the collection are concentrated around the 1960s through to the 1980s and show us glimpses of the manufacturing process, products and the company’s employees during this time.  We plan to share an image each week to give a flavour of the archive.  If you want to see more you can view the whole collection on our website.

This week’s image shows the use of lined concrete moulds.

To get a better view of the image and find out more have a look at it on our website http://www.modip.ac.uk/artefact/bxl--0376

We are still working on the documentation of the archive, some of the images we know more about than others.  It would be fantastic if we could fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge, if you know anything about the company or specific images it would be good to hear from you.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Is this object ready for action?

MoDiP has the kind of collection that you may think you are very familiar with. We have objects which we all use every day, and some pieces which are more unusual.

By looking at this distorted image are you able to guess what the object is? What do you think it could be used for?

Post your answer in the comments below or to find the answer click here and you will be taken to the MoDiP catalogue.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

How students and staff use the collection #9. Katherine Battersby

Katherine Battersby was inspired by MoDiP’s collection of artefacts made from recycled plastics and shares her work and thoughts here.

Destructive Plastic?

 “Made to last forever, designed to throw away.” (5 gyres 2014). For me this sums up the whole problem, not the destructive quality of the material, but the way we carelessly dispose of it. 90% of the marine debris in our Oceans is plastic affecting the landscape, beaches and wildlife all over the world. (Midway Atoll NWR 2006). Living by the sea in Cornwall and Bournemouth, this is an emotive issue I feel so strongly about. I wanted to raise awareness through my work. ‘Beautiful, Adaptive, Destructive and Playful’. These four words are used to describe plastic in MoDiP’s current exhibition ‘MyPlastic’, this has inspired me to explore the destructive side of plastic. I did a beach clean at Chesil Beach, the second worst beach in Britain for lethal litter. (Marine Conservation Society 2012).

Using the objects collected from the beach, I used a melting process that is a simple, effective and sustainable way to recycle the plastic bags and create a building material that is beautiful, adaptive and playful.

Exploring plastics in Art and Architecture and the use of recycling. While the direct impact of any artwork or design may be small, the result is palpable and grows bigger with every new creative and substantial design or art project. The new innovative building material that I have proposed are similar to Smile Plastics, that are part of MoDiP’s collection. They are distinctive as they are not all identical and have a unique tactile feel with a range of colours depending on the objects used for recycling

With this project, the realisation of this issue has formed a deeper understanding and the importance to create a connection between recycled plastic and architecture. This project will hopefully raise awareness and influence others to reduce the disposal of plastics, reuse and recycle.

 
Katherine Battersby
BA (Hons) Architecture Part 1

BXL photographic archive #0039

In 2010, MoDiP was donated a large archive of images relating to a single company. Bakelite Xylonite Ltd, also known as British Xylonite Ltd or BXL, was possibly one of the first British firms to successfully manufacture a plastics material in commercial quantities.  The company was established in 1875 and after a long history went into liquidation in the late 2000s.  The images we have in the collection are concentrated around the 1960s through to the 1980s and show us glimpses of the manufacturing process, products and the company’s employees during this time.  We plan to share an image each week to give a flavour of the archive.  If you want to see more you can view the whole collection on our website.

This week’s image show a glass fibre boat being made.

To get a better view of the image and find out more have a look at it on our website http://www.modip.ac.uk/artefact/bxl--0538

We are still working on the documentation of the archive, some of the images we know more about than others.  It would be fantastic if we could fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge, if you know anything about the company or specific images it would be good to hear from you. 

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

What could this be?

MoDiP has the kind of collection that you may think you are very familiar with. We have objects which we all use every day, and some pieces which are more unusual.

By looking at this distorted image are you able to guess what the object is? What do you think it could be used for?

Post your answer in the comments below or to find the answer click here and you will be taken to the MoDiP catalogue.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

BXL photographic archive #0038

In 2010, MoDiP was donated a large archive of images relating to a single company. Bakelite Xylonite Ltd, also known as British Xylonite Ltd or BXL, was possibly one of the first British firms to successfully manufacture a plastics material in commercial quantities.  The company was established in 1875 and after a long history went into liquidation in the late 2000s.  The images we have in the collection are concentrated around the 1960s through to the 1980s and show us glimpses of the manufacturing process, products and the company’s employees during this time.  We plan to share an image each week to give a flavour of the archive.  If you want to see more you can view the whole collection on our website.

This week’s image show the Hycan production line.

To get a better view of the image and find out more have a look at it on our website http://www.modip.ac.uk/artefact/bxl--0267

We are still working on the documentation of the archive, some of the images we know more about than others.  It would be fantastic if we could fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge, if you know anything about the company or specific images it would be good to hear from you. 

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Can you guess what this is?

MoDiP has the kind of collection that you may think you are very familiar with. We have objects which we all use every day, and some pieces which are more unusual.

By looking at this distorted image are you able to guess what the object is? What do you think it could be used for?

Post your answer in the comments below or to find the answer click here and you will be taken to the MoDiP catalogue.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

One morning at MoDiP

I began working at MoDiP in early September and since then I have been on a fascinating journey into the world of plastics – who’d have thought? I, probably like the vast majority of people not employed in the plastics industry, have previously paid little attention to this ubiquitous and seemingly inert material that pervades our lives, but now I have a whole new perspective on it! 

I have come to appreciate plastic as something that has historical significance and has literally helped to mould and shape (pardon the pun) the world that we currently inhabit. What particularly tickled me today was when the MoDiP team gathered together to examine a bunch of goodies that had been kindly donated to us by a member of the Plastics Historical Society. It was like Christmas morning as we carefully removed each item from its protective bubble wrap cloak and examined it, touched it, exclaimed and discussed the pros and cons of injection moulding – the words geek central spring to mind! 

There was a whole range of items including speckled egg cups, fancy pomanders and combs made of Xylonite. There were salt and pepper pots in red and green, shaped like tulips and miniature boxes containing needles and matches – we spent ages commenting on which type of plastic each item was made from and looking for the tell-tale signs that it had been injection moulded. 

Some of the items dated back to the 1940s and it was interesting to note what was considered aesthetically pleasing then as opposed to now. Ultimately after an hour or so of examination and discussion we decided to keep everything that we had seen for our Collection. This is not always the case, as we have to be quite discerning. For example, if we already have a similar item in the Collection or the new object does not teach us anything new then sadly we have to return it to its original home. 

Acquiring items is not something we take lightly, as there is already more than 12,500 items in the MoDiP Collection and each item has to be given an accession number and then catalogued and photographed. It also has to be carefully and lovingly packaged away – so space is a consideration too! However, we always try to keep in mind the historical significance of objects and the purpose that they may have served at some point in time. There really is some leverage in the saying Plastic Fantastic! 

Julie Connery (MoDiP Administrator)

BXL photographic archive #0037

In 2010, MoDiP was donated a large archive of images relating to a single company. Bakelite Xylonite Ltd, also known as British Xylonite Ltd or BXL, was possibly one of the first British firms to successfully manufacture a plastics material in commercial quantities.  The company was established in 1875 and after a long history went into liquidation in the late 2000s.  The images we have in the collection are concentrated around the 1960s through to the 1980s and show us glimpses of the manufacturing process, products and the company’s employees during this time.  We plan to share an image each week to give a flavour of the archive.  If you want to see more you can view the whole collection on our website.

This week’s image shows the bag inside a winebox.

To get a better view of the image and find out more have a look at it on our website http://www.modip.ac.uk/artefact/bxl--0249

We are still working on the documentation of the archive, some of the images we know more about than others.  It would be fantastic if we could fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge, if you know anything about the company or specific images it would be good to hear from you. 

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)