BXL photographic archive #0130

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 a Hoover steam iron.

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--1039

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)

PHS collection

The Museum of Design in Plastics house two collections alongside our own.  One of these collections is that of the Plastics Historical Society.   

Here I will highlight just one of the objects in the collection.

Cruet set

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Plastics spotting at Kingston Lacy

The other week I visited the National Trust property Kingston Lacy.  I hadn't been before and thought the house was magnificent house and had beautiful grounds.  The gardens include lots of wild flowers set in large meadows, lots of huge trees, a Japanese garden, and a lovely kitchen garden.

I hadn't realised but on the day I visited I would be treated to a brass band playing in front of the house.  With the sun shining and the music playing it was a great moment to sit on the lawn and eat ice-cream.

Of course I can't visit a place like this without doing some plastics spotting.  What caught my eye on this occasion was a gravel path that travelled up a slope.

The slope was relatively steep and with the number of visitors walking up and down and being subjected to rain the path is at risk of erosion.  The gravel was, however, staying smoothly in place thanks to a grid of plastic.

The rigid honeycomb grid of polypropylene holds the aggregate in place and creates a stable ground that is strong enough to take light traffic including pedestrians and cyclists.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

A different view #58

There are many ways to look at the objects in the MoDiP collection.  With this series of posts I want to highlight the interesting views of objects that we may ordinarily miss.  These include the underside of an object, the surface pattern, or traces of manufacturing processes.

Title: E Series chair
Designer: Robin Day
Manufacturer: Hille

Object number: AIBDC : 007008

 

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Guess the object

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 #0129

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 a wind tunnel.

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--1096

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)

Horners collection

The Museum of Design in Plastics houses two collections alongside our own.  One of these collections is that of the Worshipful Company of Horners.   

Here I will highlight just one of the objects in the collection.

Ink well

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

A different view #57

There are many ways to look at the objects in the MoDiP collection.  With this series of posts I want to highlight the interesting views of objects that we may ordinarily miss.  These include the underside of an object, the surface pattern, or traces of manufacturing processes.

Title: Ashtray with screw on lid
Designer: Unknown
Manufacturer: Unknown
Object number: PHSL : 152

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Guess the object

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)

Cover up

The Arts University Bournemouth library, where MoDiP is situated, is currently being refurbished.

This means that some of the art works on display are covered up to protect them from dust and dirt getting to them.  The perfect medium for this purpose is polythene sheeting.  It is light in weight and so puts little pressure on the art.

The translucency of the sheet gives a ghostly view of what it covers.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

BXL photographic archive #0128

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 an Ideal Home exhibition kitchen.

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--0906

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)