BXL photographic archive #0148

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 Warerite panels.

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--0917

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 is this?

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)

Something to think about over the Summer break

• Fancy the opportunity to get up close and personal with a museum collection?  

 

• Want to see your work on display and inspire others? 

 

• Why not apply for the MoDiP Student Bursary 2018/2019? 

 

• Look out for the advert next term (October 2018)

The aim of the MoDiP Student Bursary is to offer all students at AUB an opportunity to create work inspired by the Museum collections. This could be in any discipline with any creative outcome from physical artwork to film or acting production.


The outcome of this project can be within any discipline working with any material but the work must be inspired by the MoDiP collection or its processes and working practice and in line with its mission and purpose (www.modip.ac.uk/about-us). The work will be displayed in the cases outside the museum, 1st floor AUB library, and featured on all of our social media.
 



Need inspiration? Have a look at some work produced by students in the past

Adrian Finn

 

 

Rebecca Smith

Dorine Bessiere

Sarah Wilson

Sian de Jong

Carrie Mason

Don't forget to look out for the advert in October.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

A different view #76

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: Child's crash helmet
Designer: Unknown
Manufacturer: Unknown
Object number: AIBDC : 001102

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.

 Crook shaped horn

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Symbiosis finale

MoDiP‘s Symbiosis project went out on a high. We had 14 people from 10 companies attend a workshop entitled ‘The Plastics Paradox: Demistifying 3D Printed Design’.  The event was co-hosted by MoDiP with Knowledge Exchange colleagues and brought a new audience to the Museum drawn from the largely local maker industries. It is a key audience for MoDiP and just that targeted by the Symbiosis project.

The day began with an introduction to MoDiP and engaging insights into our current exhibition: Polyphonic: Music through Plastics. The latter was given by Louise Dennis, co-curator with Pam Langdown of the exhibition. Then I gave a talk that placed 3-D printing in the wider context of past and present plastics manufacturing.  We also looked in detail at examples of 3D printing drawn from the collection, all of which are printed in polyamide, better known as nylon. 

Top row left to right: AIBDC 007038, AIBDC 007376. Bottom row left to right: AIBDC 007377, AIBDC 007078

Patrick Jouin’s Oneshot folding stool, complete with concealed hinges, was in particular a source of wonder.

One shot stool

It was really interesting to talk to designers and manufacturers who have hands on experience of the material and see the subject from such a different perspective.  Some had personal experience of injection moulding but were intrigued to be introduced to other manufacturing processes and especially earlier ones, such as thermo-forming, compression moulding, casting and hand fabrication.

Top row left to right: AIBDC 007456, AIBDC 005961. Bottom row left to right: AIBDC 007013.1, PHSL x14.14

Then we went to the University’s workshop where James Wood, industrial designer who, having worked for Nokia, LG and numerous European Consultancies, has set up Studio Wood in Bournemouth. His clients include Joseph Joseph, Beko and Autographer. He talked us through the advantages of 3-D printing as a prototyping medium and shared with us the disappointment of projects being pulled as they are about to go into production. Attendees then had a tour of the University’s 3D printing facilities and hands on experience of breaking 3D printed pieces out from their mould. 

Meet the Maker participants

The event finished with a sandwich lunch providing plenty of time for networking. MoDiP has made some really useful contacts on which we are already building. I am confident that, as a result of the event, MoDiP will acquire as a minimum one more industry supporter. 

We would like to thank Lucy Devall, Innovation Officer, for organising this successful event.

Susan Lambert (Head of MoDiP)

MoDiP Closed

MoDiP, along with the rest of the campus, will be closed for the Early Spring Bank Holiday (Monday 7th May).  We will be open again Tuesday 8th May.

Memories of Yesterday

I recently delivered two museum engagement outreach sessions for Bendoncare in March and April. Brendoncare are a registered charity who focus on improving the quality of life for older people through their care homes, close care facilities and social clubs across the South of England. 

Visits were made to Winton Friendship Club at Winton YMCA and Haviland Springers Club, at St Georges Wellspring Centre, Boscombe. 

Each session started with a welcome, an introduction about MoDiP and the collection we hold here at AUB. The session had an overall theme of ‘Do You Remember’ using artefacts from the handling collection.

Blue constellation / celestial globe money box, MoDiP Handling Collection.

In order to engage members actively, the session was devised into short activities that allowed involvement from everyone within the group. The session began with the use of a blue constellation / celestial globe money box, as an aid for members to share where they were born. I started off by saying where I was born, Northampton, and then walked around the room to ask members individually where they were born to share with the group. This revealed that some members had lived all their lives in one place and others had lived in more than one location. 

To evoke memories, everyone was asked to think about a plastic artefact which they had used in the past or present and then write it down on a piece of paper. The pieces of paper were then collected up and placed into a plastic bowl. Pieces of paper were taken out of the bowl randomly and I then read the words written on the paper aloud. Members were asked who wrote the words down. In some cases more than one member wrote the same word. They were encouraged to share why they had thought of that specific artefact made of plastics and what it meant to them. It was fascinating to hear different stories about the same artefact. It revealed how these artefacts possessed meaning, which related to members remembering positive experiences from their past – which could be parallel or have a link to the way the brain processes emotional content. 

Ormond electric hairdryer used in 'guess the artefact', MoDiP Handling Collection. 

The session then moved on to an activity, ‘guess the artefact’. This required the use of one artefact from the handling collection, a different one for each session, which was placed into a Tyvek bag with a drawstring. The bag was passed around to each member. They were asked to feel the artefact from the outside of the bag, without opening the bag to look inside. This required members to use their sense of touch to make a connection regarding what the artefact was. They were asked to keep their guesses to themselves until everyone had taken their turn. I then gave a summary of the guesses to the whole group before revealing what the artefact was. Many members were able to identify what the artefact was. 

This activity demonstrated that artefacts are not solely recognisable by vision, as humans we are able to recognise familiar three-dimensional artefacts through touch. During touch you are exploring the shape, texture and weight of an artefact which you do not get from exploring by vision alone. Using touch activates both the cutaneous and the kinaesthetic senses.

Members of the Winton Friendship Club looking at yougurt pots.

The next part of the session involved an activity of passing around a variety of artefacts that members could relate to. It created conversations between them about experiences which had happened in the past, involving the use of the artefacts. Some of the artefacts used included soap boxes, a Crabtree Lincoln Bakelite light switch, Ormond electric hairdryer, Tupperware, Kodak Brownie reflex camera, butter dish, yougurt pots, tabacco pot and squeezy red tomato sauce bottle. To compliment the artefacts, visuals were sent round to recall memories and create conversation. Visuals used included advertisement of Tupperware, Tupperware parties, Kodax and Ormond electric hairdryer.

A member of the Haviland Springers Club engaging with a hairdyer. 

The session concluded with an evaluation asking members what they got out of the session with MoDiP, which plastic artefacts reminded them of something and why, along with any other comments they wished to make. 

• Memories of years ago. 

• Memories of yesterday. 

• Good memories. 

• Bringing back memories of childhood. 

• Tobacco jar of my grandfather smoking a pipe and the smell of Tabacco. 

• Reminder of some old plastics and Bakelite objects. 

• Great fun. 

• Well presented session!!

• I am glad there is still plastic. What would you do without it. One of the best inventions! 

• Found the session really interesting. Made me think of things I used to use. 

• Shaving brush. Teaching my boys to shave for the first time. 

• Bronwie Box camera, pictures of black and white of family. 

• My husband had a soap dish which he kept first aid kit in when we went on holiday.

During my visit to Haviland Springers Club I had the opportunity to engage and listen to members about the benefits of attending social groups. One particular member caught my attention. They spoke about how memories and talking about the past stay with you and you don’t forget them, even if you don’t remember what you did the day before. They also went on to talk about the fact that the group offers a way of connecting with other older people. They explained that they didn’t go out much like the youth of today. 'I didn’t go out last night or last weekend so have nothing to talk about which I have done recently, but I can talk about the past.' 

These sessions presented an example of using artefacts to connect people together to talk about their past and how museum can change lives. 

Sarah Jane Stevens, AMA (Museum Engagement Officer)