Be inspired

It’s Induction week for new students here at AUB.  I would like to welcome you all to the new academic year and, for those of you who do not know, take a moment to tell you a bit about the museum.

MoDiP is the only accredited museum in the UK with a focus on plastics. It is the UK's leading resource for the study and interpretation of design in plastics and a specialist research resource within the Arts University Bournemouth.  It has a mission to increase understanding and appreciation of the use and significance of plastics in design during the 20th and 21st century.  Its purpose is to collect, research, interpret and present objects made of, or including components of, plastics, and thus add unique value to the Arts University Bournemouth as a learning resource, a resource for collaborative, experimental and interdisciplinary research, and as a gateway to the AUB's wider environment.

MoDiP is grateful to Research England for its support in recognition of MoDiP's unique and significant contribution to national and international research and scholarship.

We have a focus in design in plastics; however, students do not have to be thinking about plastics to be engaged with our collection.  It is great if they are interested in our material family but if their focus is shape, colour, texture, or simply cups and saucers that is great too.  We can also be a source of information about collecting practice, or provide inspiration for creative thinking.

Students at AUB have worked with us in many different ways, some of which are highlighted in the inspiring case studies on our website.

We are currently showing work created by a number of students in an exhibition called ‘Be inspired’.  It shows how students have explored materials, shown the expertise they gained on their course, explored plastics, and developed new skills.

The Be inspired exhibition displaying the work of AUB students from various courses.

Rebecca Smith used the collection to explore the use of different materials.

Samantha Maclean used an object in the collection to create a scale model.

Adrian Finn (front) explored the origins of plastics and taught himself the skills needed to create a 3D printed object. Carrie Mason (behind) was interested in the collection and used a system to select random objects to inspire her artwork.

Heida Jonsdottir was inspired by a ridged dish to create a flowing garment.  She also used a new software package and developed skills that contributed to her employability.

We welcome researchers from AUB, and beyond, to explore objects in our collection, which can be accessed on our website.  To arrange a research visit please follow the instructions on our viewing and borrowing objects pages.

We look forward to welcoming new and returning AUB students over the coming weeks and hope to work with lots of you during your time at AUB.

Louise Dennis (Curator of MoDiP)

Man’s best friend

In celebration of National Dog Day the other week, here are a few of my favourite doggy themed objects from the collections:

Designed by Eero Aarnio for Magis in 2003, this polyethylene children’s stool glows in the dark. Fabulous.

1.    Glow puppy, AIBDC : 006725

Made of phenol formaldehyde, this unfinished cast dates to the 1930s.

2.   Dachshund knife stand, AIBDC : 007044

This dustpan and brush is aptly named as the German term Picobello which means 'spotless' or 'immaculate'.

3.  Pico Bello, AIBDC : 006668

Another brush but this time for clothes (presumably to get rid of dog fur?), the body of the dog forms the handle with the brush on its back. 1950s.

4.  Poodle clothes brush, AIBDC : 001215

The following object is included purely because I am biased to this breed...

5.  101 Dalmatians beaker, AIBDC : 000197

 ...my dog having a nap!

If you would like to come in and see any of these objects, or anything else from the collections, please contact a member of the MoDiP team.

Katherine Pell, Museum Collections Officer.

A recent acquisition

We were very saddened to hear of the recent death of a long-standing friend and supporter of MoDiP, Jen Cruse.  Jen was the author of ‘The Comb: Its history and development’, copies of which can be found in the MoDiP library collection. 

It is a beautifully illustrated and thorough investigation into the history, design and production of the comb, some examples of which are in the MoDiP collection.  

It is now my ‘go -to’ resource, and as well as being the best reference source I have come across, it is a fascinating read.   Some of the combs featured in it were acquired by MoDiP in 2014 and have been used by a number of students in support of their research and studies.

https://www.modip.ac.uk/artefact/aibdc-007015

https://www.modip.ac.uk/artefact/aibdc-007020

https://www.modip.ac.uk/artefact/aibdc-007026

Before her death, Jen spent some time ensuring that combs from her own collection went to recipients and institutions where they would be appreciated and we in MoDiP were very honoured to accept a collection of 25 combs, mostly dating from the early 1900s.  They came to us complete with copies of Jen’s detailed catalogue records, together with hand drawn illustrations, making my job much easier. 

We first met Jen when she arranged a visit to our museum for the Plastics Historical Society. That was in 2002 and it marked the beginning of a long-standing relationship between MoDiP and the PHS. We now care for their collection here at MoDiP and have benefited from their considerable support and knowledge over the years.  Jen will be greatly missed but through her generous donations to MoDiP she will be remembered in perpetuity.

I am still working on cataloguing these most recent acquisitions, and their full records will appear on our catalogue soon, but meanwhile here are a few images to whet your appetite.

Pam Langdown, Documentation Officer.

Facial reconstruction of an Ancient Egyptian mummy

My name is Vanessa Pearson, and I graduated from my degree in Modelmaking at AUB this summer. I spent my final year working on a few interesting projects, one of which was a facial reconstruction of an Ancient Egyptian mummy for the Bournemouth Natural Science Society (BNSS). Although the final reconstruction was cast in silicone for a realistic skin appearance on display, 3D printing played a hugely important role in the production of the piece.

The key reason why 3D printing was vital in the facial reconstruction process of this particular mummy, is that it allowed her face to be revealed while she remains wrapped in her sarcophagus. When a facial reconstruction is carried out without 3D printing, a skull must be moulded and cast in plaster in order to have the facial muscles built up onto the copy in wax or clay. Although the mould is taken in such a way to avoid damage to the specimen, it does put the original skull at risk, and requires specimens such as mummies to be unwrapped. Tahemaa, the mummy at the BNSS, was CT scanned in 2009 without ever having to be unwrapped, and this scan allowed me to produce a 3D print of her skull to use for facial reconstruction instead of a cast. The scan in 2009 showed more detail than a previous scan done in 1993, and revealed the mummy to have been in the age group of mid 40s - 50s, rather than in her 20s-30s, as she was previously thought to have been when her face was first reconstructed in 1996. I was able to convert the new scan files into 3D printable files and produce a replica of her skull in PLA plastic, and another in nylon. 

PLA 3D printing of the Ultimaker 2+

SLS nylon skull print

I used the cheaper, PLA copy to produce a new, up-to-date reconstruction of the face of the ancient ‘Lady of the House’ at her correct age by building up facial muscles in a wax clay in the same way one would on a plaster skull, using the Manchester Method of facial reconstruction. The dearer, nylon skull was not built upon and is now on display at the museum in Bournemouth, where it is tough and durable enough to be handled by visitors - showing all the minute details visible on the scans in a relatable 3D context.

The benefit of being able to 3D print the skull at different price points with different properties is the flexibility of being able to print the same specimen in different ways for different purposes, which you wouldn’t have by just moulding and casting the original specimen in plaster. I could use an Ultimaker 2+ to save money printing the copy of the skull that would get destroyed in the moulding and casting process (which transferred the final model into the skin-like silicone), and spend more of the project budget printing the skull that would be on permanent display in the museum with an SLS 3D printer in nylon, which produced a more life-like looking object with more durable properties.

I think that using a 3D printed skull for the reconstruction process also has other advantages than solely protecting the original artefact. For one, the specimen can be reproduced countless times from a set of files that the museum has ownership and control over, which is invaluable for replacing or reproducing the museum’s interactive copy of the skull. However, I also think it can also help make it easier for the person doing the reconstruction to make the result more accurate. The process of reconstruction involves placing 32 markers on different parts of the skull to simulate the average depth of tissue at those points, which act as a guide when rebuilding the facial muscles. 

32 tissue depth pegs applied to PLA 3D print

These depths are guided by the ethnicity, gender, age and weight of the individual in question. On a plaster cast skull, a hole is drilled at each point and a wooden peg is inserted at the right depth. Using a plastic skull, I was able to cut plastic rods to the exact right length needed and attach them with plastic glue, removing the margin for error in calculating the depth of the hole and the extra length needed on a wooden rod to fit into the hole, which is important when working to points of a millimetre.

Although it is becoming more and more common for facial reconstructions to be done digitally, 3D printing is still an invaluable resource for bringing the resulting work - or even different stages of it - into the real world. I think that this process of scanning and reproducing artefacts either as 3D digital models or 3D printed replicas is also invaluable for cataloguing and displaying all kinds of artefacts - not just skulls for facial reconstruction - in a more accessible way, and I look forward to seeing it hopefully used more and more prevalently in the museum environment.

Reconstruction half with and half without skin layer

Finished facial reconstruction cast in silicone

Reconstruction and skull print in situ at the museum next to an old reconstruction of the mummy

See the facial reconstruction of Tahemaa and a 3D print of her skull on permanent display at the Bournemouth Natural Science Society today.

Vanessa Pearson.

Bird Headphones

Unwanted electrical equipment is the world’s fastest growing type of waste, commonly referred to as e-waste. Of the 30 million tonnes being disposed of each year globally, 15,000 tonnes is attributed specifically to headphones. Technological advances result in many pairs reaching the end of their useful life after only a short period of time and if minor breakages occur they are often difficult or uneconomical to repair. As they are comprised of a number of different materials, headphones also present a complex recycling challenge.

With this in mind, Gerrard Street founders Dorus Galama and Tom Leenders have produced a modular headphone with parts that can be easily replaced and upgraded. Offered through a subscription service, the headphones are designed to be sent through the post for easy assembly at home. As individual parts get worn or broken, customers can return the obsolete components for replacement, free of charge, with 85% of this e-waste being either reused or recycled.

Bird headphones in modular form
Image credit: https://gerrardstreet.nl/

This circular design model provides customers with a high quality, affordable headphone service (subscription starts from €7.5 each month) whilst allowing the company to maintain full control over production materials because it retains ownership of the product. It also provides the incentive for Gerrard Street to produce the most durable headphones it can in order to maximise income through extending use cycles. Furthermore, any headphones returned to the company are refurbished, with 1,500 pairs to date being saved from the bin.

You can see these headphones and other objects that have been designed with sustainability in mind in MoDiP’s pop-up exhibition: Design to minimise environmental impact, 1^st floor, AUB Library.

Bird headphones, AIBDC : 008193
Image credit: https://gerrardstreet.nl/

Katherine Pell, Museum Collections Officer.

Plastics Spotting in Portugal

In May, I visited Lisbon, Portugal for a conference and took the opportunity to do a little plastics spotting whilst I was there.

A nice surprise greeted me on the dressing table of my room, Kartell’s Bourgie lamp designed for Kartell by Ferrucio Lavian is such a statement piece.  MoDiP has a silver version in the collection, but I think the clear one is quite fun.

Also in my room was this classic table and chair set including the Tulip chair originally designed by Eero Saarien in the 1950s.

Outside, the hotel had a beautiful modern set of lounge seats in a smoking area in a terrace surrounded by high buildings.  The set, titled Stones, was designed by married couple Stefano Giovannoni and Elisa Gargan for the design company, Vondom.  The smooth, naturalistic shapes really complement the straight lines of the terrace.

The final hour of my visit, before I had to head off to the airport, was spent in the shade of the neighbouring hotel sitting at an anonymous ‘rattan’ bistro set whilst supping a well-deserved glass of delicious, cold, Portuguese beer.

The imitation rattan was so good, complete with texture along the shaft, that I had to have a closer look to be sure it was plastic.

The attention to detail on all of these plastics designs were a delight to see.

Louise Dennis, Curator of MoDiP

Design to minimise environmental impact

Our latest pop-up exhibition is on display outside MoDiP on the 1^st floor of the AUB Library and accompanies Revolution: environmentally conscious design in plastics. Whilst the latter concentrates on the sustainability of different plastics materials, we thought we would use the pop-up to explore some objects from the collections that have been designed sustainably. The three cases look at alternatives to single-use plastics, innovative packaging and the Bird Headphones and the objects will be on display until 16^th September 2019.

Here are some of my favourites:

The Collective Great Dairy Yoghurt pot, AIBDC : 008198

Image credit: https://www.thecollectivedairy.com/collaboration/going-greener

Black plastic is made by mixing scrap plastic of many different colours and it is fully recyclable, but the optical machinery used to sort plastics in recycling plants have so far been unable to detect the carbon black pigment. As a result, this type of packaging often ends up in either landfill or is sent for incineration. By working with leading recycling expert Nextek and additive/masterbatch specialist Colour Tone, The Collective have been the first food and drink company to develop an alternative black dye that can be ‘seen’ by the near-infrared differentiation used in separating plastics. Their new lids have been in use since October 2018.

The DeLuxe cutlery set, AIBDC : 007005

Image credit: MoDiP

Inspired by traditional 19th century Italian baroque silverware, the DeLuxe cutlery set was designed by Fabio Bortalani and Donata Paruccini for Pandora Design of Italy in 2000. Made from an acrylic/polystyrene composite, the four piece set is 100% recyclable but, as it is more robust than typical ‘cheap’ disposable cutlery and is dishwasher proof, reuse is encouraged. They are a good example to demonstrate that plastics materials should be valued not discarded.

The Sustain-It bottle, AIBDC : 008221

Image credit: https://www.reading.ac.uk/internal/staffportal/news/articles/spsn-740856.aspx

The Sustain-It bottle is part of an innovative new system being trialled in the UK between Coca-Cola European Partners, Validfill and the University of Reading. The refillable Tritan™ Copolyester bottle contains a microchip that interacts with dispensing technology within a new range of smart Coca-Cola Freestyle machines. Consumers pre-pay for drinks through a mobile app and then scan a code at the machine to access over 100 drinks. In addition to reducing plastic bottle consumption, the scheme generates lower carbon emissions as the drink mixtures can be sent in concentrated form by courier as and when needed.

Katherine Pell, Museum Collections Officer.