"Most complex" and "potentially revealing" forensic excavation begins at School of Art's burnt-out building
A conservator from the Archives and Collections at the Glasgow School of Art takes a look at the Mackintosh lamps discovered in the remains of the west wing of The Mackintosh Building© Alan McAteerStarting in the building’s library with a series of square metre columns to dig up layers of ash, forensic archaeologists have begun the painstaking process of excavating the Charles Rennie Mackintosh building, which burnt down at the Glasgow School of Art in a blaze last May.
Experts will move each layer of the site to the Mackintosh Museum, where salvageable items from each deposit will be identified and contextualised before being stored, treated or disposed of.
The best examples of window glass and lead work are on the retained list, although modern metal fittings and some carpet samples will be discarded. Wooden furniture and decorative wood will be kept, as well as large-scale sections of general books and selected plaster casts from the windows and ceramics of the famous centre of excellence, which was originally completed at the end of the 19th century.
“Over the next few weeks we will work through the remains of the library, excavating layer by layer though the ash, checking carefully for any artefacts that have survived the fire or fragments that can be conserved,” said Gordon Ewart, the Director of Kirkdale Archaeology, whose previous excavations include Stirling Castle, Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Place and Linlithgow Palace.
“Throughout the process we will keep a archaeological record which will remain as a detailed document of where salvageable material was found and we hope will help inform the GSA’s restoration programme.”
The group says a similar initiative at Windsor Castle, during the 1990s, gave restorers and archivists “invaluable” knowledge.
“Immediately after the fire, with support from Historic Scotland, the School was able to remove substantial amounts of material from the Mackintosh Building,” said Alison Stevenson, the Head of Libraries, Archives and Collections.
“We have recently begun sifting this for items which could be restored or conserved and added to our Archives and Collections.”
“We are also turning to what is at once the most complex and potentially most revealing project in terms of conservation.”
A single project archive will be created at the school, leading to an online multimedia database which will be updated as the search progresses.
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© Alan McAteer
© Alan McAteer
© Alan McAteerMore from Culture24's Art section: @edisonmariotti #edisonmariotti http://www.culture24.org.uk/art/design/art507056-forensic-archaeologists-begin-to-excavate-glasgow-school-of-art-mackintosh-building
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