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The Hidden Life of Objects

Objects we can see and touch with our hands—things with shape or form—are all endowed with memory, history, and time, which are invisible, often hidden attributes without shape or form.
In this series, particularly with junior and senior high school students in mind, we introduce professionals who specialize in work relating to the history and stories behind objects.
We hope these articles will provide opportunities for readers to discover the ordinarily unseen relationship of people to things through the work of professionals working in various fields of expertise.

Conservators Preserving and Restoring Japanese Cultural Properties 2

Morio Sayuri, object conservator

The things that surround us in our daily lives gradually become worn and sometimes damaged with the passage of time. The same is true for exhibits and objects shown in galleries and museums.No doubt you have seen objects from two hundred, three hundred, or even several thousand years ago. It’s really quite marvellous that they remain to this day. There are so many objects that would no longer exist if they had simply been put away and left un attended. The professionals engaged in restoring and repairing objects so that they will survive into the future are known as conservators, and “conserve” here means “preserve” and “protect.” In Japan, several…

Conservators Preserving and Restoring Japanese Cultural Properties 1

Morio Sayuri, object conservator

The things that surround us in our daily lives gradually become worn and sometimes damaged with the passage of time. The same is true for exhibits and objects shown in galleries and museums.No doubt you have seen objects from two hundred, three hundred, or even several thousand years ago. It’s really quite marvellous that they remain to this day. There are so many objects that would no longer exist if they had simply been put away and left un attended. The professionals engaged in restoring and repairing objects so that they will survive into the future are known as conservators, and “conserve” here means “preserve” and “protect.” In Japan, several…