Check this out! ⬇
Sam Callanta is a rising second year in the University of Delaware's Program in Art Conservation (WUDPAC) majoring in paper conservation and minoring in textiles conservation. With her education, she intends to build a foundation of materials knowledge and support her training in the care of East Asian paintings.
This summer, Sam is doing just that! For her summer work project, Sam is working at the Seattle Asian Art Museum in the new Atsuhiko and Ina Goodwin Tateuchi Conservation Center under Tanya Uyeda, SAM Senior Conservator for East Asian Paintings.
While at SAM, Sam has one main project: remounting an unusually small, eight-panel Japanese byōbu screen that was donated to the museum for educational purposes. In addition to this summer-long project, Sam has also assisted with the final ukeshibari layer for a small karibari board and kakishibu dye application for larger karibari boards. She will perform remedial treatments on some of the artworks that will be included in the museum's upcoming exhibition "Meot: Korean Art from the Frank Bayley Collection."
Swipe through the photos below to see Sam’s intricate handiwork!
1. Disassembly of the folding screen begins by separating the panels, using a small, sharp kogatana knife to cut the paper hinges.
2. The work is done in a traditional Japanese room, at a low table on tatami mats, and with the appropriate mounting tools and brushes. Here, a priming layer of paste called sutenori is applied to the wooden lattices before the first paper layer, the honeshibari, is applied.
3. For such a small board, adjustments in set-up had to be made. Here, one of the panels sits on a pedestal (a drawer) while the dobari layer is applied. A full size screen will usually be leaned against the wall. Because the dobari is fully coated with a thin paste, it is held at the corners and carefully aligned before laying down. It is then smoothed with a nazebake, a palm fiber brush.
4. Hinging occurs partway through the process. The application method can be tricky, so in order to get it right, Sam practiced by making a scale model. Here, she is laying down paste so she can wrap the inner part of the hinges, the hane.
5. Karibari drying boards are used in East Asian paintings conservation to help paintings dry evenly and flat. The structure of the karibari board is almost the same as that of a byōbu screen. Instead of mounting textiles and paintings, the final layer of the board is commonly coated with kakishibu, a fermented persimmon juice that imparts water-resistance and durability. Here, the board is being laid out in the sun. Kakishibu requires plenty of UV radiation to cure fully, so Sam and Tanya waited for a forecast of hot cloudless days. If it doesn't cure, the dye can come off and transfer to artwork while in use.