The dissertation is divided into four sections. The first deals with the work experience gained at the Australian War Memorial, followed by that gained at the Abegg Stiftung. Observations on visits to other conservation laboratories and a report on the two international conferences attended, complete sections three and four. Work experience at the Australian War Memorial Textile conservation laboratory involved spending time in assisting with ongoing programs, conservation treatments carried out with supervision, as well as research. The time was divided so that all areas received equal emphasis. Ongoing programs involved the uniform inspections program and the display maintenance program. The involvement with routine tasks of surface cleaning, and with preparation for storage or display, with both programs, is not detailed in the dissertation. Nor can the dissertation include all the treatments of objects. Reference may be made for details on these treatments, to Australian War Memorial Conservation records for objects with the following accession numbers: AWM 1102,/5947,/10487, AWM 7919. However, two treatment reports are included. These are for a pair of flying boots worn by the Baron von Richthofen, and for an embroidered silk souvenir. The boots, now on permanent display were conserved with attention given to the need to preserve historical evidence, the choice of materials used for repair and requirements of display. The silk textile treatment took into consideration the benefits and risks involved in removing a deteriorated backing and relining a silk which was extremely embrittled. In the process it was realised that a facing might give stability to such a deteriorated silk; however, an initial study of facing materials and methods was required and was therefore undertaken and reported on in the dissertation. Whilst inspecting items in the relics collection of the Australian War Memorial a number of rubberised fabrics and other rubber materials were observed to show problems such as hardening, embrittlement, deformation, tackiness or discolouration. It was found that no information had been published on the treatment and preservation of such materials in the conservation literature. A survey on rubber deterioration and preservation literature since 1900 is included in the dissertation. The function, facilities and equipment of the textile conservation department of the Australian War Memorial are described as well as the storage of relics and uniforms. Work experience at the Abegg Stiftung involved assisting with group projects in most instances as well as working independently with supervision. It was therefore decided to report in general on the types of treatment given and give a brief account of the experience and skills gained. An example of a treatment report as was required for the Abegg Stiftung records is included as well as an example of detailed personal notes on the progress and treatment of a 15th century silk chasuble. The Abegg Stiftung is recognised as one of the foremost training centres in textile conservation in Europe. This led me to consider here the benefits and possible limitations of the program from the impressions gained during the three months work experience at the Institute. Round table discussions were held by Mechthilde Flury- Lehmburg which served to raise questions for discussion by textile conservation students and staff. This also permitted a concensus to be reached when items of a complex nature were to be conserved. A record of such a discussion is annexed. The Library of the Institute was frequently consulted by historians, as it specialises in textile conservation literature and many languages are represented, German being predominant. This library was consulted on German literature on textile conservation, and a brief guide to sources is included. Visits were made to a number of textile conservation laboratories in Europe. It was possible as a result of these visits to evaluate various types of equipment which are used for textile conservation. It was seen that although much skilful work was being done, especially in laboratories where more conservative treatments were preferred, there were a number of questions which were raised and remained unanswered. Subjects discussed and research undertaken are reported. The 1IC and ICOM conferences attended, introduced me to international cooperation and activity in conservation research and setting of standards. Information found to be relevant to progress in textile conservation research and related materials is summarised here.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Queensland, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

No description available.

My thesis is that museum exhibitions developed according to Freirean praxis would constitute a better learning opportunity for visitors, facilitate the process of evaluation, and enact the favoured museum principles of dialogic communication and community-building. ¶This project constitutes a cross-fertilisation of adult education, cultural studies and museum practice. In the last few decades, museum professional practice has become increasingly well informed by cultural critique. Many museum institutions have been moved to commit to building communities, but the question of how to do so via exhibition spaces is yet to be squarely addressed by the museum field. In this thesis I produce a detailed evaluation of a museum's informal learning program; and demonstrate the potential value of adult education theory and practice for enacting museums' commitment to dialogic communication and community-building. ¶To investigate the value of adult education praxis for museums, I consider the Australian War Memorial's signifying practice - the site and its exhibitions - as a program for informal learning. I conduct my analysis according to Ira Shor's (Freirean) method for engaging students in an extraordinary re-experience of an ordinary object. Shor's program calls for students to investigate the object through three stages of description, diagnosis and reconstruction. Respectively, I testify to my initial experience of the Memorial's program as a visitor, analyse its signification in national, international and historical contexts, and imagine an alternative means of signifying Australia's war memory. The resulting account constitutes a record of my learning process and a critical and constructive evaluation of the Memorial as a site for informal learning. It provides a single vision of what the Memorial is, what it means and how it could be reconstructed. But more importantly, my account demonstrates a program for simultaneously learning from the museum and learning about its signifying practice. This dual educational and evaluative method would mutually advantage a museum and its visiting public. In a museum that hosted a dialogic program, the exhibitions would invite evaluative responses that staff are otherwise at pains to generate. Concurrently, visitors would benefit because they would be engaging in a more critical and constructive learning process. In addition, the museum would be enacting the principle of dialogic communication that underpins the project of community-building.

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About 3850 men of the First Australian Imperial Force were captured on the Western Front in France and Belgium between April 1916 and November 1918. They were mentioned only briefly in the volumes of the Official Histories, and have been overlooked in many subsequent works on Australia and the First World War. Material in the Australian War Memorial has been used to address aspects of the experiences of these neglected men, in particular the Statements that some of them completed after their release This thesis will investigate how their experiences ran counter to the narratives of CEW Bean and others, and seeks to give them their place in Australia???s Twentieth Century experience of war.

About 3850 men of the First Australian Imperial Force were captured on the Western Front in France and Belgium between April 1916 and November 1918. They were mentioned only briefly in the volumes of the Official Histories, and have been overlooked in many subsequent works on Australia and the First World War. Material in the Australian War Memorial has been used to address aspects of the experiences of these neglected men, in particular the Statements that some of them completed after their release This thesis will investigate how their experiences ran counter to the narratives of CEW Bean and others, and seeks to give them their place in Australia???s Twentieth Century experience of war.