Kelvin Centre for Conservation and Cultural Heritage Research

Research at the Kelvin Centre

Our research portfolio reflects the interdisciplinary nature of the Kelvin Centre and that of our team of conservators, scientists, technical art historians, and dress and textile historians. The focus of our cultural heritage research is on the act of making, meaning and conserving. Our staff, postgraduate and doctoral students are involved in research that encompasses a wide range of objects including paintings, textiles, works of paper, manuscripts, sculpture, decorative surfaces, modern material artefacts, and contemporary art.

Our research and training facilities include photography, microscopy, UV imaging, Infra-Red Reflectography, FTIR, pXRF, Raman, HPLC, RTI, contact profilometers, uniaxial and biaxial tensile testers, ageing ovens (thermal and light), 3D printing and dyeing.

Previous Projects

• Artificial Arsenic Sulphide Pigments used in 16th and 17th Century Italian and Spanish Paintings of the Museo del Prado
• Does this make SERS to you?
• Dirty Stories - What dirt from historic textiles can tell
• John Scougall Hunterian Paintings
• ReINVENT
• ReCREATE
• Reynolds Research Project: The Hunterian’s Portraits by Sir Joshua Reynolds under examination
• Research Network for Textile Conservation, Dress and Textile History, and Technical Art History
• Tapestry in the Round

Projects at former Textile Conservation Centre

• Deliberately Concealed Garments