Kitsos Makris Folklore Center

Iconic Projects

Condition Reporting, Conservation, Digitization and Storage

Located in the home of folklorist Kitsos Makris in Volos, the center displays his folklore collection, his books collection, his archive, and a collection of photographic materials, many of which illustrate treasures of folk tradition that cannot be found in the present day. The museum belongs to the University of Thessaly since 1989.

In 2015, Athens Art Conservation undertook the condition survey, the conservation, the digitization coordination, and the storage of 8.500 photographic materials, comprised mostly by negatives of all kinds of substrates (glass plate negatives, nitrates, acetates, slides etc.).

Each photographic item was categorized according to its material composition, size and state of preservationand entered a database.

Τhe material was kept mixed and the identification of techniques served to isolate the problematic nitrate negatives, in order to protect the healthy ones from destructive gas releases.

After the Condition Assessment, many acetates were identified, which suffered from theVinegar Syndrome and were even at an advanced stage, full of air channels and bubbles that disrupt the visibility of the image.

In order to digitize the image free of disturbing marks, we resorted to the most invasive and complicated method of film conservation, peeling off the plastic base substrate, using high toxicity chemical baths.

Conservation Process

The entire photographic collection was digitized, using either a flatbed film scanner, either a photographic camera setup and every item was numbered and placed in archival sleeves and boxes. A final complete catalogue of the collection was given, along with the Condition and Conservation Reports. in addition, storage and handling instructions were given.