Video – About the Canadian Conservation Institute
Transcript of the video "About the Canadian Conservation Institute"
Video length: 00:04:35
[Canadian Heritage signature]
[Canadian Conservation Institute signature]
[Canadian Conservation Institute lotus flower symbol]
[Music plays throughout the video.]
Narrator: This box.
[Close up of a brownie camera.]
Narrator: Simple, at first glance. Deceptively simple, actually, because it carries with it a story, a puzzle, a link to our past.
[Full view of brownie camera.]
Narrator: What are its secrets? Where did it come from? How was it made? How is it a representative of the times in which it was created? How does it contribute to Canada’s cultural memory?
[Text on screen: Brownie Camera, Mfr. Eastman Kodak, Toronto, ON, CA. Model: 2A Brownie Year: 1907-1933]
[More text appears to describe various parts of the brownie camera.]
[Text on screen: Fixed shutter. Glass intact. Cardboard structure with leatherette bonded cover. Relative humidity: 50% RH + or – 10% RH. Acceptable yearly range: up to 10% R, down 10%RH. Condition: fair. Some wear and tear on outside of paper-based case, corners abraded. Manual winder. Some rust on exterior metal fasteners and hinges. Provenance, private collections. Significance: one of a small number manufactured in Canada. Conservation/special issues: Consolidation of abraded area. Clean and stabilize surfaces and metal components. Storage and display recommendations: handle with gloves. Object must be well supported. Keep in recommended RH value of.]
[Close up view of the camera’s lens.]
[Inside lens, it shows an old carriage, followed by a doll, bench, and t-shirt.]
[Close up continues to pictures of soldiers.]
[Screen changes to a white background with a globe.]
Narrator: At the Canadian Conservation Institute, we understand that objects help all of us to situate memory, to give it context, to keep memory alive for ourselves.
[A variety of wooden artefacts are shown inside a display case.]
Narrator: To introduce it to those who will go on and carry our stories forward.
[An elderly indigenous woman speaks to a young indigenous boy about wooden artefacts in the display case.]
Narrator: As time goes by, objects which are identified as honored, treasured links to the past, must be lovingly maintained and protected, and that’s what we do.
[Close up of various pipes shown.]
[Two men look at a drum inside a display case.]
[Close up of drum inside display case.]
Narrator: The history of our nation is supported and reflected in the material assets that form our collective cultural memory.
[Close up of a conservator’s hands wearing latex protective gloves preparing cotton swab.]
[Conservator dips cotton swab into liquid.]
[Full shot of conservator restoring a drum in a laboratory.]
Narrator: Canada today owes so much to our past, and our cultural assets bear witness to that past.
[Two woman looking at a bicycle made of wood.]
Narrator: There for the observing, there for the lessons they can provide.
[A crowd looks at artefacts in a museum.]
[Individuals look at artefacts in display cases.]
Narrator: And behind over 3000 institutions across Canada that house, document, and display Canada’s cultural memory, the Canadian Conservation Institute stands ready to provide a wealth of knowledge, innovation, education, and research.
[Two people walk in an artefact storage facility.]
[A conservator lays a wooden model snowshoe on a table.]
[A man prepares a book for analysis.]
[A conservator puts on magnifying glasses, and begins to rebuild a broken seashell artefact.]
[Outside view of the Canadian Conservation Institute building.]
Narrator: Our work is focused on moving conservation forward through science and practice, helping heritage institutions care for and share their collections, here in Canada and across the worldwide heritage community.
[A woman performing conservation technique on an image.]
[A man performing conservation technique on damaged paper.]
[Outside view of a house.]
Narrator: We work directly with Canada’s institutions, on the ground, sharing information and techniques.
[Two women shake hands and then inspect a wooden table.]
Narrator: In our labs, conducting conservation treatments and scientific analysis,
[A conservator cleans an indigenous mask.]
[A woman removes a tube from a machine.]
Narrator: and advising on issues that range from integrated pest management,
[A man collects specimens from a bug trap.]
Narrator: to storage and display techniques.
[Two people walk through a storage facility.]
Narrator: From interns to curators to eminent scholars, we share knowledge, helping people master the intricate techniques of conservation through training.
[Two conservators in a lab inspect pieces of bark.]
Narrator: Our research in conservation provides new knowledge and tools for a changing world
[A woman clamps together a wooden artefacts that has several pieces.]
Narrator: We write and publish, contributing to conservation guidelines and practices for Canadian heritage professionals and institutions around the world.
[A man searches through library shelves.]
[Two men talk over books in a library.]
Narrator: And our scientists and conservators work hands-on, actively engaged in the investigation and the conservation of the priceless Canadian artifacts that mark who we are as people, who we are as a people, who we are as a nation.
[A conservator cleans an indigenous mask in a lab.]
[A conservator inspects damaged paper in a lab.]
[A conservator inspects a costume in a lab.]
[A conservator restores fabric in a lab.]
[A conservator repairs a big piece of fabric in a lab.]
Narrator: At the Canadian Conservation Institute, we also study the challenges that lie ahead.
[A process map is shown.]
[Two people in a lab talk and point to material.]
Narrator: Today, objects are made of new materials, including composites, complex fibres, metals, and plastics.
[Close up of someone using an electric buffer.]
[Close up of people biking outside.]
[Close up of someone drilling into metal.]
Narrator: Images and information are captured on flash memory, using the tiniest microprocessors and memory chips.
[A woman takes a picture of glaciers.]
[Someone plugs a USB stick into a computer.]
[Close up of a server.]
Narrator: How will these things stand the test of time as they turn from contemporary objects, to artifacts? How will we ensure that their impact carries on?
[Man works on a computer.]
Narrator: At the Canadian Conservation Institute, these are the kinds of challenges we embrace with excitement.
[Multiple shots of conservators in labs.]
Narrator: We are proud to play a role protecting Canada’s cultural assets so all Canadians can benefit from what they can teach us.
[Two people measure shelves.]
[Indigenous people look at artefacts.]
Narrator: We are proud to serve institutions across Canada, and to be part of the worldwide heritage community.
[Crowd looks at artefacts in a museum.]
Narrator: More than anything, we are guided and driven by our knowledge, our imagination, and our passion for Canada’s history and heritage.
[Multiple shots of conservators in labs.]
[Close up shot of CCI Director, Charlie Costain and CCI’s Director General, Patricia Kell.]
[Canadian Conservation Institute lotus flower symbol]
[Text on screen: CCI expresses its sincere gratitude for their special collaboration: City of Ottawa Artifact Collections, Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation, Aanischaaukamikw, The Cree Cultural Institute]
[Canada wordmark]
This video was created by the Canadian Conservation Institute in 2016 to explain its mission and mandate.
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