A team of students from the University of Canberra’s (UC) Cultural Heritage Program have been awarded the privilege of cleaning the giant tapestry that hangs in the Great Hall at Parliament House.
The volunteers spent a week on the cleaning and maintenance of the tapestry, which measures almost 20m wide and 9m high and weighs close to 400 kg, making it one of the largest in the world.
One of the students, Tom O’Rourke, who is studying for a heritage, museums and conservation degree, said he had seen the tapestry on display before, but to go behind the scenes and get so close to it was an incredibly rewarding experience.
“It’s given me a new appreciation for the tapestry,” Mr O’Rourke said.
“This is the first large-scale project I’ve worked on, so it’s been fascinating applying the theory I’ve picked up in classes on a real-life piece of work.”
Conservation Lecturer at UC, Alison Wain said the artwork, which is based on a painting by Australian artist Arthur Boyd, had not been cleaned since 2004 when Parliament House staff used scissor lifts to vacuum the piece in situ.
She said this time the tapestry was taken down from the southern wall on which it hangs in the Great Hall for the cleaning to take place — the first time it has been removed from its display position since 1999.
Dr Wain said to document and assess the current condition of the artwork, an overlay image was used to mark any damage or signs of age.
She said the images are kept on file and are compared over time to assess any changes.
Dr Wain said students often undertook practical work to complement their classroom learning, but were rarely involved in such large-scale projects.
“It’s important for students to undertake practical work to gain a better understanding of what they’ll encounter when they enter the workforce,” Dr Wain said.
