AIC's 44th Annual Meeting

Adhering photographs overall to a rigid secondary support has been a common method for mounting contemporary photographs since the 1980’s and 90’s. Often resin coated photographs and sometimes fiber-based photographs are mounted onto aluminium, aluminium laminate boards such as Dibond®, or plastic supports that are manufactured with a pressure sensitive adhesive film covering one side of the panel. This type of mounting gives the photograph a flat, even surface gloss throughout the image that is deemed aesthetically pleasing by many photographers and artists. This effect is not easily replicated with more traditional methods of mounting using hinges, or strip-linings along the edges of the photograph and folding these over a rigid secondary support. The use of pressure sensitive adhesive films for mounting photographs is not necessarily looked upon by conservators as “preservation friendly’. The mounting is difficult to reverse and films will oxidize with age. This paper discusses testing performed using electrostatic charge as an alternative mounting method to replicate the look of a photograph mounted overall to a rigid secondary support using pressure sensitive adhesive film. Testing methods will be described, achievements and impediments will be discussed and future possibilities using electrostatic charging will be considered.