GEORGE TOWN, Aug 2 — Penang’s successful completion of its textile conservation training project has provided fresh hope for the restoration and preservation of antique cloths in the state.
The project that started in January involved the painstaking restoration of a 119-year-old embroidered cloth banner that was then framed to protect from the elements.
George Town World Heritage Inc (GTWHI) general manager Ang Ming Chee said the project was a collaboration with Hong Kong Street Tow Boh Keong Temple and Artlab Australia.
“This textile conservation community training for the local community is the first and only such initiative in the country,” she said.
In the project, principal textile conservator from Artlab Australia, Kristin Phillips, came over to coach volunteers who signed up to be trained on the methods of repairing and conserving textiles.
Eleven locals took part in the training and the meticulous process of restoring the ancient cloth banner took about eight months.
GTWHI conservation studio coordinator Annie Lee contributed the most towards restoring the banner.
“I spent between seven to eight hours each day working on the banner, stitch by stitch,” she said.
More than 1,500 man-hours were spent by the remaining participants to repair the loose threads and worn out parts of the banner.
The banner, embroidered with the image of the Eight Immortals and the words Nine Emperor Gods in Chinese, was crafted in 1900 and donated to Hong Kong Street Tow Boh Keong Temple by the temple devotees.
According to Philips, a new piece of silk dyed the same colour of the banner was sewn as a new base for the banner to keep it from crumbling into pieces.
After the new silk backing was applied, each embroidery was slowly repaired.
She said very fine threads are used in joining the banner with the new silk backing.
“We used gold threads for the golden embroidery to repair the loose or broken stitching,” Lee said.
She said it took hours as each stitch must be precise to ensure it did not affect the other parts of the banner.
The restoration and training project costiabout RM130,000 and was completed this month.
Ang said GTWHI will continue to promote conservation and restoration knowledge projects.
“We will continue to collaborate with Artlab Australia for more conservation projects in future,” she said.
GTWHI will be conducting an introductory paper workshop on September 27 and 28 for the local community.
The workshop, on paper conservation, is open to all who are interest and representatives from clan house committees.
