A Hydroalcoholic Gel-Based Disinfection System for Deteriogenic Fungi on the Contemporary Mixed Media Artwork Poesia by Alessandro Kokocinski
Author(s)
Date Issued
2023
Type
article
Volume
6
Issue
3
Start Page
2716
End Page
2734
Journal
Abstract
The disinfection of deteriogenic microorganisms and the removal of induced chromatic
alterations in artworks are still open challenges in the field of conservation. For this purpose, a new
alcoholic hydrogel was tested to remove an extensive fungal attack from a multimaterial collage by
the artist Alessandro Kokocinski and to mitigate chromatic changes caused by the contamination
of its poster paper and plywood support layers. A Gellan gum-based hydrogel was used, which
was modified by adding a high concentration of alcohol (66.7% ethanol), to give the system an
effective disinfecting agent in addition to the detergent capacity of the gel for water-sensitive
works of art. It was successfully tested on samples mimicking the complex stratigraphy of the
artwork under study. To create replica mock-ups, the artwork materials and stratigraphy were
investigated through diagnostic and laboratory techniques such as multispectral imaging, X-ray
fluorescence spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and pyrolysis coupled with
gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry. The treatment was shown to have a disinfecting effect
on the test samples and did not alter their structure, allowing us to apply the method to the
artwork. Here, the hydrogel successfully removed and inhibited fungal proliferation in addition
to mitigating the color changes caused by fungi.
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Name
2023.Ambroselli et al.heritage-06-00144.pdf
Size
7.89 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
e3f2d3f60422f5cec262aa9a871c2bac
Project(s)
POR FESR Lazio 2014–2020 Grant N. G04014