Starter Kit. Idea 407 of 500. Cluster 20
Costume and textile conservation for the temples and museums
The mechanism, from the book
Sri Lankans make the world's underwear to the world's standard, and the country has no fashion brand of its own that the world has heard of.
The first step
Visit one temple and one museum that keep old ceremonial textiles and ask the person responsible what condition they are in and what they need. Offer a written condition report on a few pieces for a modest fee, prepared with a trained conservator. A paid report, and a request for a quote for the work, is your proof.
- Who pays first
- A temple or museum trustee who holds old ceremonial robes or textiles and wants them preserved correctly, not repaired with modern materials.
- What leaves today
- Textile heritage decays for want of specialists; local conservation keeps the objects, the fees and the skill on the island.
Ask first
- Department of Archaeology. Ask what rules apply to treating old ceremonial textiles.
- Department of Cultural Affairs. Ask whether a register of temple and museum textiles exists.
Check before you spend
The trustees' written consent, a trained conservator overseeing every piece, and agreed terms for handling sacred or fragile items.
Find out these three numbers
- What condition are the textiles in now?
- What would a trustee pay for a condition report?
- How many temples nearby hold old textiles?
The test
Does it keep value that now leaves the island, or build the proof that lets somebody else do so?
From the appendix of Why Not Sri Lanka? by Dr Maheshika Halbeisen. The idea and the mechanism are the book's; this kit was written for the site.