Karoliine Bürkland „PLASTIC: FAR FROM FOREVER”
Karoliine Bürkland’s PLASTIC: FAR FROM FOREVER is a practical and flexible handbook that supports the rapidly developing field of plastics conservation. It is a valuable working tool for every conservator’s shelf: for quick reference in identifying plastics, checking their properties, and reviewing suitable conservation techniques.
The book is also designed to be easy to use for students of conservation, helping readers better understand the nature of plastics and the principles of their preservation. Collectors will find advice to help distinguish original materials from imitations, while anyone interested in the history and development of plastics will gain a broader picture of this complex and influential group of materials.
“That everlasting plastic!” is a phrase that carries several meanings. When people first learned to produce synthetic plastics at the beginning of the 20th century, it was exclaimed with great excitement and pride. Plastic was seen as a material with a thousand possible uses, something seemingly everlasting. By the end of the 20th century, admiration began to give way to disappointment. Everyday plastic still accompanied people in a rapidly developing world, but it had become a cheap, easily breakable material of mass production. Today, the phrase “that everlasting plastic!” carries an entirely different meaning, expressing disappointment, anger, and hopelessness. That everlasting plastic that will soon bury all humankind beneath it…
It is sad that such a remarkable material has been cast in the role of villain—and with it, the great achievements of plastic have also been thrown overboard. But let us pause for a moment: what would the development of our society have been like without synthetic plastics?
PLASTIC: FAR FROM FOREVER reminds the reader of everything plastic has done for us, how sensitive this material is to the surrounding world, and how objects made of plastic can be cared for and preserved so that future generations, too, may appreciate the importance of plastic in the history of social development.
