Profile
Ann obtained a B.Sc (Hons) in Chemistry and Biology from the University of Malta. Her dissertation was ‘A Comparative Study of the Effects of Cleaning on Historic Papers’, where she worked in conjunction with the Diagnostic Science Laboratories and the Books and Paper Conservation Section at Heritage Malta. She also had the opportunity to follow an internship with the Wood Conservation Science Group within the Department of Chemical Technology of Monument Conservation, Institute of Chemical Technology, in Prague, Czech Republic, during which time she was offered the possibility of working for a few days with the conservators and scientists at the National Archives in Prague.
These experiences and others along the way increased her interest in the field of heritage science. She is now a PhD student at the Centre for Sustainable Heritage, University College London, where she is doing an AHRC/EPSRC Collaborative PhD with the National Archives, London, as part of the Science and Heritage Programme. The topic of her research is ‘Lifetime of Colour Photographs in Mixed Archival Collections’.
- Email address: a.fenech@ucl.ac.uk
Ann Fenech's portfolios
Ann Fenech's groups
Bartlett Graduate Student Society
(Member)Grapevine
(Member)Ann Fenech's wall
Research
A significant problem in the preservation of colour photographs is their inherent instability, which leads to fading of dyes even in the dark. Thus, colour print stability is mainly dependent on the environment conditions during storage. Nevertheless, often photographs are stored in mixed collections, particularly in archives, with the storage conditions often being geared towards the other, more abundant, material. But what are the environmental conditions which are most significant to the degradation of photographic prints, and in what way do these conditions interact together and with the material to cause changes in the photographic material?
This project aims to evaluate the impact of different environmental conditions on colour photographic media stored in mixed collections. By combining material characterisation, environmental conditions and value measurements, the data collected will help in the construction of a computer model which will allow for lifetime prediction, thus assisting in the management of photographic media in these mixed collections.
Publications
Fenech, A., Strlič, M., Degano, I. and Cassar, M.: “Stability of Chromogenic Colour Prints in Polluted Indoor Environments“, Polymer Degradation and Stability, 95(12), 2010, 2481-2485.
Fenech, A., Strlič, M., Cigić, I.K., Levart, A., Gibson, L.T., De Bruin, G., Ntanos, K., Kolar, J. and Cassar, M.: “Volatile Aldehydes in Libraries and Archives“, Atmospheric Environment, 44, 2010, 2067-2073.
Fenech, A., Schiro, J., Farrugia, C., and Baluci, C.: “A Comparative Study of the Effects of Cleaning Treatments on Two Historic Papers: A Preliminary Study” in Varella, E.A. and Caponetti E. in Proceedings of the 2nd Chemistry and Conservation Science Residential Summer School (Societa Chimica Italiana & ECTN)
Presentations
26/10/2010: 'How Old is that Photograph?' presented at the 'Science in the new Parliament' RCUK/POST event at the House of Commons
14/09/2010: Oral presentation at the AHRC/EPSRC Science and Heritage Programme Symposium about the PhD project
07/09/2010: 'Lifetime of Colour Photographs in Mixed Archival Collections' poster at the Heritage Science in Scotland Symposium, Glasgow
22/04/2010: ‘Volatile Aldehydes in Libraries and Archives’ at the 9th Indoor Air Quality Meeting in Chalon-sur-Saône France.
18/03/2010: ‘The Effect of Collections on the Environment’ for 14-19 year old students attending the workshop ‘To Save or Not to Save’ at The National Archives (part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science)
29/01/2010: ‘Pollution Monitoring at The National Archives’ given at the ‘Working with Archives’ Collaborative Doctoral Students Network meeting.
14/10/2009: Poster at ICON Science Group Meeting, The National Archives on The Lifetime of Colour Photographs in Mixed Archival Collections and Volatile Aldehydes in Libraries and Archives