FORGOTTEN WOODWINDS IN MUSEUMS
“Musical instruments are not just like any other “object” in the museum storage. They are like living things, dying away in storage, begging to be played again. At least this is how the musician sees it!
Without producing sound, these objects communicate only part of their story, and sooner or later, silently die away.
– How can we safely bring them back to life again?
– How can we learn from them, extract the most possible data, and hopefully still some music, without damaging them?
– What are the working protocols in place for institutions like the Sibelius Academy and the Finnish museums?
– How may we develop collaborative practices in which we meet the concerns shared by conservators, researchers and musicians, never losing sight of the best interests of the historic objects?
– How do we bring credibility to bagpipe research and fresh air from beyond the regional bubbles of expertise and established thinking?”

Special Guest Aki Arponen (Finland)

Aki finished his studies in conservation in 1997 and has worked in the National Museum of Finland for the past 23 years. Although specialised in the conservation of archaeological metal objects he has vast experience with all kinds of objects including musical instruments. In addition to his work as a conservator, he actively develops “conservation methods” and participates in the “exhibition” and “loan” processes of museum artefacts.
Aki holds a Master’s degree in Archeology and is conducting a PhD research concerning the medieval relic kept in the Turku Cathedral. In his thesis, Aki connects humanities with natural sciences in order to answer the questions – “Whose relic it is?”, “How old it is?” and “Where is it from?” among other research questions.