Andia Sumarno is a conservation and restoration expert. He was formerly an employee of the Cultural Heritage Conservation Center, previously named the Conservation Agency.
By
IDA SETYORINI
·6 minutes read
Kompas/Ida Setyorini
Andia Sumarno
Indonesia has a wealth of ancient and historical artifacts held at museums, hotels, government offices or in private collections. However, not many have the skills necessary to care for these objects, despite the artifacts’ advanced age and timeworn condition. Andia Sumarno, 63, has diligently taken care of these objects for most of his life.
Andia is a conservation and restoration expert. He was formerly an employee of the Cultural Heritage Conservation Center, previously named the Conservation Agency. He also served as head of preservation and restoration at the Jakarta Conservation Agency.
Currently, Indonesia only has six conservation experts. However, only Andia has expertise in conserving both organic and inorganic objects, such as metal and rock. His peers specialize more in metal, wood and buildings, or textiles and paintings.
“I became a conservation expert by accident. After I graduated high school, I started working and was assigned to the Jakarta Textile Museum,” Andia said on Thursday (22/3) at the Taman Prasasti Museum in Jakarta).
As a civil servant, he wished to make more money for his family. Therefore, he received any assignment to participate in workshops on conserving museum collections. Apart from gaining new knowledge, Andia received an allowance and meals during these workshops.
As time went by, his knowledge expanded and he began teaching heritage conservation to others. He also received requests to teach at colleges.
“It is so rare that someone wants to be a conservation expert. It is so hard to find someone who dreams of doing this,” Andia said, his tone showing deep concern.
Conservation science has a set of rigid fundamentals that its students must adhere to strictly. Fabric and textile conservation is different from metal, stone, wood and building conservation. Each has its own unique steps and formulas for treating and maintaining heritage items.
In general, the first step usually involves identifying the type of object to be conserved, for example, metal or textile. Next is comparing the object’s condition through photographic records, such as before and after fire damage. Next is dry-cleaning the object, such as by carefully wiping the object clean of dust and other light particles.
“Next is chemical cleaning. Specifically for metals, the objects must be cleaned of pollutants and rust. As for textiles, the types of stains and impurities must be identified. An organic solvent is needed,” said Andia.
For chemical cleaning, Andia knows the substances and the dosage that can be safely applied to various objects. Some of these substances cannot be bought readily at chemical material stores, and the mixture must be prepared independently. This is why Andia requires all members of his team to wear lab coats and gloves and to use proper equipment, including glassware and digital scales to measure chemical substances.
Specifically for old and moldy textiles, a light coat of a chemical solution of a color as close as possible to the textile’s original color must be applied to kill bugs that can destroy the fabric. Next, the textile must be restored, such as by mending small holes.
Kompas/Ida Setyorini
Andia Sumarno
Challenges
One of the biggest challenges in caring for heritage collections in Indonesia is temperature and humidity. High humidity attracts bugs, especially termites, which then create colonies.
“The challenge is greater for collections placed outdoors, such as [the tombstones] of Taman Prasasti Museum. There is intense sunlight and heavy rain, smog and pollution. I am most saddened by the acts of vandalism, like drawing graffiti on collection items. It is so hard to clean them,” said Andia.
In his many years as a conservation expert, he has encountered many funny incidents due to momentary lapses in discipline, both on his part and others’. For instance, Andia once accidentally drank a chemical coating solution.
“I was working on a conservation project for the Dirgantara Statue in Pancoran. That day was really hot and I opened a water bottle. I drank a little bit and went away for a few minutes. Then, I came back and grabbed a bottle at the spot where I had left my water bottle earlier. As it turned out, it was coating solution and not mineral water,” said Andia.
Fortunately, he was not hospitalized, as he spit out the solution. However, after that incident, he placed stricter disciplinary standards for his team, including using only glassware and no other receptacles for storing chemical solutions. This was to ensure the safety of all workers.
Another incident involved a reused jam jar that contained ammonia. “Perhaps it had been stored too long and it was difficult to open the lid. I brought it near my chest to open it. It finally opened and I accidentally breathed in a bit of the ammonia. I could not breathe and I panicked. I was alone in the lab, there was no one to help me. I fainted. When I woke up, I washed my face immediately,” Andia said.
The conservation of paper collections, including books, involves one week of fumigation inside a closed space. When the door is opened afterwards, the person opening it must have their back toward the door.
“This is to avoid breathing in the fumes. You need to turn your back to the door and walk away until you cannot smell the fumes anymore,” Andia said.
Despite having retired as civil servant, Andia still works on several conservation projects at museums around Jakarta. On occasion, he has had to reject jobs outside Jakarta because of his endless work in the capital.
“I once set an expense of tens of millions of rupiah to repair an old painting ruined by bat guano at a hotel in Bali. At the time, I had just had surgery to implant a heart valve ring. The hotel willingly agreed to my price. I had deliberately quoted a high price to prevent the hotel from hiring me. I ended up going to Bali with one of my children, so that I would have someone to help me if something happened,” he said.
According to Andia, conservation experts do not lead glamorous lives. Discipline and continuous learning are necessary. However, there is always work to do. As time goes by, Andia has more and more customers with the growing number of museums and hotels in Indonesia.
“I am so happy when I hear my clients say that the once-damaged goods look as good as new – as if it had never been damaged,” Andia said, smiling.
