To touch or not to touch: interacting with artifacts

Every museum goer has encountered warnings about touching artifacts, but have you ever wondered just how damaging that contact can be? I think we would all agree that leaping a barrier and picking up a vase is a definite bad idea, but what about resting your hand on a chair or poking a polar bear specimen? The truth is even the lightest touch can cause harm.

Last week I took a break from干冰清洗to work on the “VirginiaGun,” an IX-inch Dahlgren shell gun which sits at the entrance to the Ironclad Revolution exhibit. It was recovered along with the USS梅里马克由同盟国人使用，并在更名的CSS上使用Virginia在汉普顿路（1862）的战役中。这是一个吸引人群的迷人物体。不幸的是，它也倾向于抽出徘徊的手。我的工作是从枪管侧面去除油腻的指纹。这让我思考了我们如何保护物体以及如何在博物馆周围有“不触摸”标志，但访客可能不明白为什么这是一个重要的规则。

我们了解接触对象的诱惑。人们是触觉。触摸用于收集信息。人们想知道是如何制作的，或者是复制品。这种物理联系创造了与过去的情感桥梁。此外，有时候访客触摸事物，因为他们实际上并没有意识到事物是真实的。人们习惯于在历史遗迹上看到大炮或家具，以至于访客忘记了自己是文物本身而不是道具的文物。这些原因中的任何一个都可能导致处理损坏。

那么，当某人触摸对象时，会发生什么呢？对图片的最简单损害是您在新闻中听到的那种。百万美元的花瓶破碎了，因为当有人试图转动手柄时，它们已经倒下了看台或零件被从机器上抢走。这些事情确实发生了，但是值得庆幸的是，它们并不常见。大多数人都知道，在博物馆的作品上捡起东西或施加力是不合适的，但是即使轻微的触感也可以从动物标本剥皮，撕裂的织物或刮擦表面中拉出头发。请记住，您所看到的大多数物体在到达博物馆之前都有很长的热爱生活。他们既古老又精致，失去了很多原始力量。椅子不再支持人，金属可能不再是结构上的声音。这监视器propeller is actually one of the more fragile artifacts in the exhibit due to graphitization, a process in which iron leaches out of the artifact and only the carbon shell remains.

Fingerprints are also incredibly damaging. They contain natural oils, salty sweat, and foreign dirt which is happy to make the leap from fingers onto unsuspecting surfaces. This is why fingerprinting is so useful in forensic cases. You leave behind these contaminants on every surface you touch. Even if it is a fabric, and you cannot “pull” a print off of it, you are still leaving these residues behind and the longer they remain on surfaces, the harder it is to remove them.

Fingerprint residue will dull or tarnish the surfaces of polished metal. I have seen a perfect thumbprint etched into the surface of a historic coin which can now only be removed by abrasion. Alternatively, repeated touching will locally polish the metal, removing the patina and exposing the site to oxygen and further corrosion. Wood, bone, and ceramics will absorb the grease and grime from hands which causes staining. It is easy to see this effect on white marble statues. Spots where people have rubbed appear grubby and grey.

How do you know then, if it is okay to touch an object? Sometimes it is perfectly acceptable, and even encouraged, to touch things. There are a number of contemporary works of art which incorporate visitor interaction into the performance of the piece. Statues in public spaces, like the one of Thomas Jefferson which sits on a bench in Williamsburg, VA may also encourage interaction. It was installed with the understanding that people would sit on his lap or put an arm around his shoulders while taking photos.

有时候，某些东西被认为是历史性和受保护的东西，但仍然是日常使用的对象。宗教项目就是一个很好的例子。一个位于日本的雕像显示木材如何吸收手中的油和污垢，但摩擦它是一个重要的习俗，因此是一种允许的做法。

此外，大多数博物馆都有工作收藏。您可能已经参观了博物馆和工作人员，让您持有一个物体。我们喜欢能够将物体从传统的玻璃表壳显示后面带出。之所以选择这些文物，是因为它们可以承受到处传递。它们要么可以清洁，也可以预期的损坏，磨损很小。一个例子是铁船体监视器exhibit. It is a robust artifact with a protective coating on it which can stand up to the thousands of hands that touch it every year.

Most of the time, however it is not appropriate to touch a display. Museums employ many techniques to prevent this. We rely on people’s knowledge of museum etiquette to keep a respectful distance. This is common in art museums. Visitors can stand near a painting or statue on a pedestal, but we’ve been conditioned not to touch. However, if it’s fragile or there will be a lot of interest in it, a deterrent may be employed. Security guards, barriers, and signs encourage people to stand at an appropriate distance. Of course this is also not full proof. TheVirginiaGun的栏杆靠近人工制品，即使是我们最小的访客也可以触及它。

One of my favorite options is alternatives. In the监视器gallery, our wonderful Exhibit Design department built replicas of the forward deck of theVirginia和the officers’ quarters on the监视器。访客可以穿过这些，并在船上设想生活。他们还可以触摸屏幕来播放重演器的视频。通过在壁垒附近的工件附近具有清晰定义的动手活动的交互式展览，它加强了两者不同的观念，应将其视为对待。

Most important is education. This blog post is not meant to chastise, but to encourage better understanding. Museums safeguard collections for education, research, and inspiration for now and well into the future. We share a responsibility to treat these objects with respect and ensure that they are maintained for generations to come. Even minimal damage adds up over time and can severely alter objects. And that is why we don’t touch the artifacts.

So next time you’re in The Mariners’ Museum see if you can spot the different ways we protect the objects. Spend time playing with the interactive games. And take as many photos as you want (for personal and educational use). Share them with us on推特和Facebook! But just keep in mind, we have a shared responsibility to protect these artifacts. And one of those ways is to limit touching them.