Can Tapa be stretched like canvas?

[W.C.Framer]

I say no, but the client really wants this done.

Tapa cloth, the bark cloth paintings from Polynesia, is in fairly good shape now, perhaps no more than 10 years old. So its not incredible brittle and still very thick. And of course she wants it to lay flat.

I suppose one option would be to attach it to a better backing cloth and stretch that, but I'm really not into gluing this thing down to anything.

Your thoughts?

 

[CAframer]

No to stretching. Metal tacks, staples and nails will cause damage to the tapa. Damage is caused initially as holes are created when the hardware is pushed through the tapa. With time, these holes will enlarge, causing distortion of the tapa

No to sewing a backing layer. Tapa is an essentially solid sheet, without holes beween woven elements as is found with textiles. With sewing, areas of weakness are formed as holes are made in the tapa where the needle passes through. With time, the thread holes will enlarge if the tapa sags on its mount.

No to sandwiching between acrylic. Tapa should never be sandwiched in place by being pressed behind glass or plexiglass. The first reason for this is that moisture forms easily on both glass and plexi , allowing mold to grow in the tight air space between the glazing and tapa. In time, the paints used to decorate tapa which has been sandwiched will stick to the glass or acrylic sheet, causing permanent losses and damage.

Italicized comments from tapa experts at Bishop Museum.

From the same source, acceptable mounting methods include draping over a padded pole (with periodic repositioning), clamping along top edge using protective material within clamps (for heavier weight, multi-layer tapa such as Samoan, Tongan and Fijian tapa), and archival paper hinging.

I have done quite a few and always used hinging method. I have also followed guidelines to reduce heavier creases from folded tapas.

 

[neilframer]

I have done a few hinged, floated and raised up in a shadow box. Just left them in their natural state.

 

[framah]

Any acceptable method of flattening one?
I have a large Tapa that has been folded for years.
It lays out ok in that the folds aren't torn and the material is still pliable, just not flat at the folds.

I'd love to float this piece sometime.

 

[CAframer]

Any acceptable method of flattening one?...

From the same source:

Flattening
Tapa which has been stored folded for long periods of time often sustains folds
and creases across the surface. With care, folds and creases are possible to diminish
although complete removal is not always possible. The following steps should be
followed in order:
· It may be possible to remove the creases by simply unfolding the tapa and allowing it
to lay flat for awhile. The tapa should be laid out on a clean surface where it can be
left for at least five days. A dining table or bed can be used or the t apa can be draped
over a padded rod.
· If creases remain, try flattening with the following method to be carried out on a flat,
clean, dry surface:
· Test the colors on the tapa for water fastness using the following method: Dampen a
Q-tip® swab with tap water. Press the swab into a paper towel to remove excess
water until the Q-tip® is just barely damp. Find an inconspicuous place to test the
colors such as at an edge. Press (do not rub) the Q-tip® onto a color area and allow it
to sit in one spot for 30 seconds. Look at the swab to see if color has lifted onto it. If
no color bleeds onto the q-tip, check the same spot with a slightly damper swab, wait
30 seconds again and check the swab for color bleeding. If the swab comes up clean,
that color can be considered stable enough for the flattening process. Each different
color on the tapa must be tested similarly.
· If all colors prove to be colorfast, flattening can continue on a large, flat, clean and
dry table which has been covered overall with plastic. Polyethylene plastic sheeting
or strips of Saran Wrap® should be wrapped around the work table. You should also
have on-hand rolls of all-white paper towels, scissors, a NEW fine-mist water sprayer
(filled with distilled water), well washed cotton bath towels and numerous lightweight
books such as Steven King paperbacks.
· Begin by choosing a 10" section of a single crease to flatten first. In a separate area
away from the tapa, lightly spray distilled water mist onto one side of a paper towel.
The paper towel should be just barely damp. Fold the barely dampened paper towel
into a 3" wide strip and lay the strip directly over the crease. To allow the moisture to
settle into the tapa before it all evaporates, cover the paper towel with a piece of
Saran Wrap® and allow it to sit for 10 minutes. You may want to weight the paper
towel lightly with a cotton towel.
· Remove the paper towel and Saran Wrap® from the crease. The tapa should feel as
though it has relaxed a bit with the moisture. Lay down two clean, dry paper towels
over the humidified crease area. Cover the paper towels with a cotton towel . Weight
the covered humidified crease with books lined up side to side. It is essential that all
areas that are dampened receive weights during drying. Leave to dry for at least 6
hours.
· After the flattened area is dry, remove the books and toweling and continue the
process on an adjacent area. As you get accustomed to the system, larger areas can be
done at one time​

 

[neilframer]

Great advice. Do I have to go out and buy the Steven King paperbacks?

 

[Baer Charlton]

Finally, a good use for my Encyclopedia Britannica with full annotated extended volumes and matching dictionary and thesaurus.

 

[framah]

Thanks for the instructions. I'll add this project to my list of things I'll probably never get to.

 

[W.C.Framer]

Alright, this group is utterly worthless, thank you friends! We'll just wait and see what light Mr. Jim can shed on this shortly.


(Btw Andrew, thank you really for all the great reference. Rather than use staples, I'm now wondering about adhering a cloth backer to the tapa for stretching. I still hate the idea of making sharp 90-degree corners with the stuff.)

 

[W.C.Framer]

After talking with one of our local conservators, I'm going to go with this method:

The tapa will be pasted to canvas using Yes! paste. (Learning a good new method of applying with a roller, let dry completely, the attach the piece using a warm iron). The canvas will then be stretched in a regular manner, ironing the corners to make them more pliable for the transition.

Overall, with the tapa being very fiberous, it wouldn't hold up to the mechanical stresses in conventional stretching. This method should accommodate all that. Now just waiting of the ok from the customer to get to work.

But I do appreciate all of your input as well. Keep it up!

 

[artfolio]

Just one more thought:

Have you or your customer considered that tapa is porous? Leave it exposed to atmosphere for any length of time and it will absorb cooking pollutants, cigarette smoke and anything else going around. Good luck with cleaning it

Some things just need the protection of glass.

 

[Rebecca]

I'm late to the dance, but I did meet a textile conserator working in Hawaii who deals with these often and her advice was to use velcro applied to Japanese paper with Beva, and to apply the Japanese paper to the tapa with wheat starch paste. This was to be a top hanging method.

One could also apply strips of Japanese paper to to the reverse edges with wheat starch paste, shy 1/8" or so, and then wrap the edges around rigid backing board. A variation of the perimeter hinge.

Personally I would shy away from an overall backing and the Yes paste option as these are 3D things and there could be problems keeping it in plane.

Let us know what you decide and how it works out!