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Piet Blom, model of cube houses across the Blaak in Rotterdam. View from above.
A lot of work often has to be done before models can go on exhibition. They are retrieved from the depot, inspected and cleaned. Occasionally a model needs to be restored, as was the case with the model of the cube houses that straddle the Blaak in Rotterdam, designed by Piet Blom in 1978. This article offers you an inside look at the restoration.
Fragile paper
A number of buildings appear to have collapsed under the pressure of this model of the scheme that crosses the Blaak road. It's as though someone sat on the model, but as far as we know that didn't happen. The fragile model is made of paper and there was no reinforcement inside the buildings. The paper was crumpled and torn, a prominent cube at the front was even missing, and the model was discoloured and dirty.
Missing cube
That a model dating from 1978 has lost its original colour is no surprise. A small section that hasn't faded shows just how big a difference there is with the intended magenta. Restorers chose to leave the colour as it was, however, because the starting point of any restoration is the model as it has aged. But the problem of the missing cube was solved by a replacement, which restorers were able to model on scans of the separate pieces of another cube that had fallen apart. The yellow colour of the replacement was adjusted on the computer to match the faded colour of the other cubes. A process of printing, cutting and pasting thus led to a new 'old' cube.
Stretching
In order to repair the crushed houses, restorers first determined the original height of each building by measuring the dimensions of the paper. They restored the height of each building by attaching a cardboard backing to the inside of the model, thus allowing the paper to stretch to its original dimensions as it were. Mounting the paper on a cardboard backing also eliminated all folds and creases. Making the cardboard support framework for such a paper model is a painstaking task. Stretching and smoothening the paper requires time and patience. Dirt was removed using brushes, a dust sprayer and a special vacuum cleaner. Work on the model took two months.
Piet Blom, model of cube houses across the Blaak in Rotterdam, view of restoration.
View photographs taken during the restoration of the Piet Blom model
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