Like most other art venues, The British Museum has been closed throughout lockdown.
People could still get their culture kick when needed – albeit through screens – with virtual tours, readily available audio with curators discussing the galleries and a behind-the-scenes podcast.
But if you’ve missed the real deal, we have good news.
The dust is being polished off the artefacts and paintings (staff have been doing a deep clean for weeks), getting them ready for museum-goers to flock through the doors again on 27 August.
However, the lack of visitors for the past few months – which averages at 17,000 people per day – has had an unexpected and unusual effect on the museum’s art.
It turns out that the delicate objects quite literally need our breath to stay intact, as it helps maintain the level of humidity in the museum.
Yes, our breath keeps the artworks alive. Without it, many of the pieces made from wood or bone could crack or mould, due to dryness in the air.
‘Our humidity levels dropped below 40 per cent, Sandra Smith, head of collections care at the museum told The Times.
‘We were watching but usually objects don’t respond immediately, so we had time to deal with it.’
Not to worry, the art is fine – there are 700 sensors that monitor the temperature and humidity, and five team members have been on hand during lockdown specifically to manage the air levels.
Artwork most at risk was also moved to climate-controlled rooms.
Sandra added: ‘Visitors are the living breath of our objects.’
So, let’s do our part to help, shall we?
Art buffs, when you next head over to the museum, make sure to take big, deep breaths and exhale while strolling around.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/08/23/british-museum-needs-visitors-breathe-keep-art-intact-13166141/
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