VARIGUARD SMARTGLASS AND ARTRATIO PARTNER TO PROTECT LIGHT-SENSITIVE OBJECTS AT SWEDEN’S NATIONALMUSEUM
October 24 2018 - 10:25AM
In an inauguration ceremony presided over by the King and Queen of
Sweden, the country’s Nationalmuseum reopened after a five-year
$132 million renovation. ArtRatio (www.artratio.co.uk), in
collaboration with VariGuard SmartGlass (a business unit of
Research Frontiers Inc.: Nasdaq: REFR), was selected as part of
this initiative to protect priceless books and objects from damage
as a result of exposure to light.
To experience ArtRatio’s SPD-SmartGlass display case in
operation at the Nationalmuseum of Sweden, please see this video.
Also, this video shows the motion-activated switching of the
SmartGlass.
The Nationalmuseum selected ArtRatio’s display
case, engineered using VariGuard SmartGlass, to allow visitors to
experience these objects while at the same time providing
unprecedented protection against irreversible damage from exposure
to light.
Some of the works being protected by the
ArtRatio display case include:
- Book of Hours, St. Christopher carrying the Christ Child,
watercolour and gold on parchment, Spain, c1400.
- Book of Hours, Arrest of Christ, watercolour and gold on
parchment, France, c1500.
- Ivory object, Christ on the Cross, France, c1350.
- Book of Hours, St. Catherine and Kneeling Donor, watercolour
and gold on parchment, Netherlands, c1430.
- Book, The Hours of Giraldi-Guicciardini: The Rising of Lazarus;
Death Carrying a Scythe; 1500-1525, Watercolour, gold on parchment,
Italy.
Many objects in the collection date from the
Middle Ages and are highly susceptible to permanent damage from
exposure to UV, visible and infrared light. To exhibit the selected
items, the Nationalmuseum collaborated with ArtRatio to design a
display case which uses VariGuard’s SmartGlass instead of
traditional conservation glass.
Nationalmuseum Comments
"The ArtRatio smart glass table works
wonderfully, does its job of protecting our manuscripts and looks
great in the room as well!"Carina Pia Fryklund – Curator,
Department of Prints and Drawings, Nationalmuseum
"With VariGuard SmartGlass we can now
show very light sensitive illuminations in a gallery where we also
let daylight coming in."Joakim Werning – Exhibition
Designer, Nationalmuseum
VariGuard SmartGlass vs Traditional
Conservation Glass
The exhibition of these highly-sensitive works
would not have been possible, or the exhibition duration would have
been severely limited, were they not protected by ArtRatio’s
display case using VariGuard SmartGlass. Traditional conservation
glass protects against UV, but not against damage due to visible or
infrared light. This does not provide optimal protection since UV
accounts for less than half of the fading (often only one tenth).
VariGuard’s SmartGlass not only protects against UV, it also
protects against damage from visible and infrared light by
silently, instantly and automatically switching from clear to over
99% light-blocking (whenever the books and objects are not being
viewed) to provide maximum protection against fading and structural
breakdown.
About The Nationalmuseum of
Sweden
The Nationalmuseum in Stockholm is Sweden’s
largest museum of art and design, and its collections comprise more
than 700,000 objects, paintings, sculpture, and drawings. Following
the renovation, the museum offers larger display spaces across
three floors that will showcase 5,200 objects (compared with about
1,700 before the renovation).
About ArtRatio
ArtRatio is a private limited-liability company
based in Elche, Spain, with offices also in London and Hong Kong.
ArtRatio is dedicated to balancing the display and conservation of
art, antiquities and luxury collections. Our name stems from
the Golden Ratio, used by artists, architects and scientists, from
Euclid to Da Vinci to Dalí, to emulate the divine proportions
found in nature. To date, ArtRatio has protected two original
maps of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo, an original Torres Spanish
guitar from 1888 and rare manuscripts for private collectors and
museums across Europe. For more information, please visit our
website at www.artratio.co.uk, and on Linkedin, Twitter and
Facebook.
About VariGuard SmartGlass
VariGuard SmartGlass offers the only glazing
products with a wide range of visible light transmission, instant
switching between dark and clear states, and over 99% UV-blocking
at all times. Based on patented SPD light-control technology
developed by Research Frontiers, VariGuard panels optimally protect
items by limiting their light-exposure to those times people are
viewing them. More information about VariGuard products is
available on our website at www.VariGuard.com.
About Research Frontiers
Inc.
Research Frontiers is a publicly traded
technology company and the developer of patented SPD-Smart
light-control film technology which allows users to instantly,
precisely and uniformly control the shading of glass or plastic
products, either manually or automatically. Research Frontiers has
licensed its smart glass technology to over 40 companies that
include well known chemical, material science and glass companies.
Products using Research Frontiers’ smart glass technology are being
used in tens of thousands of cars, aircraft, yachts, trains, homes,
offices, museums and other buildings. For more information, please
visit our website at www.SmartGlass.com, and on Facebook, Twitter,
LinkedIn and YouTube.
Note: From time to time Research Frontiers may
issue forward-looking statements which involve risks and
uncertainties. This press release contains forward-looking
statements. Actual results could differ and are not guaranteed. Any
forward-looking statements should be considered accordingly.
“SPD-Smart” and “SPD-SmartGlass” are trademarks of Research
Frontiers Inc.
- Anna Danielsson, Nationalmuseum
For further information, please contact:
Seth Van Voorhees
President, VariGuard SmartGlass
516-847-5330
Info@VariGuard.com
Manoj Phatak
CEO, ArtRatio
+34 966 661 251
info@artratio.co.uk
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