The title of this recording is "Packing the Quilt for Te Papa - NZ AIDS Memorial Quilt". It is described as: History curator Stephanie Gibson and collection manager Sara Guthrie pack the last two blocks of the New Zealand AIDS Memorial Quilt for transport to Te Papa. It was recorded in St Matthew-in-the-City, 132 Hobson Street, Auckland on the 29th April 2012. This is an interview with Sara Guthrie and Stephanie Gibson. The interviewer is Gareth Watkins. Their names are spelt correctly, but may appear incorrectly spelt later in the document. The duration of the recording is 12 minutes. A list of correctly spelt content keywords and tags can be found at the end of this document. A brief description of the recording is: In this podcast history curator Stephanie Gibson and collection manager Sara Guthrie pack the last two blocks of the New Zealand AIDS Memorial Quilt for transport to Te Papa. The recording was made just after the gifting ceremony in Auckland at St Matthew-in-the-city, Sunday 29 April 2012. The content in the recording covers the 2010s decade. A brief summary of the recording is: This summary reflects on a podcast recording held at St Matthew-in-the-City in Auckland entitled "Packing the Quilt for Te Papa - NZ AIDS Memorial Quilt," featuring interviews with Stephanie Gibson and Sara Guthrie. The podcast details the careful packing process of the last two blocks of the New Zealand AIDS Memorial Quilt for transfer to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (Te Papa) following a gifting ceremony. The recording captures a unique glimpse into the behind-the-scenes work of museum professionals preserving historic textiles. During the 12-minute interview, Sara Guthrie describes the process of preparing and transporting the quilts for their journey. Specially purchased suitcases, which are both firm and have some flexibility, were used to ensure the pieces would not be damaged in the cargo hold of the plane. The meticulous handling of the quilts is emphasized by noting that they are wrapped in a breathable yet water-repellant material, similar to what is used at crime scenes by pathologists, and are packed with acid-free tissue to ensure longevity. Importantly, the temperature and humidity are carefully controlled to preserve the quilts' integrity. Upon arrival at Te Papa, the quilts undergo a strict quarantine process to check for potential contaminants that could harm the collection. The team discusses future storage solutions, which involve close collaboration with conservators to accommodate the various materials and elements within each quilt block, including plastics and ribbons which may require special handling. The podcast touches on the significance of the quilts as living collections that allow access to families, friends, partners, researchers, and anyone with genuine interest, subject to appropriate arrangements. Though access is facilitated, the pieces are handled with great care, typically with gloved hands to protect the textiles from oils and degradation. The quilts will likely remain stored at Te Papa, though they may be lent out for display at other institutions, provided the environment meets strict security and conservation requirements. The main objective is to ensure these pieces are preserved for posterity, despite certain materials, like latex and plastic, inevitably degrading over time. The emotional weight of the quilts and the connection to the individuals they commemorate is acknowledged. The preservation specialists reflect on their roles, noting that while they must consider the quilts as objects, they also recognize their profound cultural and historical significance. The full transcription of the recording follows.  It includes timestamps every thirty seconds in the format [HH:MM:SS].  The transcription begins:  So these are we specially bought these suitcases to fit a quilt each. They're hard to sell so that, um, if anything is on top, it can't just can't buckle it. So it's a little bit like Michael's method, really, the method he's used for years, which is travelling in a suitcase, which we were kind of shocked by when we first met him. But actually he's very sensible. It's the only way to do it. So you have a suitcase for each block? Yes, because we thought that would be the most comfortable and [00:00:30] we wouldn't have to over fold them and these can actually go into the hold of the plane. They'll be safe because it's fairly firm and being textile as well. There's a bit more flexibility in them as an object. They're not gonna crack or get damaged. So have you already transported the other 14 blocks? Yes. Now Sara organised all that freighting so she can tell you a bit about that, but they're all safely in Wellington now, So at the everything will be gifted that, [00:01:00] um, this is what we wrap in storage. It's called. It's the same material that, uh, people use in crime scenes. Pathologists, because it is, um, ear can breathe through it, but it's water repellent, so it's perfect for textiles on everything that the quilts will be wrapped in will be acid free to protect them and the temperature and humidity controlled room, and they'll be more [00:01:30] loosely stored than they are now. At the moment, they're quite tightly put into sacks. We'll relax them, unfold them a bit and put them onto big shelving, deep shelving so they won't be totally unfolded. It will be more relaxed than they are now. We're gonna have meetings to discuss it with the conservatives at because each one's individual some have applied work like plastic masks or ribbons. Um, if it's just a straight out two D quilt, we can roll it, but the ones [00:02:00] that have 3D components, we will have to think of A. We haven't come up with the idea yet, but we're gonna get together with the conservatives to work it out Now. Michael was saying that, um, once they get into ta Papa, no human hands will touch these again and you're wearing gloves. So is that correct? That that there will be never a human hand on these again. Uh, yeah. The collection scientific team at Papa would like that. Um, we wear gloves so that the the oils on your fingers can't get get on to [00:02:30] it and erode the textile. Um, it is one of the rules. The textiles are really easily degraded, but it's a little bit different sometimes. Um, also has living collections and a family come, There are It's a different situation. It's sort of taken case by case. So will this collection be seen as a living collection? I think so. It's there for the family so that it's accessible and [00:03:00] and I mean it really is. You just need to ring up, make a make an appointment and come in and see whichever one you want to. We get them out. That happens all the time. So it's kind of our role as the access. Yeah, and what I'm gonna do is just to leave it with acid free tissue and then keep rolling and the tow vehicle will go around the outside and we'll tie it together with cotton tape and then put plastic on the outside of the suitcase. [00:03:30] And as soon as they get to papa. They're going into quarantine. Um, and then we will unroll them pretty much tonight so that they, you know, the folds don't press in. I mean I mean you need, um Yeah, they're quite heavy. So when you say quarantine what What does that mean? Uh, anything that's bought, uh, that's external brought in into Papa Goes through a quarantine room. First, it's checked for bugs. [00:04:00] Um, any pollutants that will come in and contaminate the rest of the collection. So we have preventative conservators or preventative conservator and his assistant, and they'll check it on Monday. Um, possibly fumigate. Then we just take it into storage. That happens to everything that comes in. How I'm not quite sure how it's been. It's heavy, isn't it? And it is. This is the small one. [00:04:30] The others that are already there are much bigger. These were the smallest. Um, we asked for that so it would be easier to transport them. Um, and this doesn't have any of the 3D applied items that I was talking about. This is going to be viewed as a living collection, isn't it? I wasn't too sure A living collection. Isn't it accessible by family. Well, you [00:05:00] people, friends, family, partners, researchers anybody with a genuine interest in the courts will be allowed to make an appointment and come and see them. And that's actually very straightforward. All you have to do is email or phone. Give us a couple of days warning. That's actually the easiest way to access them. And then any more formal requests, we just need to take time and think things through about what the best thing is to do. We will be on a case by case basis that [00:05:30] could take because they're so large they could take a little bit more time than than we normally would taking something out, especially if they're going to be rolled. Do you think they will ever leave the te papa building? I think what normally happens is that people ask to borrow things for displays, and then we consider if their place is safe enough. So we look at security and environment just to see whether or not they can actually provide the right security and clean [00:06:00] and safe environment. And then we, um, helped them. We know we get the quote to them and help them with the display. Yeah, but it won't be the same as it has been in the past. We wouldn't be, for example, we probably wouldn't lend them for a place with no security, is it not? Or at risk of maybe having lots of people [00:06:30] running around with food or we try to lend to, Um, usually it's other institutions, but we ask that they have the right temperature and humidity and lighting that we have. So sometimes it's only accessible via appointment if it's easier. But we do lend things out all the time because there is the aim now that it's in the papa collections to basically be permanent forever. The idea is to save it for posterity, and so, until the end of time, basically. But the thing is, [00:07:00] some of the materials that have been used in the quilts are deteriorating, like the latex rubber, the glue, the plastic. They will die, they will crumble so parts of the quilt will self destruct, and there's nothing you can do about it, no matter how great your museum is. But that said, I would say most of the quilt is from good quality textiles that will last hundreds of years because now they're in a safe environment, will only lend [00:07:30] them out to other safe environments. So that much there'll be much less risk from now on. That's the idea of bringing them in. You just have to reduce risk and also to honour their significance. The rubber and plastic, um degrades fast, especially rubber, um, and certain textiles like silk. So there will be parts that will degrade faster than others. But we have conservatives who will be checking this as well. Um, but I hope I mean, the plan is for it to last and last permanently. [00:08:00] And so if people say, say, somebody comes and says, Oh, we must have a quilt, we must have it this weekend and we want it to put it in our school hall, we might have to say no because it just might not sound safe enough or give us enough time to put in safety measures like barriers. Or but if somebody says in six months time, you want to display it in a local museum, and we're going to do this to keep it safe. You know, that's the sort of thing that might be a really good display option. Lift that. Just so you get paid [00:08:30] so much. Yeah, just gonna wrap it. Um, we we prefer not to fold it as many times as this has been, but it's the only way to get it down there. And then we'll unroll it when we take it into one team, just wrapping it like a present. Now they're going a conservation team. We have an off-site building as well at the top [00:09:00] of Tory Street. It's going up there to be assessed by them when they come out of quarantine. And then we're all getting together to work out the best way of storing them. Hello, Look at that. Where is that? How often do you find in your work when the objects become more than objects? Is it a rare thing or quite a common thing for you guys? Well, for all of us, we got into museum work because it's a passion. But curators look at it in terms of its [00:09:30] significance straight away. Whether it's suitable for the collection or not. Conservators have to look at them as objects, but it's impossible to not see its context. You can just concentrate on this as a piece of cotton, but, well, you can't do that when you've been to the ceremony and I. I don't think we'd be very good museum professionals if we just saw them as an object. And when you're providing access, you see the families, you see their response, that's what. Well, that's the part that I like the most [00:10:00] is the access for me. There is something amazing about the touch, feel and smell of objects, which is a very I always think it's a privilege. So sometimes a lot of my work is electronic. I might just see photos over the Internet, and then I might buy it over the phone at auction, never actually touch or see it or smell it. Not that smell is something that I should really talk about, but things do. They hit all five, senses the real thing, and people see them online and they want to come in and see the real thing. And their response is, [00:10:30] you know, amazing to watch as well, especially if it's their families seeing their great grandmother's wedding dress, that kind of thing. Um, there's no comparison to seeing it in person. I think we're nearly done so, Michael, how does it feel seeing these wrapped up ready to go to the top? Well, it's actually a relief because, um, you know, well, it's been a privilege and a joy to be involved [00:11:00] for so long. Um, sadly, as various committee members have retired or moved away, um, a lot of it has been left to me. Um, and, uh, now that they're going and they're going to be kept preciously, it'll be really great still things to do. Still a website to keep going and developing. But, uh, with the courts themselves gone, it'll be, uh, so much easier [00:11:30] to do what has to be done. And the reality is, too, that, you know, there's been virtually no negativity whatsoever about the quilts. And the only question people have said is, Oh, will we still have any access to them? Well, I can say that in the last five years, I've only ever been asked once to see anything apart from their use for ceremonies. No one's ever asked to do [00:12:00] anything, so they can hardly complain that they they won't be seen anymore because it's not the idea. But anyway, the man wants to close the church, so the sooner we can let him close the church. I'm thrilled to have been part of it. It's a privilege. Thanks for my call. The full transcription of the recording ends. A list of keywords/tags describing the recording follow. These tags contain the correct spellings of names and places which may have been incorrectly spelt earlier in the document. The tags are seperated by a semi-colon: 2010s ; AIDS Memorial Quilt ; Aotearoa New Zealand ; Auckland ; HIV / AIDS ; Michael Bancroft ; Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa ; New Zealand AIDS Memorial Quilt ; People ; Sara Guthrie ; St Matthew-in-the-City ; Stephanie Gibson ; Wellington ; access ; barriers ; building ; church ; conservation ; courts ; crime ; email ; environment ; family ; food ; friends ; gloves ; hit ; hope ; individual ; integration ; internet ; kicked out ; meetings ; memorial ; music ; other ; prison ; privilege ; quilt ; running ; safety ; security ; sex ; straight ; time ; top ; touch ; transport ; water ; website ; wedding ; work. The original recording can be heard at this website https://www.pridenz.com/aids_memorial_quilt_packing_the_quilt_for_te_papa.html. The master recording is also archived at the Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington, New Zealand.  For more details visit their website https://tiaki.natlib.govt.nz/#details=ecatalogue.1089258. Please note that this document may contain errors or omissions - you should always refer back to the original recording to confirm content.