Silk Roads, the current exhibition at the British Museum, shows the challenges air cargo sometimes faces.
The exhibition of some 300 objects, all old, some extremely valuable and any number fragile, many on show in the UK for the first time, relies on them being flown in from Central Asia. One, a monumental wall painting from the ‘Hall of the Ambassadors’ in Afrasiab (Samarkand), Uzbekistan, illustrates the difficulties but also the skill of specialist companies such as Momart, who partnered with the British Museum to bring it to London.
Momart, as a specialist fine art transporter, is used to working with unique and challenging not to mention irregular objects, but everything it moves is handled by its trained fine art technicians using best industry practices.
“They are acutely aware of the delicacy of the pieces they handle, and each technician undergoes training to ensure they are equipped to handle a wide range of forms, from ancient artefacts to contemporary works. They are also rigorously trained in the latest security protocols and health and safety,” a Momart official said.
Bringing in the wall painting was dealt with the same calm and collected way.
“The transport crate for the wall piece was approximately 5 metres long, which presented its own challenges for handling – particularly loading and offloading. In order to stabilise the crate, a bespoke ‘A-frame’ was constructed, which allowed us to move the crate at an angle and reduce its height. This solved the problem of the height limit within the aircraft itself, which was shorter than the height of the crate,” the official said.
First consideration is how to pack the objects safely, which means each case is built in-house and is specifically made for the artwork it will contain. “We design and build each case after assessing a range of criteria including the type of artwork, its condition and the mode of transport to be used, ensuring that artworks are safe from environmental, manual, and mechanical hazards,” the official added.
Not that these are then put on your standard, branded vehicles to move them, as Momart has a specialised fleet of bespoke and secure fine art vehicles which are fitted with temperature control. Momart’s Warehouse in East London goes even further by having climate control systems regulating temperature, humidity and air quality.
“We have a selection of specialised mechanical lifting and handling equipment to minimise risks at every step of the transportation and installation process, particularly for large and heavy objects,” Momart also acknowledged. As a company, caution and attention to detail are at a premium.
It doesn’t stop there. “Our fine art vehicles are also Euro 6 compliant, fitted with air-ride suspension, are fully alarmed and have GPS tracking. They are always operated by two expert technicians; both qualified drivers and trained art handlers” added the official.
Helping here, Momart has a team of dedicated ‘Technical Project Managers’ who solely focus on technical challenges allowing it to provide solutions to the most complex art transport and installation challenges. This includes devising custom solutions, recommending specialised materials, or implementing innovative techniques.
In this they are usually helped by a museum couriers who accompany objects by travelling on the same flight or vehicle if they wish. Alternately, they can oversee a specific part of the shipment such as the palletisation, Momart added. The company has an Airport Supervisor who meets couriers in the arrivals hall as they disembark and will then escort them round to the airline cargo warehouse to oversee the de-palletisation process if they want.
Amongst the other services it provides, sometimes itineraries for the couriers have to be organised and booked, Momart also provides courier training at Heathrow Airport. Difficult and demanding though this is one advantage a company like Momart has is the time line, which is usually lengthy.
“The Museum organises around four special exhibitions a year, taking place in the Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery and the Hotung Exhibitions Gallery. The content, design and logistics for the exhibitions take many years of planning in advance,” an official from the British Museum stated.
