Does Plastic Art Last Forever?Not even close. Can a generation of synthetic objects be saved?

My parents bought me a piano in 1963. They were so proud because some of the interior parts were made of plastic, and the salesman told them that would help the piano to stay in tune and last longer than traditional models. The opposite was the case, and in 1980 I was told that the bench was now worth more than the entire piano because the plastic parts had begun to flake and fall apart. It broke my heart!

-- debbidbu
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So our plastic art (and historical objects) will decay and be almost forgotten, just like the garish paint which originally decorated Classical sculptures. The Last Supper is crumbling in it's leaky church basement. How many manuscripts and drawings have been the victims of non acid-free papers? How many stone sculptures have eroded past all recognition? The Buddhist monks who make their art in sand or butter have the right idea. Nothing lasts forever: art is an act, not an object.

-- thisislissa
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