5.3 Materials, Making and Care

Material description should show how the object is made and maintained without separating physical form from the knowledge required to produce it. The fieldworker, therefore, needs both observation and explanation. A photograph may show wood, skin, metal, fibre, reed, cloth or paint, but it cannot by itself explain why that material was selected, where it came from, how it was prepared, who is allowed to work with it, or how a maker judges that the object is ready for use.

Learn the parts and materials in local terms

Ask a maker, custodian or practitioner to identify the major parts and name them in the terms they use. Record the local name alongside a working description where useful. For each important component, ask what it is made from, where the material is obtained, what qualities are sought, and whether substitutes are acceptable. The General Instrument Record provides a component-and-materials section, while the specialised forms add family-specific observations.

Do not infer material identity from appearance when a knowledgeable person can identify it. Two woods, fibres, hides, metals or synthetic materials may look similar but be valued differently. Where a material cannot be identified confidently, record the uncertainty. For non-instrument objects, use the same approach: identify the whole object, its major parts, materials, fastening or joining methods, surface treatments, decoration, and any components that are removed, replaced, or renewed.

Follow how the object is made

Where a maker or practitioner is willing to explain, follow the making process in the order they recognise: sourcing, preparing, shaping, cutting, joining, fitting, finishing, decorating, tuning, testing, consecrating or other locally relevant stages. Ask who carries out each stage and how the knowledge was learned. Some steps may be specialist work; others may involve several people. Some may take place only in a particular season or under specific ritual conditions. The interview schedule explicitly asks about material selection, the sequence of construction, people involved, timing and prohibited materials.

A completed object does not always reveal how it was made. Do not reconstruct a manufacturing process from appearance alone when someone can explain it. If making is demonstrated separately, identify it as a demonstration.

Ask before touching, moving or altering anything

Permission comes before measurement. Before touching, lifting, opening, tuning, dismantling, wearing, suspending or repositioning an object, ask the custodian what is permitted and how it should be handled. The General Instrument Record distinguishes between full handling, handling with guidance, custodian-only handling, and no handling, and allows restrictions such as no ground contact, no dismantling, no tuning change, and restricted photography. These conditions should govern the team, even when a technically better image or measurement might otherwise be possible. Physical fragility and cultural restriction are separate reasons to limit handling. An object may be robust but restricted, or open but too fragile to move. If permission is uncertain, wait for guidance.

Measure selectively and record the state of the object

Use measurement when it helps describe form, construction or comparison and when it can be done safely. Begin with overall dimensions such as length, width, height, depth, diameter or weight where appropriate. Record the object’s state at the time of measurement: ready to play, in storage, partly assembled, incomplete or under repair. Dimensions can change depending on assembly, tension, attachments or replacement parts, so the state matters as much as the number. Use the specialised instrument-family sheets only when the instrument fits the relevant family, and the observation can be made safely. Different families require different measurements.

Document condition, care and repair

Ask how the object is cleaned, dried, oiled, wrapped, tuned, stored, transported and protected. Who may repair it? Which parts are expected to wear out? How is deterioration recognised? Does weather, season or storage affect sound, shape, fabric, paint or other materials? Record what participants say separately from what the fieldworker observes. ‘The custodian says the skin is changed before the annual festival’ is different from ‘a tear is visible on the upper edge’. Both can be useful when their basis is clear.

Care can also include the end of an object’s usable life. The interview schedule asks what happens when an instrument becomes too old to play and whether any form of farewell, disposal or ritual treatment is required. Do not assume that an unused object becomes ordinary waste or museum material. Ask what people consider the appropriate next stage in its life.

Photograph the material form responsibly

Photography follows the same permission and handling rules as measurement. Begin with an identification image linked to the record, then make overall and detail views where permitted. Do not move, open, or dismantle an object simply to get a better image.

Keep photographs connected to notes and forms through clear identifiers. If a detailed image documents a repaired part, note which part it shows. If photography is restricted, record the restriction rather than creating an undocumented gap. The wider workflow treats photographs of instruments, props, costumes and puppets as contextual documentation that supports interpretation of the Art Form; it does not make photography a substitute for practitioner explanation.