The Chau Chak Wing Museum and the Powerhouse Museum partnered with Sydney Analytical, one of the University of Sydney's core research facilities that provides state-of-the-art instruments and technical expertise for sample characterisation, to study the materiality of many toggles on display in China Gallery’s current exhibition Chinese Toggles: Culture in Miniature.

This panel will discuss the process of scientific testing on curatorially selected ivory and jade toggles from the Powerhouse collection, and how scientific analysis allows for non-subjective identification to confirm the suspected materiality of an object which has been classified based on a visual assessment. It demonstrates the transformative benefits of maximising understanding of unique collections through institutional collaboration. 

The speakers on the panel will be:

• Paul Donnelly, Deputy Director, Chau Chak Wing Museum
• Meredith Freeman, Conservation Manager, Powerhouse
• Dr Elizabeth Carter, Facility Manager, Vibrational Spectroscopy, Sydney Analytical
• Lorraine Leung, Professional Officer, Cultural Heritage Analyses, Sydney Analytical