Join museum technician Ben as he packs away a stringed musical instrument called a zither, which is in the shape of a crocodile. This 19th century zither originates from Myanmar (then Burma) and is made from wood coated with lacquer and gold leaf.
Traditionally it would have been used in chamber music, alongside the saung gauk (harp), patala (xylophone) and thro (violin), and is still used today!
Musical instruments aren’t always the easiest thing to protect! Watch as Ben crafts a bespoke box to keep the crocodile snug and safe before it is transported to its new home at V&A East Storehouse.
TIMESTAMPS
- 00:00 What is a zither?
- 01:30 How do we pack this wooden instrument?
- 02:06 Putting on nitrile gloves
- 02:55 Blocking the object in the box
- 03:25 Measuring up Plastazote
- 03:54 Glueing blocks into place
- 05:50 Drawing around the object
- 06:50 Cutting thick, squashy Plastazote
- 10:50 Glue "spiderwebs" and how to deal with them
- 11:18 Cutting Tyvek for contact with the object
- 12:46 Checking the crocodile zither is fitting snugly
- 14:29 Writing object number and orientation on the box
- 16:05 Securing the velcro ties to seal the box
See the crocodile zither and many other objects at V&A East Storehouse from 2025: https://www.vam.ac.uk/east
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