Five go mad in the Museum
May. 21st, 2007 02:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pallas_athenaYesterday I had the rare pleasure of seeing ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
pvcdiva and psychonomy: the Diva was in town for the weekend, so we "collected" a few Tube stations for her tubewhore project before heading off to meet fracture242 and her partner (who isn't on LJ, and I don't know how he feels about his name being taken in vain online, so I'll just call him "S.")
The five of us descended on the Museum of London like wolves on the fold. We played the "if you could take home only one object, what would it be" game: Fracture and the Diva strode purposefully off towards the shiny objects, discussing fashion as they went, while S and I enjoyed a more leisurely wander through the Bronze Age artifacts. We found a swordblade that had clearly seen some use-- S pointed out the notches on its edge, and discoursed learnedly of the merits of bronze versus iron blades. When we caught up with the others (somewhere around the Great Fire) they had already chosen their take-home items: a well-wrought chest had caught the Diva's fancy, while Fracture's eye had lighted on a Tudor bedroom, preserved in its entirety: wooden panelled walls with elaborate carved decoration, a fireplace and a glorious curtained four-poster bed: "I'd change the upholstery to a very dark blood-red, but that's the only change I'd make." Nearby, I stopped dead in front of a Delft plate, white, with blue lettering reading YOU AND I ARE BUT EARTH. "It's true, then," I thought, resisting the urge to look over my shoulder. "Neal Stephenson is everywhere."
Midway through the sixteenth century, the Diva and Psychonomy had to dash off to Paddington. The remaining three of us eventually found our way out through Roman and Anglo-Saxon London, and the gift shop. Oh, the gift shop. They didn't have Tudor four-poster beds in there, but they had just about everything else.
So yesterday was a good day, featuring good friends, cool things learned, a museum I hadn't been to before and a good lunch. Seeing Fracture and S was not only lovely in itself, but an important first step in my New Mission: To See The Excellent People That I Only Ever See At Whitby More Often. Hurrah!
Oh, and on the way home I petted a spaniel puppy. Definitely a good day.
The only sad thing about yesterday: the Diva, while discussing her Tubewhore project, mentioned our plans to go and be pirates on the Cutty Sark whenspeedlime comes over in October. Sadly, it'll have to wait: I woke today to the news that that gallant ship has been damaged by fire. A shame.
pvcdiva and psychonomy: the Diva was in town for the weekend, so we "collected" a few Tube stations for her tubewhore project before heading off to meet fracture242 and her partner (who isn't on LJ, and I don't know how he feels about his name being taken in vain online, so I'll just call him "S.") The five of us descended on the Museum of London like wolves on the fold. We played the "if you could take home only one object, what would it be" game: Fracture and the Diva strode purposefully off towards the shiny objects, discussing fashion as they went, while S and I enjoyed a more leisurely wander through the Bronze Age artifacts. We found a swordblade that had clearly seen some use-- S pointed out the notches on its edge, and discoursed learnedly of the merits of bronze versus iron blades. When we caught up with the others (somewhere around the Great Fire) they had already chosen their take-home items: a well-wrought chest had caught the Diva's fancy, while Fracture's eye had lighted on a Tudor bedroom, preserved in its entirety: wooden panelled walls with elaborate carved decoration, a fireplace and a glorious curtained four-poster bed: "I'd change the upholstery to a very dark blood-red, but that's the only change I'd make." Nearby, I stopped dead in front of a Delft plate, white, with blue lettering reading YOU AND I ARE BUT EARTH. "It's true, then," I thought, resisting the urge to look over my shoulder. "Neal Stephenson is everywhere."
Midway through the sixteenth century, the Diva and Psychonomy had to dash off to Paddington. The remaining three of us eventually found our way out through Roman and Anglo-Saxon London, and the gift shop. Oh, the gift shop. They didn't have Tudor four-poster beds in there, but they had just about everything else.
So yesterday was a good day, featuring good friends, cool things learned, a museum I hadn't been to before and a good lunch. Seeing Fracture and S was not only lovely in itself, but an important first step in my New Mission: To See The Excellent People That I Only Ever See At Whitby More Often. Hurrah!
Oh, and on the way home I petted a spaniel puppy. Definitely a good day.
The only sad thing about yesterday: the Diva, while discussing her Tubewhore project, mentioned our plans to go and be pirates on the Cutty Sark when
speedlime comes over in October. Sadly, it'll have to wait: I woke today to the news that that gallant ship has been damaged by fire. A shame.![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
on 2007-05-21 04:35 pm (UTC)Given proper funding, they'll probably have a decent reconstruction, incorporating features of the original, at some point. But I think calling it the original might be a bit of a strech. I'd love to be proved wrong, of course.
no subject
on 2007-05-21 04:53 pm (UTC)A pleasure to see you yesterday! You were a total hero to go and do the bag-dropping thing. Hope to see you again soon (so I can give back your video camera, among other reasons.)
no subject
on 2007-05-21 05:43 pm (UTC)I only wish we'd had longer, and I left that machine foot in my bag but B has it with him in London...
And I missed the gift shop. I love Museum gift shops...
no subject
on 2007-05-21 08:05 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2007-05-21 08:18 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2007-05-21 07:41 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2007-05-21 08:10 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2007-05-21 09:22 pm (UTC)...oh, and I'm next back on June 25th, which is the weekend of the next Invocation, I notice! Hurrah for neat timing!
no subject
on 2007-05-21 10:16 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2007-05-22 07:09 am (UTC)no subject
on 2007-05-23 01:28 pm (UTC)I've looked through the book I have which has all the EDM paintings, and the clothing is really just fabric loosely pinned rather than actual 'dresses' as such, so I'm wondering if maybe we should stick to the pre-raphaelite idea and just switch painters and tube stations. For example, we can maybe try Waterhouse - there are a number of appropriate tubes for it and I'm sure one might still be available. For example:
South Kensington (he was born in Rome but his family moved to South Kensington when he was 5.) I think, however, you said that station was already taken because of its proximity to the Victoria and Albert Museum.
St John's Wood (he taught at the St. John's Wood Art School and was a member of the St John's Wood Arts Club.)
Kensal Green (he is buried in Kensal Green Cemetery.)
Or, failing those, any of the tubes near art galleries where his paintings are kept. What do you think?
Waterhouse
on 2007-05-23 02:40 pm (UTC)We could plan a combination projects with you chosing a stable of artists work for a series of photographs with appropriate costuming - I'm certainly one for wild ambition.
For South Ken I've already decided to use the Natural History museum as the basis for some pieces, but Kensal Green is as yet untaken and uncollected. Am hoping to go to the open day in early July. St John's Wood has been collected but no piece of art has yet been produced for it, so that's a good choice as I'm sure Kensal Green Cemetery will throw up thousands of ideas on its own.
Did you have a specific painting in mind?
Waterhouse II
on 2007-05-23 04:00 pm (UTC)Looking closely, it's all basically the same dress: high, what we would call 'empire line' waist, low boat neck, laced front, with variations of hanging sleeves and fitted underdress. All in all, a perfect excuse to go buy Norah Waugh's 'The Cut of Women's Clothes' which I've had a hankering after for simply ages...
Re: Waterhouse II
on 2007-05-26 12:16 pm (UTC)But most loved of all is the red dress in The Crystal Ball. I could easily point out 10 dresses that I would love to have, but if I had to choose one I know it would be the The Crystal Ball dress.
Re: Waterhouse II
on 2007-05-27 11:45 am (UTC)Meanwhile The Magic Circle has a whole battle scene across it, like something taken from a Greek vase - this of course has fantastic poetic ramifications as well a) justification (if such was needed) to go sketching in the BM for source images and b) a marvellous excuse to have fun with silk and paint.
I bought a book on indigo dyeing yesterday. I've done shibori and indigo dyeing just the once, but some combinations of the effects you can get, using silk rather than cotton would make up beautifully for something like Circe Invidiosa which of course goes back to the draped chiton of EDM...
Re: Waterhouse II
on 2007-05-28 09:57 am (UTC)As regards painting on fabric, did you by any chance see Antony and Cleopatra at The Globe last season? In the war scenes Francis Barber (Cleopatra) wears an absolutely breathtaking deep burgundy velvet gown with gold detail painted on at the hem and sleeves. I have a tiny picture, but it doesn't do much justice to how stunning the dress was:
But you must give me your email address so that we can talk more - I feel so bad taking over poor Liza's lj like this lol!
Re: Waterhouse II
on 2007-05-28 09:58 am (UTC)Re: Waterhouse II
on 2007-05-28 10:30 am (UTC)Well, as with anything custom-made, the biggest hurdle is getting the pattern right. After that it can be recreated and adjusted ad infinitum...
Re: Waterhouse II
on 2007-05-28 05:04 pm (UTC)Re: Waterhouse II
on 2007-05-28 10:32 am (UTC)Re: Waterhouse II
on 2007-05-28 12:24 pm (UTC)Re: Waterhouse II
on 2007-05-28 05:05 pm (UTC)Re: Waterhouse II
on 2007-05-26 12:18 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2007-05-22 08:42 am (UTC)no subject
on 2007-05-22 09:55 am (UTC)...I also secretly prefer the Great Bed of Ware, namechecked by Shakespeare and found in the V&A.
no subject
on 2007-05-22 10:08 am (UTC)The great bed of Ware is lovely - Ware coincidently is the town next to the one in which I grew up!
no subject
on 2007-05-22 01:12 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2007-05-23 06:35 am (UTC)