Collections; Telling Tales

30th October 2009

The V&A gallery is an open and vast space on entrance, with a dark and dramatic surround. A perfect backdrop to the Telling Tales exhibition. The work on show was both beautiful crafted and compelling, each piece had an underlying meaning, a purpose, or a story. It was magical, my imagination was able to run wild within a ‘fantasy dreamland’. The inspiring work was, i feel, taking the adults in the room back to childhood adventures and indulging the children’s minds by making these ‘make-believe’ objects something very real.

The Forest Glade.

‘The Linen Cupboard House’ by Jurgen Bey caught my eye in the first room. It made me think back to building fortresses in my bedroom as a small girl, and the safety of having a secret place to dream. The setting of the Linen Cupboard House was like a wild forest, and possibly a dangerous place, this little ‘home’ felt like somewhere I could crawl into and be safe, sleep, play and be happy. I had a very strong imagination even as a young child and was forever dreaming up fantasy ‘worlds’ so this piece was the closest to my memories of my childhood, a happy one, making me connect with the work.

The Enchanted Castle.

‘Lathe Chair VIII’ made by Sebastian Brajkovic was my favorite piece from this collection. I love the shape of traditional furniture and this piece had been modernised with its design, it reminded me of a ‘love-seat, a romantic scene between two people sharing an intimate or loving moment. The 18th century feel to this collection evoked a feeling of romanticism in me which is maybe why I chose this piece.

Heaven and Hell.

'Damned.MGX' chandelier by Luc Merx was a really nice piece. The setting of this part of the exhibition was something uncomfortable and scary, so the softly glowing illuminant light seemed comforting. I knew on closer inspection that it would perhaps have a more sinister meaning behind it, it was in fact "inspired by Peter Paul Rubens's depiction of the fall of the damned at the moment of Gods last judgement." This piece is no doubt about spirituality, which you can feel from its ghostly imagery, but spirituality is something comforting to me, it makes me not fear the inevitable.

Each piece in The Forest Glade was given almost its own space for different stories and fairytales to take place in each section and appeal to different childhood memories for the visitors. The overall ambience was dark but fantastical, an interesting place to explore. In The Enchanted Castle the surfaces were all shiny and the pieces seemed like grand gestures with bright lights focusing on the works and dark in between. The pieces were based on ordinary objects that had been altered to become make-believe and there was a feeling of hierarchy and order to the room as if the objects were possessions of a king which you must not touch. The last part of the exhibition, Heaven and Hell, was a very anxious and tense space. It was dark and reminded me of a cave. The collections were again lit up with lights but this time I could see a lot of red, the works were eerie and had something deathly about them. Seeing how the setting for this collection alters or adds to the overall 'mood' makes me think about my Table Theatre and how choosing the objects and colours can change what they mean to somebody. I really enjoy the fairy-tale theme to Telling Tales and I want to incorporate this into my Table Theatre. I could think about using feathers and jewels for example.

I think the titles were very cleverly chosen for this exhibition, The Forest Glade represented what features in many fairy-tale stories and gave the impression of the outdoors and an adventure. It was going to be a journey back into the innocence of childhood imagination, somewhere to become lost, possibly afraid, but to make a discovery.

The title Heaven and Hell immediately conjures up imagery of suffering Vs enlightenment. You are already prepared for the collection by this title, you know there will be reference to death which for most people is not a comfortable feeling. Tension is built in the title, it intrigues the viewer to see what they have to offer but perhaps with a drawn breath and peering through the gaps in their fingers.

The Honeycomb Vase by Tomas Gabzdil Libertiny particularly caught my imagination due to the clever design process and the fact that it is actually real and a naturally formed piece made by Bee's.

Sir John Soames Museum visit.

23rd November 2009.

I visited the John Soames Museum in Holborn recently, and what a delight it was. There were intriguing ‘nooks and crannies’ filled with neat and ordered objects and incredible artifacts, wonderfully placed all over this truly inspiring and beautiful house. Sir John Soames spent his life collecting artifacts from all over the globe, choosing and hoarding so many special and often ancient items. This is one of the most intimate museums I have visited and there is a very personal feel to the place, as if you have been invited in to experience some of the worlds history, and I really felt absorbed by the sheer amount that has been collected by one person. I read that Soames’ aim was to use his house as a place where ‘amateurs and students’ could come and ‘consult, inspect and benefit’ form his collections. This is certainly what I did. The sculptures and castings were particularly fascinating for me, maybe it was the symmetrical manor in which they were displayed, or the grand ‘hall’ they were given. Whichever, they were captivating, I wanted to know more, about the makers, about where they had come from, and to truly appreciate them being here in front of me.