This House by James Graham, National Theatre

17^th November 2012

I am devoting more attention to Front of House details and for visually impaired people.  This includes the box office on the phone, in person, an audio CD and a greeting at the event itself.  The National Theatre ticks all these boxes and a performance is stress free. 

On a cold November lunchtime, some early arrivals were let into the box office area as the NT staff were going through the details of the performance back up for visually impaired visitors.  My companion counted 2 dogs and about 6 canes in the audience and I had a chance to speak to a few visitors who are regular theatregoers with and without audio description.  In any live performance for visually impaired audiences there are really 2 live performances and the research by Tony and Bridget with the NT staff in putting the whole show together is commendable.  That said the play is the thing.

This House is a play by James Graham and has started in the studio space of the National Theatre known as The Cottesloe.  The play is sold out for the run though will be transferred to the Olivier Theatre in 2013.  The play recalls the events in the House of Commons between 1974 and 1979.  This is shown as the fall of the Heath government, the arrival of the Labour government under the leadership of Wilson then Callaghan then the victory of the Conservatives in 1979 under Thatcher. 

The National Theatre CD had been sent to me a few weeks ago and it contained much information.  This includes information on the set, characters and descriptions with a useful glossary of parliamentary procedure pre-television broadcasting.  At the time only major broadcasts on radio were live and one had to listen to transcripts of events in a programme which still goes out on the BBC- Today in Parliament. 

The play is really interesting as it deals with the relationships of the opposing team of “whips”.  By tradition the whips do not speak to the public and the Whips Office is usually an important part of the “greasy pole” of many political leaders.  They are supposed to know all the secrets.  I remember many of the events referred to in the background. Each year has an echo such as the Silver Jubilee in 1977 and the surprise resignation of Wilson in 1976.

The set is laid out to resemble the green benches of the House of Commons.  The dialogue is very quickfire with typical adversarial snippets when scene shifts occur from office to chamber. 

Many of the characters have multiple roles and appearances.  In order to keep things simple all the Conservatives (Tories) have “Posh” accents and are often described as Tory Twats.  The Labour characters are usually given Northern English accents.  There are non English roles such as MPs from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.   Most of the MPs are referred to with the name of their parliamentary constituency and the Speaker refers to them in this way.  Among themselves, the MPs use other terms of endearment including first names.  We have, for example, a reference to Plymouth – Alan Clark (famous for sex and diaries) and Chelmsford – Norman St John Stevas (pompous constitutional expert and deceased).

The dialogue is filled with snippets of details which kept the Labour Government on a knife edge.  The Labour government managed to survive for most of a 5 year term. The whips office has a blackboard on which the razor thin majority is gradually stripped away.  At the time calculators and computers would have been available but a blackboard is a useful prop. 

In hearing about the set, Tony McBride had walked the length of it and had stopped where important parts of debating procedure are embedded in the chamber.  There are 2 redlines which represent 2 sword lengths apart when in debate.  The Serjeant at Arms still has a sword in the chamber and the Speaker still wore a full bottomed wig and gown.  One of the new Labour Whips plays with his stick of office (not unlike my Whitestick). 

We were introduced to the cast and were taken round the props.  The audience is seated on the benches and there is a working bar on the set with Irish Whiskey (surely shome mishtake).  Chris Godwin took me round the set and as he plays the member for the Western Isles, I asked him how his Gaelic was.  To my surprise he answered in Irish.  I was able to sit in the Speaker’s Chair and it can revolve revealing a cleaner’s cupboard complete with Izal loo paper, not Bronco.  We were also able to handle some of the costumes including a very expensive Savile Row suit said to be worth £10,000 in today’s money.  The suit has apparently made several performances on TV, film and theatre, and is worn by Julian Wadham who plays the role of Humphrey Atkins.

The play itself unrolls as a timeline with much of the drama being between the two deputy whips.  In real life, this was Jack Weatherill played by Charles Edwards and Walter Harrison played by Philip Glenister. (Obituary on BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20080858 )  For political junkies, broadcasts of the real events and dramas in the House of Commons can be found on the BBC and other channels as well as on radio.  At the time transcripts of debates in the house were taken by Hansard and with some redaction, appeared in the Parliamentary Report.  This continues to this day and is available on line at http://www.theyworkforyou.com/search-hansard/?gclid=CMCkyJXh77MCFSTLtAodbQ8Abw

Members of the cast who were present during the Touch Tour included:

Christopher Godwin  - (Walsall N/Speaker in Act II/Plymouth Sutton/Ensemble)

Giles Taylor - (Speaker in Act I/Mansfield/Serjeant at Arms in Act II/West Lothian/Ensemble)
Tony Turner – (Bromsgrove/Abingdon/Liverpool Edgehill / Paisley / Fermanagh /Ensemble)
Rupert Vansittart - (Esher/Belfast W/ Ensemble)
Julian Wadham - (Humphrey Atkins, Tory Whip)
Gunnar Cauthery - (Clockmaker/Peebles/Redditch/Nuneaton/Ensemble)

Jane Suffling, the Stage Manger, was also present.

This play will transfer to the Olivier Theatre in February 2013.

http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/this-house

Conclusion: The seating in this show added to the drama and if this can be replicated in a larger theatre it should transfer well.  Much of the detail will go over the heads of those who have forgotten the late 1970s but the detail does not detract from the drama of the apparently wasted effort in politics at the time, though having listened to several political books recently (Andrew Rawnsley on the End of the Party (Labour)) it appears that little has changed.  For the sake of balance the term Omnishambles comes to mind. 

By the way the part of the Member for Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles was not creepy enough! I ran across him when he was canvassing to be Rector of Edinburgh University in the 1970s. (Gordon Brown had at least been successful in getting that post.)

National Portrait Gallery: McClintock, BP Portrait of the Year and King James

The National Portrait Gallery in London (near Trafalgar Square) is one of my regular locations for dropping  in for a coffee and “view” the odd painting from time to time.  The layout is a bit labyrinthine though the guards are helpful in finding an object, painting or temporary exhibition.  Some months ago I visited some photos and prints to do with Richard Hamilton and was taken to the location.  I soon found myself in the company of other visitors who were quite happy to share their thoughts and read out the odd picture label. 

On the occasion of the BP Portrait of the Year I went to the front desk.  It is upstairs or up lift (elevator) and got further directions.  I wandered around and liked a few portraits and went back to the start and asked one of the attendants for some help.  Sarah and Peter took me round and we discussed several paintings.  As usual the subject of titanium dioxide came up in some very bright pictures.  Peter also paints and we discussed Zinc Oxide and Lead Oxide.  The bookshops are also helpful in finding the occasional postcard and even a book. 

The last Thursday of the month is the date for the NPG “Visualisation” for visually impaired people.  (http://www.npg.org.uk/learning/outreach/visualising-portraits.php) It is also a chance to meet other people.  We tend to gather across from the information desk.  You can always ask to be taken to the painting in advance to see what you can make of it and the neighbouring pictures.  Often a reference is made to some other portraits in the vicinity. 

 

Esther Collins organises much of the activity and is a mine of information as is the NPG website.  (http://www.npg.org.uk/learning/digital/sen/picture-descriptions.php) I am not so familiar with this one and Esther explained the accession numbering system (No 1 is Shakespeare) Esther was also pleased that I had wandered into the BP Portrait show on my own as they have encouraged the attendants to engage more with visitors in general and I have noted this though I have become more familiar over the building and organisational structure.    There are usually a few interns at our sessions and gradually more awareness of visually impaired visitors is being shown.

The subject for the September talk was McClintock, an Arctic explorer.  (http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait.php?search=ap&npgno=1211) He is portrayed in the kit of an Arctic explorer of the day, though painted in a studio.  Examples of other McClintock portraits were passed round (he is in Naval uniform and the NPG has a reserve copy) There is also a photograph of this Victorian gentleman.  (This picture is almost opposite from the Kitchener described in my post http://profwhitestick.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/earl-kitchener-of-khartoum-by-von.html ) In place of military accessories such as sword, belt, pips and epaulettes we have all sorts of gadgets on display.  

There is quite a story behind McClintock and his search for Franklyn who went missing.  The painting itself is quite stylised and reflects the almost photographic detail at the time.  Having heard Sir Ranulph Fiennes speak at a lunch before about his state of being frostbitten and exhaustion on some of these expeditions, this McClintock portrait resembles more a renaissance ideal of the “Victorian Arctic Explorer”.  The race for the Arctic and Antarctic was underway and was often between Norwegian explorers such as Amundsen and Nansen and the British explorers.  With global warming and the disappearance of some of the Arctic ice does this painting represent a scientific record at all?  Did the gadgets arrayed around McClintock provide any scientific data at all?  Fascinating topics for discussion.  A portrait can direct so much interest. 

25^th October

The October portrait was that of King James VI/I as painted by the Flemish painter Daniel Mytens.  King James is sandwiched between his son Charles (later King Charles) and his daughter Elizabeth (later Queen of Bohemia).  Our describer was Marion Cole, who reminded me that we had met before at the description of Ayuba Suleiman Diallo by William Hoare. (http://profwhitestick.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/stamp-collecting-connects-hoare-with.html)

This portrait of King James is rather motionless and illustrates the King’s show of power.  He is seated in his chair of estate and is in the dress of a Knight of the Garter with all the associated regalia.  Marion said that the pose resembled that of Pope Julius II and King James had maintained his position in the Church of England while setting in train a divine right theology which proved a disaster for his son Charles. 

 

Prof Whitestick by the portrait of King James I

National Portrait Gallery, London

The Garter star can just about be made out and the King is shown with the garter on his left leg.  King James is shown with almost platform shoes to increase his height appearance.  Marion described the portrait geometry with the colours of red and white dominating the king, and a blue frame of the inside lining of his Garter mantle. 

I asked about the rapier and it is described as jewelled.  Marion could not identify the clasp like object and I wondered if it could have been a dagger hilt.  We had a discussion about some diamond described as black.  A passing guide remarked that diamonds have no shining effect until the facets are cut, so this diamond may have been a precious stone left unset, though we wondered how a glittering diamond would have been portrayed. 

Currently the National Portrait Gallery has an exhibition on Prince Henry Stuart.  He is the sister of Elizabeth Stuart (I am photographed with the Robert Peake portrait of Elizabeth Stuart the Winter Queen of Bohemia).  Prince Henry died quite young and some treasures have been put together.  The exhibition is interesting as it reflects Jacobean history.  King James I/VI has a mixed reputation, the “Wisest fool in Christendom” springs to mind. 

27^th October

My visit to the Lost Prince exhibition is covered in a separate post relating to the exhibition itself with references to the portraits in the Stuart family both here in London and some of those from Scotland.  The link is:

http://profwhitestick.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/the-lost-prince-henry-stuart-national.html 

Hollywood Costume, Victoria and Albert Museum, London

7^th November 2012

This is a wonderful exhibition and hits the right spot on audio, music and simulated movie making.  The exhibition covers what it says “on the tin” how it works and what makes it work.  http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/exhibition-hollywood-costume/

I was part of a visually impaired group and we had early access to the exhibition.  We gathered in the Exhibition Road entrance and were welcomed by Barry Ginley and Suzana Skrbic with a team of volunteers.  The V&A has an excellent team of volunteers who will both guide, read labels and describe some items and engage in discourse. For this morning’s viewing, I was teamed up with Marcia Drury.  We also had the time of the assistant curator Keith Lodwick. 

The exhibition is divided into three sections and before we entered the show Keith explained the layout, what we could expect, how we could interact with some of the exhibits and how we would walk past an iconic showing of characters ending up with Judy Garland’s blue gingham outfit and ruby slippers. 

 

Photograph of Prof Whitestick next to poster for Hollywood Costumes

(This has Judy Garland in the blue gingham dress for The Wizard of Oz)

Novemeber 2012

 

The V&A has made so much accessible in pdf format on its webpage.  These are so accessible they opened and my screenreader read them out to me straight away.   The links to these pdf files are as follows:

http://media.vam.ac.uk/media/documents/Hollywood_Costume_-_Gallery_39_Panel_Text.pdf

http://media.vam.ac.uk/media/documents/Hollywood_Costume_-_North_Court_Panel_Text.pdf

http://media.vam.ac.uk/media/documents/Hollywood_Costume_-_Gallery_38_Panel_text.pdf

More information on the exhibition can be found on:

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/exhibition-hollywood-costume/about-the-exhibition/

I am afraid some jaws dropped when I said I had mixed drinks for Charlie Chaplin in 1972, had seen Marlene Dietrich at Edinburgh Airport in 1962 and that Glenda Jackson was my MP at Westminster.  

In the first room, there are a variety of iconic pieces and Keith spent some time discussing the detail of how the costume was designed in tandem with the script screenplay and director meetings.  Unlike a theatre costume, which is designed to be exhibited in 3-D, a Hollywood costume was designed from the outset to appear as a 2 dimensional image within film.  Keith also mentioned that at no time were performances of films silent.  In other words, silent movies always had music played in the background.  When talking movies came into production, costume designs had to be completely re-thought to take account of noises from the movement of the costume and likely interference from a microphone on the set. 

We discussed at length the dress of Scarlett O’Hara which had been made from old curtains.  Although we couldn’t see much of the dress – in my case only the silhouette – we enjoyed the discussion on about how the dress would have been made, the sewing techniques in the book and the fading of the dress itself, with the addition of parts of the curtains incorporated into the outfit.  I mentioned that the curtains theme may have been copied by The Sound of Music, where Julie Andrews kits the von Trapp clan in costumes made from curtains of the mansion.  (There is an interesting curtain transfer to a chintz dress in the EF Benson Miss Mapp, available on talking books.) 

Charlie Chaplin’s outfit was discussed - hence my remark above.  We then moved on to discuss the assembly of monarchs such as Queen Christina, played by Greta Garbo; various Queen Elisabeths, played by Bette Davis, Glenda Jackson and Judi Dench; Mary Queen of Scots was there as was Joe Fiennes’s costume from Shakespeare in Love. 

We also discussed Harrison Ford’s outfit in Indiana Jones and how the worn jacket and hat became part of the image of the character in the mind of the audience.  This is also a key part of the costume design in ensuring that the character is instantly recognisable wherever they appear in the film.  In the case of Harrison Ford, costumes had to be designed for both body doubles and stunt men with appropriate continuity of aging processes.  All these had to be factored into the planning of the costume with actors and directors as well as others involved in the production. 

We spent some time discussing the denim jeans used in Brokeback Mountain.  Rodeo competition cowboys wore Wranglers, while ranch hands wore Levis.  (I bought my first pair of Levis - costing £2 19s 11d in 1968 - and the fashion at the time was to ‘age’ them with the aid of bleach, including the use of either Vim or Ajax!)  Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proux is available on Talking Books; and Proux discusses life in Wyoming in great detail, including descriptions of the costumes of the time – though, of course, the transfer to film requires a visual content, rather than a descriptive one. 

At this point, we also discussed the contents of Meryl Streep’s handbag in her portrayal of Mrs Thatcher.  The contents of the handbags of Mrs Thatcher, the Queen and the late Princess Margaret were often ‘revealed’ in various satirical magazines.

For the next stage in the exhibition, we could wander around and ‘engage’ with a variety of stars by sitting in chairs within discussions.  There are many montages, audio clips and a commissioned set of interviews with Meryl Streep and Robert de Niro.  With Marcia’s help, I was able to negotiate the various exhibits and sit down in a script meeting. 

We then reassembled and had a walk through the final gallery with many of the heroines and villains on display with many costumes.  I haven’t been to the cinema since 2001, though have seen the odd DVD on a laptop.  I had seen quite a few of the films for which costumes were on show up to 2000, as I could remember many of the Hollywood classics which were broadcast on black and white television, then on colour and often on very long aeroplane journeys.  I had only seen The Last Emperor on a DVD in the 1990s and it was amazing to hear of the number of costumes which had been made for this production.  New techniques such as CGI have changed the material of the costume, though not necessarily the material culture. 

Among the memorable costumes on display include John Travolta’s white suit for Saturday Night Fever, Edith Head’s design for Ginger Rogers in Lady in the Dark and Meryl Streep’s Cruella de Vil costume, the two outfits for the two Hepburns – Audrey and Kathreen; Superman and Spiderman.  There was a large installation for Star Wars characters as well.  (I can still say I’ve never seen Star Wars!)

The early entry had allowed us to avoid an initial bottleneck in the first Act and we were able to stay a little ahead.  Susan helped me in the shop to find some postcards.  I considered briefly buying a Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones) hat but settled for a postcard of Dick Tracey’s hat.  Postcards bought are as follows:

Hat from the costume for Dick Tracy

Dick Tracy, 2007
Costume designer: Milena Canonero
The collection of Motion Picture Costume Design

Costume for The Tramp

Costume designer: Charles Chaplin
Charles Chaplin TM

Replica of Ruby Slippers

Victoria and Albert Museum

Green “Curtain” Dress

Gone with the Wind, 1939
Costume designer: Walter Plunkett
Dacid O. Selznicj Collection
Harry Ransom Humanities Research Centre
The University of Texas, Austin

Lighting Levels: I asked about the lighting levels in the exhibition and Keith said that they were at 50 lux. Care is taken to ensure that the fabric of the costumes is not faded further.  Lighting levels and large displays allow some tricks on the eye. There is a little rollercoaster effect on walking through from time to time.  I found this particularly enjoyable with my peripheral vision.

Madame Moitessier by Ingres: Art through Words National Gallery London

27^th October 2012

The subject of October’s Art through Words was the portrait of Madame Moitessier by Ingres.  Sara Dibb led the session assisted by Stephen Barrett.

 

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/calendar/art-through-words-27-october-2012

In January, Sara had drawn a perspective tactile diagram of Paris By Night by Pissarro and repeated the idea with a tactile reproduction of the painting of Madame Moitessier.  This seemed to be a little simpler and found total appreciation with all the visually impaired visitors for whom such large scale tactile representations are a new experience.  Some, like me, are familiar with the thermoform representations which are smaller and require some familiarisation with language of the senses in the artwork.    

 

Tactile reproduction of Ingres's portrait of Madame Moitessier

 

 

Sara introduced the painting with the reproduction and then introduced her tactile version.  Tracking the human body is familiar enough but Sara’s tactile version neatly illustrates the odd reflection in a mirror of the sitter.  (I was beginning to get the mirror touch or even mirror neurons references as a witty remark but kept quiet.)

Ingres had taken a long time to finish this picture and had run off another portrait in between.  The sitter has made an unusual gesture with her right hand in jabbing her pointing finger into her head, thumb hidden with remaining fingers pointing downwards.  One of us suggested that Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice) used this pose.  I tried to copy the gesture.  She is abslument couvert de beaucoup de bling!

Following an example of Empress Eugenie, the dress is of Lyons silk and has printed (not embroidered) patterns.  On the left there is one of those oriental fans (table tennis bats) which I noted in the paintings on show in the Impression Collection of Clark at the RA.  (http://profwhitestick.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/royal-academy-from-paris-taste-for.html)  The tactile diagram allowed us to follow the detail of the picture and we were able to locate the expanded pieces with references to “landmarks”

As well as describing the picture, Sara also told us about its history and how it came into the National Gallery by Sir Kenneth Clark (Civilisation) in 1936.   There is also an interesting story about the original frame for the picture which had become separated and later reunited when on show in the National Gallery.  The National Gallery is having a photographic exhibition and a similar pose of someone in a Mary Quant outfit is positioned next to the Ingres. 

Our walk through the gallery took us past the Turner Temeraire picture which I recognised, though on the way back to the Sainsbury Wing I thought I could detect a Cuyp landscape only for Stephen to say that it was by Claude. At least I was in the right region with an Italianate landscape. 

Sara had been wearing a printed top much in the fashion of Madame Moitessier.  I had been sitting next to Sara, but being polite had not commented on it until Sara slipped it into the discussion around the picture and photograph discussion. 

Many thanks to Sara for getting this tactile diagram prepared for us and to Stephen for assisting us through the busy galleries.

Postscript:

There are continued possibilities to study this picture in the comfort of one’s home.  A photo has been taken of the tactile diagram of the picture with the reproduction of the Ingres portrait.  I can be noted touching the reflection of the cheek of Madame.

 

 

Reflections on the cheek of Madame Moitessier

 

Shared Space- Exhibition Road and a Tale of Two Museums

*** update 7/11/12

On 7^th November 2012 I was photographed next to the shared space of Exhibition Road.  The timing of the picture was when no moving traffic was around in order that the paving layout could be shown in the photograph. 

 

Prof Whitestick by shared space on Exhibition Road

7 Novemeber 2012

Later, I had an opportunity to discuss this with someone from Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) who was on an exhibition stand at Sight Village in Kensington Town Hall.  We exchanged views and I know that at least one other visually impaired person (another cane user) has complained of the diagonal pattern on the shared space paving. 

I find that when crossing the Exhibition Road, my peripheral vision is ‘confused’ with the diverging white lines which drift into the extreme limits of my field of view.  This really clouds out any ability to detect moving traffic.  I don’t think this was fully appreciated by whoever designed this pattern for Exhibition Road. 

The person from RBKC said drivers of cars were forced to realise that they were no longer in a normal road environment with the appearance the white diagonal grids. 

I’m personally not convinced by this as many experiments are done on motorways with road markings in an effort to cut speed.  Drivers still exceed 90 mph on a 70 mph motorway.  I have no idea how rigorously drivers who use Exhibition Road stick to the speed limit.

I had a Twitter exchange with Alastair Somerville (@acuity_design) on this and it’s copied below. 

ProfWhitestick‏@ProfWhitestick

@acuity_design RBKC had a stand in #sightvillage so had a chance to exchange views on #sharedspace in Exhibition Road

Alastair Somerville  ‏@Acuity_Design

@ProfWhitestick anything about tactile info panel? We lost quite on 'urgent' work back in January

ProfWhitestick

@acuity_design No mention but another VI person with cane had complained of peripheral vision confusion with diagonal markings

Alastair Somerville 

‏.@ProfWhitestick good research on how bad an idea strong geometrical shapes on floor are for ppl with visual impairments.

ProfWhitestick

@acuity_design Apparently the patterns are to "confuse" the driver of car. a psychobabble experiment.

Alastair Somerville 

‏. @ProfWhitestick whole thing reminds me of Dazzle painting theory of ship camouflage. Which only worked if you didn't think about U Boats

Tracey Proudlock‏@TraceyProudlock

@Acuity_Design @profwhitestick Call me old fashioned, with their history I'd say it seems a bit tasteless to have RBKC at #sightvillage.

ProfWhitestick

@traceyproudlock @acuity_design I suppose they paid the exhibitor who paid the Town Hall "owner" Still they did ask me.

Alastair Somerville

@TraceyProudlock @profwhitestick well, it is their town hall but still ironic given the policy issues of Ex Rd.

*** end of upate


9 October 2012

Introduction

Shared Space is a concept where all traffic - vehicular, bicycles and pedestrians - is allowed to interact in one common shared space.  An example of this is Exhibition Road in London, an area frequently visited for the many fine museums.  Access is from South Kensington Underground and its connecting tunnels.  

I have heard a lot about shared space and have made inputs through the usual channels, as well as sharing comments through Twitter with other twitter contacts.  I can often be found exchanging tweets with @Acuity_Design and with @Pellegrino5.  I have also been in touch with James White from GuideDogs and some links are on this post.   I have described the journey through the tunnel to the Victoria and Albert Museum (http://profwhitestick.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/ceramic-tiles-yellow-stove-of-von.html).

My first experience of the shared space itself was when I walked along Exhibition Road and noted the corduroy tactile indicating the end of the pedestrian zone.  I walked so far up and passed the other V&A entrance and turned to face the road itself.  I could make out diagonal paving lines (presumably for decoration for those looking down from a ‘plane), which I found distracting and really did not know what to make of them at street level.  They could be misunderstood as a safe way to cross. 

 

 

View of shared space on Exhibition Road

South Kensington, London

7th Novemeber, 2012

Many of the pedestrians were too busy in groups and I waited for silence, relatively, from the road and stepped into the road.  I could make out cars, taxis and bikes travelling up and down.  I crossed the road, coming across parked cars and bike racks and walked back in the direction of South Kensington Tube Station.  I found the tunnel and passed a museum which I took to be the old geology museum and the corner of the Natural History Museum.  I had returned home by getting my bearings and sense of direction from the tunnel’s direction and then with the help of the London Underground.

 

After my visit to the V&A in October, I decided to explore Exhibition Road further and left the V&A in Cromwell Road and turned right, up Exhibition Road.  I noted the other entrance to the V&A and thought I could make out the courtyard where I had had a coffee.  I followed the pedestrian zone and felt a heavy studded tactile indicating a road at right angles.  I assumed this was a service road and crossed it, walking up Exhibition Road to where I thought the Science Museum was.  I crossed the road, took an obvious wrong turning (in retrospect and with hindsight- daft concepts for visually impaired!) and entered a building which was in fact Imperial College. 

They were kind enough to tell me where the Science Museum was and I crossed another service road, studded tactiles, and thought I could make out a tunnel entrance.  At this point a teacher leading a group of schoolchildren shouted to her charges “Careful, there is a blind man here!”  I  asked if she knew where the entrance was and she replied that I was at the Science Museum Staff Entrance and that the entrance was “round the corner”. Again, with hindsight, she really meant that the entrance for school groups was round the corner but I went past this and again ended up in another part of Imperial College.   

I was told to go back and turn right at a statue (“you can’t miss it”) and the entrance was further down the road.  Funnily enough my knowledge of a piece of Tony Cragge sculpture stood me in good stead and I found the entrance to the Science Museum. 

On entering, I asked a guard for assistance and was taken to the information desk.  I asked what there was for a visually impaired visitor like me and was not impressed by what happened next.  (Again, with hindsight perhaps I should have informed them that I was coming and asked if they had special events.)  I stood my ground and insisted on speaking to someone. 

Other people were being given instructions for the Watson and Crick model of DNA and they hadn’t booked in advance. After lots of phone calls someone from “Front of House” came down to speak to me. I was told that I ought to have made prior arrangements and that I was engaging with a Front of house Staff team who “had not been trained in dealing with visually impaired people”. I was determined that I was not going to go away empty handed and insisted being taken to the Watson and Crick model and a MRI scanner.  This was duly done but, I felt, grudgingly.  Again, I was told to contact Nicola Dee prose (who was out at lunch).

I saw the DNA model and the object label was read to me. The MRI scanner was also done.  In passing some displays beside a car I asked what it was and found, to my delight, that it was a display about Perkins discovery of the synthesis of alizarin and other pigments, dyes and the founding of the modern organic chemical industry.   By now I was engaged with someone “who had not been trained” and also saw the Ripley Manuscript on Alchemy (it is shorter than Jack Kerouac manuscript of On the Road in the British Library- that is another story.) 

I was helped to find the accessible facilities and had a coffee and a muffin in the coffee shop.  As I made my way out, I was surprised to pass several audio sets or audiovisual displays – and puzzled that no one had thought to mention them to me.  An opportunity to engage further that day or even in the future was lost and I felt some sadness that such a science institution should be so Neanderthal in “handling” disability.  

What a disappointing visit and rather a disgrace to the Science and Technology Sector.  I first visited this museum in 1969, but it seems that in 2012 there was no enlightenment, no science, no wonder and no encouragement.  I did get a few contact names written down on a piece of paper which I have just located.  (They were put in the back pocket of my trousers and thus absent for a while.) I am sure I left my name and email address, but to date have heard nothing. 

Natural History Museum

 

I walked down the road towards the Tube station and decided to risk another museum.  This entrance was through a maze and a security guard, thinking he was being helpful, kept barking turn left when he meant his left, i.e. my right.  Worthy of an Inspector Clouseau!

I asked for assistance at the main desk and the person stood up and called for a staff member.  I was invited to sit for a few minutes and Frances appeared shortly after with a friendly greeting of “How much time have you got?”  I had never been here before, so I had a short introduction and I found myself wanting to see the dinosaurs.  Why not? 

Frances took me through the geology section and after I explained I had studied one year of geology, read out a few labels which sounded interesting.  We passed through an area with many tactile models known as Final Impressions and there are many objects to touch, not only for the visually impaired.  There are fossils and I told Frances of my childhood visit to the Royal Scottish Museum with a selection of ammonites.  Frances duly found some. 

In reaching the Central Hall, cathedral like, of the museum I could appreciate it from the inside.  In the 1970s I had driven past it at night when it was floodlit.  In the dinosaur area I was able to walk around and Frances said if the object was not behind glass it could usually be touched.  We clambered up the equivalent of a tree tops walkway and passed the model of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. 

On the way back for the main exit I asked to see their early hominids and was taken upstairs.  I was helped in the shop and given the times of audio visual shows.  If I had wanted they could take me on after such a show.  This approach is not spoon feeding but making an obvious link by the institution. Frances took me out to the Cromwell Road exit and indicated by instruction a ramp to the tunnel entrance.

Summary:

 

While I may have been hard on the Science Museum - it was lunchtime -it is still disappointing and I am not the only one to complain about it.  At a recent lecture in the Royal Society of Chemistry, Professor Colquhoun said that an original plant for low density polyethylene was in the Science Museum. Hmm.

With the Natural History Museum, I may have been lucky in the timing as it was around 3pm.  Since my visit I have heard that some complaints about access for visually impaired people had been made.

Regarding shared space:

The idea of crossing this road must put off many visually impaired visitors to some museums. An unintended consequence and what should all stake holders do?

James White of Guide Dogs has sent me links for the Exhibition Road and their campaign. 

More information on the Streets Ahead campaign can be found on:
http://www.guidedogs.org.uk/supportus/campaigns/streets-ahead/.

With regards to Exhibition Road, this news article gives a good overview:

http://www.guidedogs.org.uk/supportus/campaigns/streets-ahead/streets-ah
ead-news/green-party-mayoral-candidate-experiences-life-without-sight/

House of Lords, UK Parliament - Reception for VocalEyes

17^th October

I was invited by VocalEyes to a reception in the River Room of the House of Lords (The second chamber in the UK Parliament).  The River Room is part of the area of the Palace of Westminster with a connection to the House of Lords and the Lord Speaker. These apartments had reached some notoriety when under the control of Lord Irvine of Lairg, a former Lord Chancellor.  Lord Irvine had supervised the installation of some very expensive wallpaper in the River Room and which we were able to admire during the reception. 

Nowadays the holder of the Lord Chancellor is the head of the Justice Ministry and sits as a Cabinet Minister in the House of Commons.  The issue of “Lords Reform” is currently stuck in the stasis of the present coalition government and the membership is appointed (for life), with some residual aristocratic input of (blue blood) just under 100 being eligible for election from a pool of hereditaries. 

During the State Opening of Parliament the Queen arrives in her coach which enters via an opening of the Victoria Tower.  The Victoria Tower is at the opposite end of the Palace of Westminster from the Clock Tower and the famous bell, Big Ben.  I entered the Palace of Westminster through gate 10, which is Black Rod’s Pass Office.  Black Rod is always shown marching down the Lobby to the House of Commons where the door is slammed in his face.  This part of the building harks back to many customs and yes, anachronisms, in the constitution which has evolved.  I went through security and joined James White from Guide Dogs. 

James had just finished a gruelling 3 weeks at the political party organised conferences in England - someone has to do the lobbying.  We chatted about items of common interest such as their anti clutter campaign, noises for electric cars and shared space issues. We were soon joined by Toby Davey the deputy director of VocalEyes, our hosts for the evening.  I had met Toby at Sight Village last year and also a couple of times at the Wellcome Collection. (We are pictured in the Grand Staircase of the Wellcome Building - http://profwhitestick.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/wellcome-collectionbrainsthe-thing-is.html )

After a few more arrivals we were escorted through the courtyards inside the complex and entered the approach to the apartments.  We walked along the passage way within the Victoria Tower which can take a coach and horses in procession.  I was greeted by Marylou from VocalEyes and my name badge was pinned on.  We were led to a lift and escorted to the River Room by the verger of the chapel.  

We entered the River Room which is decorated by paintings and sculptures.  There is a view across the River Thames directly and with another window there is a view downstream of the Millenium Wheel.  I could make this out along with Westminster Bridge.  I touched a Nymph (made of marble) as Roz Chalmers described it. There is also a statue of Narcissus and Roz described him to me. 

 

Roz was scheduled to demonstrate audio description in practice to the guests, some peers, some funders (Arts Council of England), other museums with interests in audio description (The Imperial War Museum) and contributors to the London Beyond Sight project.  The room was filling up and the VocalEyes supporters were introduced to me by Roz and Louise Fryer, who quizzed me about my lunchtime talk at the Wellcome Collection on synesthesia.  (Louise is doing a PhD at Goldsmiths and was interested in mirror neurons)

We were served with drinks and canapés and I wore my new hat as my hands were full with cane and glass.  I prefer to stand at networking functions and if I did not know to whom I was talking, I simply asked.  I recognised some voices from the theatre so having met Andrew Holland a few times at the National Theatre, I could simply greet him on a prompt “it is Andrew”.  Context is everything and I recognised the voice of Shami Chakrabarti of Liberty, though I had to ask Julia Neuberger who she was again.  I knew I was speaking to a member of the House of Lords but which one? 

The speeches were started by Lord Harrison, who asked the Lord Speaker, Baroness d’Souza, to say a few words. Toby Davey then gave an eloquent speech on access to galleries, museums and heritage sites.  While access to some collections was excellent in some cases (Toby cited the Wellcome Collection as being an exemplar), others were sadly either inadequate or assumed something to touch was all that was required.  We have both had some instances of inappropriate action on someone seeing a person with an obvious sight disability. (In case you do not know me, I am not deaf and do not respond to hand waving or being told I can only be accommodated on the day for the visually impaired which I should have looked up on their website before risking life and limb to get there.) 

Roz Chalmers then described the skills of an audio describer by demonstrating these through an example, in this case by describing an object from the British Museum African collection.  The object label gave context but I had no idea what it looked like, let alone how it worked.  A playback with Louise Fryer made the object appear to me as a two headed dog with a carved fur effect etc.  

It was time to continue ‘working’ the River Room and I was soon talking to Judy Dixey, the executive director of VocalEyes.  Judy had promoted the concept of London Beyond Sight and I was aware of it through both twitter and my local visually impaired group.  For more details of London Beyond Sight go to

http://www.vocaleyes.co.uk/feedpage.asp?section=213&sectionTitle=London+Beyond+Sight

Next, I was introduced to Lord Harrison and Lord (Earl) Howe.  We were chatting about the Olympics and Paralympic legacy and like many disabled people I expressed the view that with huge funding and sponsorship, many disabled people can achieve their potential.  Unfortunately not all of us can run 100 metres.  I steered the conversation to the cultural Olympic legacy and audio description in particular and asked Lord Howe to describe his tie, which he did quite well. 

The introductions continued and I met Vidar Hjardeng who recently stepped down as the chair of VocalEyes.  Both Judy and Vidar can be heard on an audio CD about London beyond sight.  Soon it was time to go and Marylou escorted me back to Westminster Underground making sure I was on the correct platform. 

Some of the people I spoke to and was introduced to were as follows:

Shami Chakrabarti

Roz Chalmers
Neil Darlison from Arts Council England
Toby Davey, Deputy Director of VocalEyes
Judy Dixey
Michael Elwyn
Louise Fryer
Lord Harrison of Chester
Vidar Hjardeng
Lord Howe
Marcel Jenkins
Marylou Lousvet, Chair of VocalEyes
Julia Neuberger
James White of Guide Dogs
 
Many thanks to VocalEyes for adding me to their guest list.  I have since added two of the London Beyond Sight audio descriptions to my Waterloo Sunset post (http://profwhitestick.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/waterloo-sunset-london-terminus-with.html). Both audio and text files on the site are useful in adding that piece of appropriate description for many London landmarks.  Judy Dixey would like to extend the concept of London Beyond Sight to other geographic spots and I think personally some Science Beyond Sight should be within reach if enough enlightened people can be found to do it.