Ceramic Tiles: Yellow Stove of von Schroffenburg, V&A, London

My first visit to the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) had been delayed on account of my hip replacement surgery.  The V&A is located in the South Kensington area and faces Cromwell Road (main entrance) with a side entrance on Exhibition Road (Shared Space).  Having initially established email contact and being on the V&A mailing list by email, I had spoken with Suzana and we discussed programmes and the best way of getting to the museum.  There are several entrances to the museum and I have worked out 2 of them. 

On arrival at South Kensington Underground station, the staff asked me if I needed any help and I was taken to the tunnel entrance of the V&A.  The London Underground staff commented that they are used to helping visually impaired visitors through the maze of the tunnel system.  At the security entrance to the V&A the guard called for an escort for me and one arrived to guide me to the information desk. 

I discussed various areas of interest that I had and mentioned Renaissance Art and design.  David, one of their volunteers, took me round the new Medieval and Renaissance Galleries and we discussed Giambologna and Donatello sculpture in addition to some reliquaries.  David introduced me to several floors, and I then went to the gift shop and got a postcard.  I wandered around and got more directions to the main bookshop and was helped in some book ideas for follow up.

My second visit was in following up some objects I had visited at the Royal Academy Bronze exhibition.  At the desk I was able to make enquiries about a ceramic tile touch tour I had booked and a workshop in ceramics for the visually impaired or (bps).  On this occasion Graham, another volunteer, searched some items in the database and took me round the smaller Renaissance bronze items such as door knockers (fascinating) and wrote down the relevant V&A numbers for pieces that I found particularly interesting, such as:

Thetis by Giovanni Bolgna – Museum No. 7628-1861

(http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O127796/thetis-fame-seated-female-figure-statuette-giambologna/)

Pacing Horse – Museum No. A148-1910

(http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O93539/a-pacing-horse-statuette-giambologna/)

The Chellini Madonna – Museum No. A1-1976

(http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O70184/the-virgin-and-child-with-roundel-donatello/)

Donatello Reliefs – Room 64a

(http://collections.vam.ac.uk/search/?listing_type=imagetext&offset=0&limit=15&narrow=1&extrasearch=&q=donatello+reliefs&commit=Search&quality=0&objectnamesearch=&placesearch=&after=&after-adbc=AD&before=&before-adbc=AD&namesearch=&materialsearch=&mnsearch=&locationsearch=).

(note: for screenreaders, the V&A references are quite long)

The Virgin and Child with four angels: The Chellini Madonna

by

Donatello

(gilded bronze, c1450)

Credit: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O70184/the-virgin-and-child-with-roundel-donatello/

There is a story attached to the Chellini Madonna which David had explained on my first visit and Graham found again for me.  There is a glass copy of this roundel which can be touched.  It seems like a very large glass ash-tray.  The reference number system works as the handwritten notes were deciphered by a sighted friend and the relevant pages were located on the museum’s website.  The story was indeed the one which I had been told.  In two visits, I’m beginning to understand both the museum system and how the website works. 

Graham is doing a course in Criminology at the Open University and as I had completed a level 3 course at the OU, we compared notes about lifelong learning and how good (and bad) some institutions could be. 

On this occasion I left by the Cromwell Road exit and turned left and got on a bus (it turned out to be a 74) which I took as far as Knightsbridge underground station and then took the tube to my next destination. 

On the 9^th of October I arrived very early for the ceramic tile touch tour and Merry Spence, another volunteer, checked my booking for the workshop and gave me the ticket then and there.  Merry took me to a sunny spot in a courtyard and I had a coffee.  She came back to pick me up and introduced me to Elizabeth Hamilton, our guide for the ceramic tiles. There were two attendees that I recognised as regulars from other events, while others were new “faces”. 

The tour started with some tiles from Spain illustrating the craftsmanship of tile decoration, clay handling and the pigment process (both reduction and oxidation kilns).  We came across some old friends such as Manganese Dioxide which is applied as a resist in painting the colours on to the biscuit before the final firing.  Tin glaze and Lead glaze were described and examples of crazing were found. 

We worked our way through tiles from Delft, London and Bristol and I asked if some of the tiles had been worked with a cartoon in mind, as the painting of each tile was so precise in assembling a grand array.  One of the tile assemblies resembled a Dutch painting of a ship by Willem van de Velde.  There was also a wash basin fitted out with ceramic tiles with niches. 

We gradually worked our way to the stoves on the upper floor and included a bottle green stove from Ravensburg in Germany and the Yellow stove of Josef Konrad von Schroffenburg taken from the Bishops Palace in Regensburg. 

Ravensburg stove

lead-glazed earthenware stove tiles

(c 1450, maker unknown)

 credit: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O88781/stove-unknown/

Yellow Stove of von Schroffenburg

credit: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O128912/stove/

These stoves stand around 3 metres high and we discussed how they worked, a mix of radiation of heat as well as some convection in the way the air flows have been built.  The Ravensburg item was much plainer than the Regensburg one, which was very highly decorated with mouldings of animals, heraldry, tassels.  Elizabeth described the stove from the top and we could touch the surface features according to our reach.

Elizabeth wrote down the museum reference and a sighted friend found the image of the stove.  (http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O128912/stove/)

Most of us climbed up the stairs but got the lift back down. 

Conclusion

This was a very informative tour of the museum ceramic tiles.  The group had previously covered Islamic tiles and the technology evolution neatly dovetails with my visiting the Wemyss ware workshop in Ceres in the summer as well as some ceramics in the Wallace Collection.  Another window into another subject. 

Many thanks to the V&A, their volunteers and the touch tour programme they have developed. 

Good Grief by Keith Waterhouse: Richmond Theatre

10^th October 2012

Having been to the Richmond Theatre a few times, I went on my own.  I am on their mailing and access lists and a handy review of their autumn season suggested a few plays  of interest.  It was a sunny day on the Wednesday so I headed for Richmond on the London Overground and tapped my way to the Richmond Theatre, by Richmond Green. 

Good Grief by Keith Waterhouse was playing starring Penelope Keith and I bought a ticket in the front row of the stalls (neck stretchers for the sighted), an ideal spot for listening and occasional glimpse of the actors.  The front-of-house staff were very attentive, and I was shown the accessible facilities and then taken to my seat.  During the interval, the ticket desk wrote down the names of the actors.

There are only four speaking roles, that of June a recently widowed person coping with bereavement.  Her stepdaughter Pauline, a man (Douglas) who bought her late husband’s checked suit from an Oxfam shop and her husband’s colleague, Eric, who did not get the plum job at the newspaper. 

Memorial Service music plays in the background and as the lights dim and Parry’s “I was glad” strikes up (why?), the play starts.  June (Penelope Keith) has a one way conversation with Sam her dead husband while continuing to have dialogue with the other 3 characters.  

There are frequent scene changes which are cued with lighting, music and appropriate noises.  The scenes are mainly in June’s house and in the pub, where she orders pale ale.  Themes such as betrayal, self deception and adjusting to widowhood are littered with some comic scenes. 

I got lost at the end of the first act and asked my neighbour what happened.  I think that was the only occasion and if you go - it was Pauline who rang the bell and Douglas was on the stairs as the curtain came down. 

Those who like Penelope Keith in classy Surbiton roles may be disappointed as Ms Keith plays Northern English, the others being Home Counties.  It is funny though a bit clunky at times and I am not sure that all the monologue/dialogues were timed to perfection.  My neighbour described the end of the first half as a denouement or cliff hanger.  I am not sure but thought the meta-theatrical bit was good, at the end!

This play could be written for radio and I followed it with only the one question, which, by the way, was not really a cliff hanger.  It was enjoyable and may tighten up on tour. I laughed at the same time as the rest of the audience which means the play does not rely on too many visual cues. The music cues were varied and the scene changes appeared to be obvious enough. A knowledge of Fleet Street and references to El Vinos should be familiar enough to anyone with some awareness of journalism and the running of a newspaper title. 

The cast is:

Penelope Keith – June Pepper
Flora Montgomery - Pauline
Jonathon Firth - Eric
Christopher Ravenscroft – The Suit

Producer Theatre Royal Bath Productions.

Director Tom Littler.
 
The production is on tour at the following locations:

Mon, 15th October 2012 to Sat, 20th October 2012
Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury

Mon, 22nd October 2012 to Sat, 27th October 2012
Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham

Mon, 29th October 2012 to Sat, 3rd November 2012
Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford

Mon, 5th November 2012 to Sat, 10th November 2012
Arts Theatre, Cambridge

Mon, 12th November 2012 to Sat, 17th November 2012
Malvern Theatres, Malvern

(Source: http://www.uktw.co.uk/Tour/Play/Good-Grief/T0142180003/)

London’s Whitechapel Gallery: Giuseppe Penone and Maurizio Cattelan Exhibitions

2^nd October 2012

At one of my local visually impaired groups we had a speaker from the Whitechapel Gallery.  I had not been to this gallery since I lost my sight, but remember visiting the area in the 1970s and 1980s. 

The gallery itself has been a showcase of culture reflecting the many changes in the population.  With the closing of a library, the Whitechapel Gallery took over the premises and was completely remodelled and fitted into exhibition spaces for large works, smaller installations and an archive of the gallery itself.

Sarah Barrett had presented the gallery to our local group and I made a mental note of dropping in.  Some of our members remember workshops in the past and another has attended audio descriptions arranged for the visually impaired community.  It had been suggested that the Whitechapel Gallery could make an audio CD with items of interest.  Sarah has done this.

My visit was done totally on a whim and on arrival at the nearest London Underground station (Aldgate East), I was given directions at the exit by the staff, who know where it is (next door- if you take the correct exit)

I was greeted on arrival and though I asked for Sarah by name the staff I spoke to were very much aware of the visually impaired community.  I met Sarah who gave me an audio CD with the October to December programme and we made a tour of the building with the permanent collection, long term exhibition and smaller scale shows.  The gallery was mid show and news of their programme can be found on http://www.whitechapelgallery.org/

Giuseppe Penone:

The following text has been written by me with the inclusion of some of the press release technical details of the bronze sculpture of Penone.  Sarah and Daisy Malabar sent me those details with a selection of images from which I have chosen two of the bronze tree.   

 

Spazio di Luce

(Space of Light) (2012)

 

Credit for both images:

The Bloomberg Commission: Giuseppe Penone
Whitechapel Gallery
Installation View
Photo: David Parry / PA Wire

I found the work fascinating in that I could touch it, put my head in it and make a sound.  Visitors are encouraged to touch the object and with yet another bronze object under my belt I was beginning to understand the process after the Royal Academy’s Bronze show with the information on the Lost Wax casting process. 

Information from the Whitechapel Gallery:

“Over the past 45 years, Italian artist Giuseppe Penone has examined the relationship to nature. For the latest Bloomberg Commission, the Whitechapel Gallery has a twelve metre bronze cast of a tree, with a radiant gold-leaf interior, which spreads across the columned gallery. 

The tree is carefully balanced on its branches and divided into sections to allow

visitors to move between the separate elements. The work contrasts with the
urban environment surrounding the Gallery, highlighting hidden nature within the
city. It also references the Whitechapel Gallery’s Arts and Crafts architecture
which features the Tree of Life motif on its façade. The installation is accompanied
by a year-long programme of talks and events exploring the rich relationship
between nature and the city.

Giuseppe Penone (b.1947) became the youngest artist to be admitted to the

legendary Arte Povera group, an Italian movement coined by curator Germano
Celant in 1967.” 

(My visit to the Boetti exhibition can be found on

http://profwhitestick.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/tate-modernboetti-and-kusama.html
Boetti refused to join the Arté Povera group and set up another grouping)

“Inspired by the radical politics of the late 1960s, these artists

challenged the conventions of sculpture, often using everyday materials.  

This new site-specific work for The Bloomberg Commission, Spazio di Luce

(Space of Light) (2012), is made using the ancient technique of Lost Wax
casting and the interior and exterior of the tree are deliberately reversed.
Reflecting Penone’s interest in how we relate to the natural world by touch,
the bronze exterior registers thousands of finger prints left by the foundry
workers who covered the original tree in wax as part of the casting process.
The inside of the sculpture is layered in gold leaf, creating a glowing contrast
to the dark patina which assimilates the appearance of tree bark. A second
sculpture Essere Fiume (Being River) (1998) also is on display and I could touch this work consisting of an original stone shaped by the flow of a river in Tuscany and a
sculpture of the stone, hand carved by Penone to mimic the original.” 

After inspecting this and the bronze work, Sarah and I climbed the stairs where there is a display of Aspen magazines.  This includes works by Yoko Ono, Warhol and Lou Reed among others.  I mentioned to Sarah that I had been to the Dieter Roth Diaries on show at the Fruitmarket in Edinburgh. Sarah briefly described some of the items in the showcase.  We discussed Fluxus.  We moved into a changing space for selected works from private collections, in this case another Italian artist,  Maurizio Cattelan.

An introduction to this changing space is made below.  I was attracted by the rug on the exhibition floor.  It has the look of a packaging of cheese from Bel Paese.  I recognised the map of Italy (Boot shaped), kicking little Sicily into the sea.  The colours are vibrant and reminded me of Italian painter Severini, who painted a Quaker Oats packet (on show in Estorick Collection - http://profwhitestick.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/estorick-collection-of-modern-italian.html )

 

Il Bel Paese

 

Credit for image:

Maurizio Cattelan

Il Bel Paese
1995
Wool carpet
Diameter 320 cm
Courtesy Collezione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo
 
Another small installation involved a small squirrel and Sarah described it as it was too small for me to make out.  A large cubic metre bag of masonry rubble was on show and I could touch that.  Another Cattelan piece is a set of clothes in a body shape hanging from a rack and there is a play on Catttelan with a sign in neon which I could just about make out.  The letter t has been written 3 times in the shape of a cross.

The following is from a press release by the Whitechapel Gallery:

Collection  Sandretto Re Rebaudengo: Maurizio Cattelan

25 September – 2 December 2012
Gallery 7

Since the 1990s Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo has collected contemporary

art. One of the most important private collections in Europe, it includes leading
international artists such as Doug Aitken, Jake & Dinos Chapman, Thomas
Demand, Damien Hirst, Paul McCarthy, Reinhard Mucha, Sarah Lucas, Paola
Pivi, Anish Kapoor and Mike Kelley. A series of four displays at the Whitechapel
Gallery over one year will show highlights from the collection and draw on 
its themes.

Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan is often known as the art world’s joker, using

what seem to be stunts to address universal themes including  power, death
and authority.  His memorable sculptures  include Pope John Paul II struck
down by a meteorite, his staging an exhibition of a ‘back soon’ sign on the door
of an empty gallery or reporting a robbery of an ‘invisible exhibition’ to Italian
police. His work often blurs the line between art and reality to provoke reaction. 

The display offers an opportunity to experience some of Cattelan’s intimate earlier works.

Highlights include a sculptural installation featuring a stuffed squirrel which

has shot itself at the kitchen table, titled Bidibidobidiboo (1996).  Titled after
the fairy godmother’s song in Cindarella, it caricatures the idea of childhood
innocence. In another sculpture the emblem of the 1970s terrorist group
Brigate Rosse is turned into a neon Christmas greeting by Cattelan, while in Il
Bel Paese (1995) a cheese naming Italy as ‘a beautiful country’ becomes a rug
on which to walk. The idea of art potentially reforming society becomes the
butt of Cattelan’s joke, when he makes an effigy of himself dressed in iconic
artist Joseph Beuys trademark grey felt suit, hanging by the neck from a
clothes rack."

Conclusion

A very enjoyable visit with a lot to explore on both a drop-in basis or by arrangement.  I have included the notes from the gallery of the objects and would like to thank both Sarah and Daisy for encouraging visually impaired visitors to visit. 

A new show – Mel Bochner – has an audio description session on two dates.  These are of the same subject and more details can be found on the following links:

November audio description:

http://www.whitechapelgallery.org/shop/index.php/fuseaction/shop.product/product_id/1441?session_id=13498998230e4223c0a9a3f54a181560f5afc4777f

December audio description:

http://www.whitechapelgallery.org/shop/index.php/fuseaction/shop.product/product_id/1451?session_id=1349900053a5e582f19ee127d3c510cec6b4cfc38f

Last of the Haussmans by Stephen Beresford

6 October 2012 Lyttelton Theatre, London

This was a matinee performance with a touch tour beforehand.  The National Theatre sends an audio CD with notes on the play with descriptions of the set, the characters and their clothing. 

At around 12.45, we gathered in the foyer and were taken back stage in the Lyttelton Theatre.  Andrew Holland, one of the describers, with Tony McBride was there to explain the complex set which is a house on a revolving stage.  The revolve mechanism is sparingly used in this proscenium theatre though the set was open to view at all times. 

The house is in a state of dereliction with clutter gathered from the originally inherited property, along with trinkets, ephemera and junk associated with the 1960s.  We were invited to explore the set.  Two weeks ago, we had the thrill of being revolved on the Olivier set.  However, the set for the Last of the Haussmans has much tighter clearances and requires some nifty footwork on the part of the actors. 

I wandered around the stage and my cane picked up the cobbled terrace surface with moss, reminding me of monoblock driveways which are magnets for jet clean cowboy merchants.  Inside the house itself, I was in a dining area, then the sofa and coffee table room when I noticed an ashtray and dipped my finger in it.  Expecting some authentic National Theatre cigarette ash and a few stubs, I was surprised to feel a cool wet liquid.  Later on in the kitchen I was joined by David Milling, the stage manager, and we discussed props in the kitchen and I asked about the ashtray.  Back came the answer that it was KY Gel. 

David explained the significance of some of the props including the use of the loud hailer or megaphone to be used by Judy (Julie Walters).  Stephen Beresford had recalled an incident when boat trips approaching a relative’s would announce the appearance of some of the properties in view and the relative would pick up the megaphone and shout back.  I understand the feeling, having shouted back to the radio.   We continued to discuss theatre, audio description and how helpful these touch tours are to visually impaired people who can’t observe some actions on stage or indeed identify some characters. 

At this point we were joined by someone who introduced himself to me as Rory and I asked if he was Rory Kinnear, who plays Nick.  It was indeed Rory Kinnear and as the Haussmans is very much a product of the 1960s, I mentioned that his father, Roy Kinnear, had spoken at my school in Edinburgh around 1967.  Rory discussed his part in the play and some questions were asked about his costumes and how “filthy” they were in reality.   

Soon it was time to get our headsets from Reuben Lane who gave us directions in finding the correct door to get to our seats.  Large print copies of the cast list were also available.  The performance started at 14.15 and the audio description started about 20 minutes before with Reuben making a sound check. 

Characters in order of speaking

Libby – Helen McCrory

Nick – Rory Kinnear
Summer – Isabella Laughland
Judy – Julie Walters
Peter – Matthew Marsh
Daniel – Taron Egerton

Stage Manager – David Milling

The play follows in chronological stages, cued by lighting and revolutions of the set.  Themes of sibling rivalry are introduced by Libby and Nick and then the stroppy teenager enters.  The dialogue is current, though there are some references to certain British institutions such as the broadcasting Dimbleby.  Some knowledge of the geography of Plymouth and South Devon is useful as is the predilection of the British for the Donkey Sanctuary. 

This play could certainly transfer to The Hamptons, Hilton Head Island, Starnberger See or Lake Geneva.  The dialogue is slick and timing excellent.  The audio description is useful in getting some of the cues such as the lighting of a cigarette and the opening of an over shaken drinks can.

The programme notes are sparse apart from a timeline through the period from 1960 to 1978 and extracts from speeches or articles by characters then and later on such as Dominic Sandbrook, Arthur Marwick, Jenny Diski, Mrs Thatcher and Tony Blair.  The play evokes memories for those of a certain age now that the 1960s are being contextually analysed by talking heads.  Much of the experience of the 1960s has always been parodied by those who say that if you could remember the period then you did not live it.   I overheard some people behind me commenting on the aged hippy syndrome. 

National Theatre webpage for The Last of the Haussmans: http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/the-last-of-the-haussmans

There is an interesting video on YouTube of cast interviews as well as comments by the playwright Stephen Beresford.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=TdFcnQgYF3k&feature=endscreen

The play will be broadcast live to cinemas across the UK and internationally.  More information on dates and venues is available on:

http://microsites.nationaltheatre.org.uk/70220/productions/the-last-of-the-haussmans.html

Information on other NT productions to be broadcast can be found on:

http://microsites.nationaltheatre.org.uk/ntlive

There is also an interesting video on the NT website with Tony McBride talking about the process of audio describing a play:

http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/video/audio-description

More information on facilities at the NT for the visually impaired can be found on:

http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/access/facilities-for-visually-impaired-people

Waterloo Sunset: London Terminus with Hedda Gabler at The Old Vic, London

*** Update 22/10/2012

Two of the locations in this post are included in the recently launched project from VocalEyes known as London Beyond Sight.  This project has 40 landmarks in London described by an audio describer with input from the celebrity who has chosen an object or landmark.  In this case, Sir Derek Jacobi has chosen the Old Vic Theatre.  He can be heard talking about the Old Vic on:

http://www.vocaleyes.co.uk/feedpage.asp?itemid=862&itemTitle=Sir+Derek+Jacobi+on+The+Old+Vic+Theatre&section=213&sectionTitle=London+Beyond+Sight

The second landmark is Hungerford Bridge which has been renamed officially as The Golden Jubilee Bridge.  This bridge was chosen by Sophie Thompson and you can hear her talk about the bridge on:

http://www.vocaleyes.co.uk/feedpage.asp?itemid=906&itemTitle=Sophie+Thompson+on+The+Golden+Jubilee+Bridge&section=213&sectionTitle=London+Beyond+Sight

VocalEyes have also included text files in Word format with descriptions of the chosen landmarks.  These can be found on:

http://www.vocaleyes.co.uk/page.asp?section=212&sectionTitle=About+London+Beyond+Sight

*** end of update

 
1^st October 2012

This was pure whim.  I felt in need of some Scandinavian gloom and remembered that Hedda Gabler was on at the Old Vic. (http://www.oldvictheatre.com/hedda-gabler-2/)  I used to go to this theatre in the 1970s and can remember seeing Anthony Quayle and Timothy West on stage.  After losing my sight I tend to visit performances of plays I know or those which have a manageable cast.  

The plays of Ibsen fit this category and I have posted on A Doll’s House (http://profwhitestick.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/arcola-theatre-dolls-house-by-henrik.html) and Peer Gynt (http://profwhitestick.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/edinburgh-fringe-festival-reviews-2012.html)

I found the Old Vic and asked at the box office about arrangements for visually impaired people.  There is a programme for audio description but I thought I could manage Ibsen without.  I booked a ticket, 2^nd row in stalls for £21 and wandered along The Cut to the Young Vic crossing the road (tactile crossing).  Chekhov’s Three Sisters is playing at the Young Vic and I got details of the audio described performance and concessions for companion.  I then had about 90 minutes to kill so went on a reconnaissance visit to Waterloo Station and the link to Waterloo East. 

The concourse in Waterloo Terminus has been brightened up by a second level walkway linked by escalators.  This is a stockbroker belt commuter station and the retail outlets reflect the wallets and taste of this group. 

I was intrigued by some metal castings outside a branch of Joules, some kind of giant animal doorstops.  There seems to be a good selection of eateries and this gives the facility for sighted commuters who can note the platform changes on the screen. 

Waterloo has a Hampton Court End and a Reading End. On arrival take care as there usually used to be major gaps in the trains due to the layout of the tracks. Exits are to the South Bank and Underground connections with Northern, Bakerloo and Jubilee lines.  I can do the Jubilee line on my own both up and down but would ask for help with the others. (A very big thanks to Raj from the Jubilee line entrance for making a phone call for me when my voice activated mobile phone refused to work.)

From the upstairs level there is a footbridge (covered) to Waterloo East.  This is one stop from Charing Cross, another London Terminus.  There are ticket gates which a Freedom Pass will open.  At this point make sure a companion using an oyster card “touches” the correct yellow post.  The platforms are denoted by letters A, B, C and a platform guide asked me where I was going and said that platform C was better as the walk to the exit at Charing Cross was shorter. 

I then had my train trip across Hungerford Bridge to Charing Cross.  I retraced my path via the Embankment to the pedestrian walkway on Hungerford Bridge and walked past the Royal Festival Hall and with only one road to cross, in the lee of commuters managed to follow the rail bridges and arches to the Waterloo Stations and back to the Old Vic.  It had been a gloomy day and the sunset was not apparent though the Kinks song lingered around in my head.

Hedda Gabler

On arrival I was greeted by front of house staff who indicated the accessible facilities (restrooms).  As I was seated in row B, we walked along the front of the stalls and the set was described briefly.  The seating is ideal for me as my peripheral vision is suited to being so near.  These seats are above the orchestral pit in the theatre.  Turning to face the circle and the gallery, the scene was described to me.  I was then taken to my seat. 

I knew about this play having studied it and listened to it on a Talking Book.  I thought it strange that there were so many laughs.  Having studied Hedda Gabler at school (aged 15) I can’t remember the laughs. Our English teacher had a Danish wife so that may have enthused his teaching.  There was quite a large “Scandinavian” percentage in the audience. 

During the break one of the ushers asked me how I was getting on. I said that I had managed fine and that the back story and actions seemed to be described.  I had got confused by the similarity of the actor playing George Tesman and the actor playing Eilert Lovborg.  It turned out that the understudy for George was playing that night. The usher told me where the ice cream sellers and bars were and the length of the interval. 

The second half proved to be a laugh a minute and though some of the acting was hammy it was enjoyable enough.  At some point Hedda (played by Sheridan Smith) burns a handwritten manuscript and I wondered how this was going to be done. Hedda moves with the manuscript from stage left to the stove on stage right and says more or less “I am burning this book in the stove”.  With lines like this, there is not much need for an audio description.

The characters seemed to be fairly one dimensional, though the malevolence of Judge Brack occasionally shines through his jokey persona.  The role of Thea Elvsted was also interesting in being more nuanced as the play progressed.  The role of Georgie (George Tesman) is usually fairly soppy and this was well played by the understudy (Christopher Jordan).  I could not, however, get 2 other characters out of my mind in the writing.  Auntie Mame (currently in my Daisy player) and the EF Benson character Georgie Pillson. 

That said, the role of Hedda was well played by Sheridan Smith. It was a very detached portrayal.  She only lives for the role of Dionysus or Bacchus to release her (with vine leaves in his hair).  The writer had failed to shoot himself in the temple, so she has to shoot herself in the correct way.    Timing is everything and as the judge was listing his “being the only rooster in the yard…”  I waited for the bang and jumped out of my seat!

On the way back to Waterloo station I was befriended by a couple on their way to the station and they asked me what I thought.  They said that the play had been adapted by Brian Friel.  It was certainly funny in parts and very entertaining though the darkness of the play seemed to be absent.  Most of the time.

Many thanks to the staff at The Old Vic for being so attentive.  Thanks also to staff at Waterloo station.

Information on audio described performances at The Old Vic can be found on: http://www.oldvictheatre.com/access/  There is an audio described performance of Hedda Gabler on 6 November, with a touch tour at 6 pm.

Also, at the Young Vic there is an audio described performance of Chekhov’s Three Sisiters on Wednesday 10^th October at 7:30 pm.  (http://www.youngvic.org/whats-on/three-sisters)

Veronese: The Rape of Europa : Art through Words - National Gallery, London

29^th September, 2012

After my summer break, I went to the Saturday morning Art Through Words in the National Gallery. These are held at 11.30 and we meet in the Sainsbury Wing at the Information Desk.

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/calendar/art-through-words-29-september-2012

I find it easier now to use the London Underground as the Trafalgar Square exit from Charing Cross has been reopened.  Walking through Trafalgar Square allows traffic free access to both the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. 

Three of the usual attendees were already there and we chatted about other events.   I was soon greeted by Marian whom I had met at a Wallace Collection workshop.  Marian is from the West Midlands and is visually impaired.  Marian also volunteers at the Barber Institute in Birmingham.  (They have a nice collection of Flemish and Dutch Paintings which I am keen to visit.)

Soon afterwards we met our describers for the session, Viyki Turnbull and Clare Coope.  Viyki had described the Corot “Peasants under the Trees at Dawn” (http://profwhitestick.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/corot-peasants-under-trees-at-dawn.html) and as an artist has a mine of practical tips. 

Viyki started by reading an extract from the poem by Ovid in his Metamorphosis series.  The story of the abduction, seduction or rape of Europa by Jupiter transformed into a calf like bull set the story.  Viyki briefly explained the narrative aspects of the picture.  Europa is seen being laid on the back of a bull, then is shown astride the bull moving towards the sea on the shore of Sidon and finally they are in the sea.  (I did not say this, but Debussy La Mer and the sequence from Shirley Valentine came into mind!)

Viyki then described the painting, starting from the top right hand corner.  The picture can be found on the link below.

The Rape of Europa by Paolo Veronese (about 1570) - http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/paolo-veronese-the-rape-of-europa

We were working in the quiet of a study room with an almost full size reproduction.   The main action is the hoisting of Europa by two of her attendants in what Viyki described as a fireman’s lift.  Europa is then on the back of the bull and her right leg is raised and angled. 

The angles and lines associated with each character with a line of gaze was described.  Aspects of clothing were discussed and how Veronese had painted them.  The bull was described as crouched down and turning his face towards Europa, he started to lick her feet.  Images of Sarah Ferguson and other habits were hinted by some.  I asked if the bull had had his horns gilded. (In the Odyssey Homer describes the scene with Telemachus at the court of Nestor in Pylos with Pisistratus  at a banquet in which slaughter is made of a white, unblemished calf whose horns had been gilded prior to slaughter.)  This Veronese bull was certainly garlanded but we were not sure about the golden horns.  A zoom copy of the central characters was then given to each of us. 

These blow ups allow much more access to some of the detail and I could make out some of the facial expressions of Europa and one of the handmaidens.  In fact, the handmaiden reminded me of one of the nurses lifting a patient with a hip replacement!

Someone asked if Europa was wearing earrings.  The answer was in the negative.  Then the statement was made that this Europa was no allusion to a saint.  I did not know that saints did not wear earrings. 

At this point a large copy of Guido Reni’s painting of the Rape of Europa was passed round.  This appeared to be a bit more saintly as this woman was not wearing earrings. 

The Rape of Europa by Guido Reni (1637-9)- http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/guido-reni-the-rape-of-europa

Next it was time to visit the Veronese painting in the gallery.  In Art through Words we are invited to say our names and say how far we have come.  We had two sighted visitors, Margherita Mazzoni and Dr Gianetta Corley (also known as Barbara), Cathedral Guide at St Paul’s Cathedral, who joined us as we went to view the original painting. 

The copy we had studied gave us a good idea of the original but it always amazes me how much more one thinks one sees when gazing at the real thing.  There are 2 small paintings below the Veronese and the picture labels were read out to me. 

Adjacent to the Veronese was something familiar.  To the left is a very large Titian.  The Diana and Callisto and Diana and Acteon have been moved from the Titian 2012 Metamorphosis exhibition and now face each other. I checked with Clare if this was the case and we discussed the Metamorphosis show.  I had enjoyed the complementary works, some more than others. 

At the end Viyki offered to take us to another point in the gallery or the exit.  Marian had come to London to view the Bronze exhibition so I navigated the way to the RA where I made my second visit.

These Art through Words sessions allow peaceful study of a painting followed by a trip through the gallery.  The social aspect is also important as we visually impaired people are also seen in the gallery. 

The next Art through Words is on 27^th October at 11:30.  More details can be found on:

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

West African copper alloy technology: Wellcome Collection, London

 

23 September, 2012

 

For a trial period, the Wellcome Collection series The thing is … is being held on a Sunday afternoon at 3 PM.  A sneak peak at a mystery object with a tour of associated items within the Wellcome Collection is provided for the visually impaired.  For further details of this series, read on ... 

 
An Edinburgh friend accompanied me, and Catherine Walker showed us some examples of Yoruba art and objects.  We then had a preview of a copper alloy anklet which was to be discussed and were introduced to Steve Martin, a historian, writer and journalist and who was going to present the talk at 3 o’clock.   

I mentioned to Steve that I had been to the Bronze exhibition at the Royal Academy, where there were many objects from the Ife and Benin cultures.  Steve didn’t want to give too much away about the mystery objects in advance of his talk, but we had an interesting discussion about metallurgy in both West Africa and East Africa, where there have been some interesting findings regarding iron and steel production in Tanzania. 

The object itself is an anklet and has a diameter of about the size of a 12 inch LP, with a depth of about 2 inches.  An image of the object is below

 

 

Nigerian copper alloy anklet
Credit: Wellcome Collection, London


 

 

Steve was joined by Timandra Harkness, a writer and presenter.  The format is similar to the series with Quentin Cooper, with many fewer puns and though less inquisitorial, was possibly more discursive. 

The metal industry in West Africa has often had the tag diffusion attached to it.  There is always an assumption that indigenous African metal working was really a result of foreign introduction, whether from North Africa or Europe.  While many of the bronzes and Ife and Benin could be based on imported copper alloys, discoveries of the area to the east of the River Niger, i.e. south-eastern Nigeria, has shown the Igbo- Ukwu culture capable of producing bronze from local raw materials.  Apparently, there are tin deposits in the area of Joss, so a copper-tin i.e. classical bronze was made.

Traders from Europe, starting with the Portuguese, found that a money based system of ‘manilla’ could be developed.  The local Africans would use these as currencies among themselves, and these manillas were to become the trading system of much of the slave trade which was later developed by the north Europeans.  Manilla production went into serious industrialisation in first the Low Countries, then England, with Bristol and latterly Birmingham being the main source of copper alloys.  This was a shift to copper and zinc – a classic brass. 

Manillas, thus, were exported to West Africa, exchanged for slaves who worked the sugar plantations in the West Indies or the cotton plantations in the USA, with the commodities returning to western Europe.  October is Black History month and provides an opportunity for reflecting on the part base metal bashing played in part of the trade routes in the past. 

The role of the anklet viewed above was described by Steve, though whether this is a form of ornament or female enslavement within a community is debatable.  I’ve checked out a few blogs and while some proclaim that these anklets were a symbol of male dominance over the females, others appear to be more apologetic saying that ‘women liked to develop an attractive gait’.  This is a question beyond my pay grade, given my replacement hip joint (steel/ceramic) !

Steve mentioned the term ‘adala’ and the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford has examples of these: http://web.prm.ox.ac.uk/bodyarts/index.php/permanent-body-arts/reshaping-and-piercing/165-brass-anklets.html . 

Within the Wellcome Collection there is another spiral anklet which encompasses virtually the whole leg as far as the lower thigh and an image of this can be found on the Wellcome Image website, from which the image below has been taken:

 

Copper anklet, Ibo people, Nigeria 1880 - 1930
Credit: Wellcome Library, London  

Conclusion

I found this a very stimulating object and talk and it neatly fits in with the Wellcome Elements series which covered gold, silver and bronze.  It also links in well with the precious metal - base metal combination raised in the recent Noble Art of the Sword exhibition at the Wallace Collection.  I attended a Study Day at the Wallace which included discussion of West  African iron production in a bloomery, with a funnel system to increase the air-flow and provide higher temperatures for iron smelting.  The current Bronze exhibition at the Royal Academy has many fine examples of West African bronze/brass work. 

I have also visited the British Museum to ‘see’ for myself the Benin bronzes in the collection on display.  The Benin bronzes were taken as booty in 1897 and examples of manillas can also be found in the British Museum. 

Little work has been done on checking the metal content of some of the alloys.  It should be easier to check copper alloys in a non-destructive way, unlike steel. 

The next talk in The Thing Is ... series is on 14th October. More information is available on:  http://www.wellcomecollection.org/whats-on/events/the-thing-is-mad-dogs-bite.aspx

To book a place or for more information, you can email access@wellcomecollection.org or call 020 7611 2222.