Before I thought it would be really easy, however when in London, looking for a certain inspiration sources, I figured out it was harder then I thought.

Why, you might ask?

London is a city that is inspiring in so many different ways, that finding only one inspiring thing is not something you just do, because inspiration has many shapes and sizes, meaning it could either be places, faces and spaces.

So after taking hundreds of images of all the things that inspired me and looking through them, I could not decide what was most inspiring to me.

So I have decided to mention ALL of the things, places etc. that I found inspiring.

The Tate Modern, Victoria and Albert Museum and the Design Museum 

Entering a big places like The Tate Modern, Victoria and Albert Museum and the Design Museum, you almost always end up looking at a lot of art that you don´t understand and really don´t like. However amongst those pieces there will ALWAYS be that one thing that evokes some certain feeling in your brain. Here are some images of those things, that gave me goosebumps.

The London Film Museum

I love movies and especially old movies, so when entering the London Film Museum i fell in love. I felt like I could have stayed their forever. Some of the things that I really liked, where the old ways of creating movies and this museum focussed on all the movies that I simply LOVE.

Street art

Something that surprise my a lot, was the street art tour. I went in thinking; “let´s just get over with it” and ended up thinking; “give me more”. The tour was centered around the east-end of London and I loved the dodgy neighborhood and the authentic people walking around and greeting each other, as though they have known each other forever.

Street walk

London is a city consisting of a lot of different people, alone the tube is a documentation of that. By that I mean, there are people dressed in suits heading for work, sitting next to drunks, who can barely afford taking the tube.

The streets of London are pretty similar to the image you get from the people in the tube and one place that I really liked was the path following the themes, where you pass the London Eye, The Shakespear´s Globe and end up at the Tower Bridge. The reason for this, is that even though you pass those three monumental sights, between them you have quirky stores smelling of India and street performers trying their best to convince you to spent a pound or two on them.

All in all, I find London an AHHH-mahhh-ZING city, with lots of possibility of exploring, even the places that are not that common to visit for a turist, e.g. the east end with all the perfectly executed street art. Often you find the best inspiration, in the most unlikely places.

The following video is a video filled with clips of even more inspirational faces, places and spaces.

     Trees were swaying in the heavy rain and the strong wind. I was having breakfast at the hotel, looking out of the window. Has my luck run out finally? I had not needed to use an umbrella until the previous day since I arrived at London on March 18 in spite of the chance of precipitation being more than 90 % during the week. (The former episodes on my trip are here: My Travel in London 1, My Travel in London 2, My Travel in London 3, My Travel in London 4, My Travel in London 5, My Travel in London 6, My Travel in London 7, My Travel in London 8, and My Travel in London 9) That was my last morning in London. I was supposed to leave for Japan that evening on March 22. The weather forecaster was warning of the worsening weather repeatedly on TV on the wall.

     After finishing my last breakfast at the hotel, I dragged myself back to my room to do my packing. I had nearly four hours until the check-out. I did not want to hang around in the heavy rain, but I decided to go out. I wanted to shop in a local supermarket. I would be able to come back to my room and to put the things I bought in the store in my pack in four hours.

     My luck was still lasting! Amazingly, it was just drizzling when I went out. It was only necessary to pull up the hood of my jacket. Before going shopping, I decided to drop by an old house of George Orwell, the author famous for Animal Farm and 1984. I walked to West Brompton Station and took the underground to Notting Hill Gate. Nathan, an English teacher in Japan, had mentioned the place before I left Japan. Notting Hill Gate is just the third station from West Brompton.

     It was snowing when I came out from the North Exit of Notting Hill Gate Station. But it was not so bad. I pulled over the hood and began walking in the powdery snow. I walked along Pembridge Road and then turned left at the second corner to Portbello Road. Then soon I found on the right side the round-shaped blue plaque, which is a historical marker set up at the places of famous people in U.K. Young George Orwell lived there in 1927 after coming back from Burma to become a writer after resigning as an officer of the Indian Imperial Police.

     I was able to locate the old house easily but I could not find “The Travel Book Shop” or “The Blue Door” eventually because I had not researched beforehand. But I was happy to be in Notting Hill as if I were in a filmic scene. All of the shops and most of the stalls had not opened yet. I walked back to the tube station.

     I got off the underground at Gloucester Road station. It had stopped raining and snowing. I walked toward the north and turned left at the first crossing. It was about a 10-minute walk along Cromwell Road to Sainsbury’s, the supermarket. When I was browsing through the shop, an elderly woman spoke to me, “Excuse me, but could you read this for me? I forgot my glasses!” She pointed at the bottom of a box of tea.

“Um…it says 10 sachets.”  

“10 sachets?”

“Yes, 10 sachets.”

“Oh, thank you very much.”

“You’re welcome.”

     It was just a small interaction, but I was happy because it was my first time to communicate with a local person apart from clerks in London. I enjoyed the slow and peaceful atmosphere in the store on a weekday morning. I bought some snacks, sweets, and bread there, and went back to my hotel.

     When I turned on the TV, a reporter was talking about the terrible snow storm in the northern part of U.K. I worried about Yuko, who was going to Wales that day, and was about to text her, when I noticed a message from her had arrived in my phone. She was concerned about my condition and prayed for my safe return. Yes, I had to leave this room. I also wished her a safe and enjoyable trip, and then hoisted my pack with lots of souvenirs. Ugh! Heavy!

     After checking out, I asked a clerk to keep my baggage for a while. It was only at 10:30. My travel agent was supposed to pick me up at 5:00. I had much time left. I went to West Brompton Station again and took the underground to South Kensington Station. Walking through the underground passage, I entered the Victoria and Albert Museum.

     More than 100 people were queuing inside. I wondered what exhibit was ahead. I passed them walking along the line and went to the room. It was an exhibition of David Bowie! Unfortunately it would start next day. Those people were supporting members of the museum and were able to see the exhibition the previous day. I might be able to see it if I became a member on the spot. But I would have to wait in the line for more than two hours. So, I gave up seeing David Bowie’s costumes, and went to see other treasures.

     Ah…I should have decided what to see ahead…I got tired soon because I walked around at random. Actually, I had already been exhausted before coming to the museum. I had been occupying a bench before one of Raphael’s big paintings for a long time, but I was not only appreciating it but also having a rest. Raphael’s works were indeed therapeutic, but not enough for me. So, I went to the café on the ground floor.

     Wow! There were many kinds of food, sweets, and drinks in the cafe! It was around 11:30. Many people were enjoying their breakfast, brunch, or lunch. I decided to have early lunch there. I ordered smoke salmon and cream cheese sandwiches. The clerk asked me smilingly, “Would you like salad?” So, I replied, “Oh, yes. Well…some green salad and that carrot’s one, please.” Then I was very surprised at the amounts of the salads she served. In addition, I was astonished at the weight when I received the tray from her. I wobbled to an empty table.

     The sandwiches and the salads were excellent! If I had a much bigger stomach, I could eat them up…I enjoyed my lunch, reading a book. I had dropped by a book shop in the museum before coming to the café and had bought a copy of Walk London. It is a guide book for walking tours with beautiful illustrated maps. It may sound strange to buy a travel guide book several hours before leaving the place. But I had sworn to myself to come back to London! So, I was planning my next visit…

     Actually it is tiring to keep sitting at the same place for a long time. So, I explored in the museum again, and then went out for some fresh air. It had completely stopped raining and snowing. I decided to go to see Royal Albert Hall and Kensington Palace. I walked on Exhibition Road and came to Kensington Road, when I felt really exhausted. I did not have that stamina to keep walking. So, I turned back and went to the Science Museum, across from the Victoria and Albert Museum. It was not for seeing the exhibits, but for taking a rest at a café.

     The Science Museum was filled with little kids! More than 100 pupils were lining up to buy souvenirs at the shop. They were holding something small such as erasers and excited. How noisy! And how cute! I got a pot of tea and was seated against the wall on the first floor. I was able to see the ground floor because the walls were made of clear acrylic boards. There was a big wheel in the air, and it responded to the sound when an attendant clapped her hands and flashed red lights. She was trying to attract children’s attentions. I was watching her and school kids absent-mindedly for a while. It was time to leave…

     I went back to the hotel and talked to the clerk who I had asked to keep my bag in the morning. He looked at me coldly and said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “What?! Wh, where should I…?” I was surprised and stammered. Then he produced a big smile and slapped my back saying, “Ha ha! Don’t worry! Follow me!” He was just pulling my leg! Oh, London! I did not want to leave…In the back seat of the car where I was committing myself to come back to this wonderful city, hearing the driver talking to my travel agent in the passenger seat that he really liked to see planes. Heathrow Airport loomed in front of us…

Welcome to London.

Amazing glass chandelier.  The queues were for the Bowie Exhibition.  Not for us sadly. The building is a gem.  Incredible floors. Lots of marble.  Have I said how much I like marble? Instead of Bowie we got these – special backpacks for children – all free – that take you on an adventure…this time we chose China.. The kids get a map to follow, an instruction book and different tasks to complete all beautifully set up in little separate bags inside the back pack. They were happy.  I was happy…When Anna and I can generate enough interest to be able to dye fabric to our own specifications we will be coming here for colour inspiration..and design. Loved this print.

This a water dropper in the shape of a squirrel from 1662!The repetition of the print without obvious repetition. Stunning Mughul dress. If I could choose a paper weight…those flecks of green.. isn’t she fabulous? That expression..those colours.. This is the courtyard in the centre where there are places to sit, get coffee – or paddle in the pool in the middle.  Seriously. Inside the Cafe – not my greatest photo, but you can just make out how incredible the wallpaper is.  This cafe was the first museum restaurant in the world and was intended as a showpiece for modern design, craftsmanship and manufacturing.  It is sublime.

The ceiling..I die.
It is one of the most beautiful places to have a latte in London..The shop, though busy, is pretty awesome too…they have some super cool children’s toys..the above come as flat packed cardboard.

And this dollhouse..
Check out this downstairs room! I really think it was meant for me…

Laters, Kate x

Read More and watch these amazing shoots of the exhibition here.

Beat of Distant Hearts

19.30 – 20.30 (45min) Join filmmaker Danielle Smith as she talks about the work of Sandblast, an organisation fighting for the human rights of the Saharawi people. View her film Beat of Distance Hearts – Art of Revolution in Western Sahara, a documentary that explores the collective experience of exile, loss and war through the lives of Saharawi poets, singers and visual artists.

Artist Unseen: Women Facing Forward, full programme details click on this link — http://bit.ly/YQHQMN

Image copyright (c) christtherockglobal.wordpress.com

Related articles

• Saharawis: Where is the international community? (english.pravda.ru)
• Saharawi Self-Determination (intercontinentalcry.org)

by William Blake

As some of you may know, I was originally planning a trip to the UK for February 2013. Circumstances have changed a countless number of times and I thought I wouldn’t be able to go at all. But, thanks to The American Pavilion Cannes Film Program, I think I’ll be able to make my dream of seeing some of William Blake’s work in person come true (among other dreams of screenwriting, filmmaking, etc.). I’ll be in France for about two weeks, and I hope to tack on a few days in London during my journey back to the States!!!

I’m currently in the process of figuring out my travel arrangements. There are so many different routes to Nice, France, it’s difficult to decide the best way to go. Possibly, I could stop over in New York or Amsterdam or even Paris. I’m hoping my dad (Mr. Globetrotting Lawyer himself) will be able to find me the best deal. Or perhaps I’ll try a travel agent.

The wonderful Naomi Billingsley at The Blake Society sent me a fabulous e-mail detailing all the best ways to see Blake’s work and historical sites in person. She suggested that I make a list of what I want to see, so I’ll be making a number of lists on my blog in an attempt to figure out how to schedule everything into two or three days.

1. The Tate possesses an impressive collection of Blake’s works, but I believe many pieces just returned from Madrid and are not currently on display. I’m hoping that by May this will change. My #1 dream is to see The Ghost of a Flea in person — so I guess I’ll try contacting the Tate and ask them for more information. Naomi pointed out that there are a number of “view by appointment” Blake works at the Tate’s Print Room and that I could make an appointment to see them. I’ll have to browse their online catalogue.
2. The British Museum has some Blake works in their Print Room as well and they are accessible without an appointment.
3. According to Naomi, The Victoria and Albert Museum has four of Blake’s “fresco” paintings on permanent display and a collection of Blake’s watercolors in their Print Room, accessible without an appointment.
4. Naomi also recommended a really amazing page on the Tate’s website detailing Blake historical sites (http://www2.tate.org.uk/williamblake/lambeth/london_intro.html). All these sites seem like they’re in a pretty concentrated area, so I think I’ll be able to see a lot of them!!

From here, I’d like to further explore the museum websites/online resources and figure out how much I can see and what I want to see the most in the few days I’m in London!

***

Updates

January 28th

Today, finalized my travel arrangements! On the way from San Francisco to Nice, will be stopping over in Frankfurt. And on the way to London, will be stopping over in Belgium. Will be staying in London for three full days, staying at a decent hotel not far from all the museums and Blake historic sites. Can’t believe this is really happening!!!

***

For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on tumblr and/or twitter.

***

Copyright 2013 by G. E. Gallas

Known colloquially as the V&A, the museum features a permanent collection of more than 4.6 million objects, housed in 145 galleries that span 12.5 acres. The museum’s holdings include textiles, jewelry, ironworks, costumes, prints, and furniture. These collections are derived from a variety of global cultures, ranging in period of origin from classical antiquity to the present day.

Although the main entrance, designed by the British architect Aston Webb, was completed in 1909, the V&A has officially been open since 1857, and is situated in London’s Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The museum hosts departments of education, research, and conservation, in addition to its expansive collections of artwork. Owing to its unique status among museums in the United Kingdom and throughout the world, the V&A boasts upwards of 2 million visitors annually.

Courtesy of York Digital Library

Taking your work home with you:  commitment, or embezzlement?

Mr John Nevin was a man whose sorry tale was kept silent for decades, until The Independent made a few enquiries under the Freedom of Information Act in 2009.

Mr Nevin was a back room assistant with the Victoria and Albert museum for 20 years.

After the war, national treasures were moved back into the museum. And Mr Nevin began, quite simply, to take his work home with him.

Over the following nine years, he managed to take 2,068 items home to his three-bedroom council house in Chiswick.

What he did with them beggars belief.

He fashioned a length of rare cloth into bathroom curtains. His wife used a rare Italian nineteenth century leather and tortoiseshell bag for her shopping. He hid a Spanish engraved flintlock blunderbuss under the floorboards and a collection of watches in his toilet cistern.

It was not until a stocktake in 1953 that V&A staff noticed a long list of missing items had been handled by Mr Nevin, and Mr Nevin alone.

Police raided his house and found rare musical instruments under the floor,  jade figures in a vacuum dust bag, a gilt figure of a knight behind the water tank and a silver inkpot in the chimney.

Later, Mr Nevin told a flabbergasted court:  ”I couldn’t help myself: I was attracted by the beauty.”

National treasures can be very beautiful. Sometime an object, fashioned by hand untold ages ago with a perception of beauty which belonged to its time: it is almost like a time capsule. Gaze at it, and it solves mysteries, or evokes what writing never could: the zeitgeist of an age far gone by.

Almost 100 years ago, such a treasure was unearthed. A nonpareil: one of its kind. A gleaming jewel which so epitomised the thoughts of its owners that it stunned all who heard of it. It was called the Finglesham Buckle.

It was on the Northbourne Estate, between Dover and Deal, that a quarry worker in 1929 was working when they noticed something which wasn’t quite right. Workers had often unearthed bones in the past and must have destroyed graves without even realising it. But the worker alerted the Farmer and the Farmer contacted the landowner and before you could say treasure trove, Lord Northbourne was on the spot, asking advice from Mr Reginald Smith of the British Museum.

It was an Anglo Saxon Cemetery, with graves filled with treasures not just from this land but from far away: brooches and necklaces, beads and knives from Germany and Belgium.

And none more breathtaking than an intricate piece of art history: The Finglesham Buckle. The buckle was found in grave D3: a warrior’s last resting place. It would have been worn to show his worth in a battle some time in the late sixth century. And it is a seminal piece of art history.

The other day I watched a BBC television programme fronted by an art historian called Dr Nina Ramirez. In The Treasures of the Anglo Saxons she explained key treasures from the period.

She visited The British Museum for many of the pieces: but the buckle has a different home.

She travelled back to Kent, to the Northbourne estate. Because in the thirties, when this treasure was excavated, the laws permitted finders to keep.

The late Lord Northbourne donated about half of the sumptuous treasure to museums. But the other half, including this priceless artefact, he kept.

Now his son runs the estate and permitted Dr Ramirez to view and film the buckle. It was packed in a small case with a label tied to it. Its packing did not trumpet its significance.

As the good Doctor held it she became quite breathless, overcome by the gravity of the tiny golden object she held. Her face shone. This, she told the millions of viewers, is a national treasure.

And then she took her leave and left it there, on an estate near the Kent Coast, near the lonely quarry that spawned it.

I wonder if she will ever see it again.

Sometimes, we have no alternative but to trust the private collectors.

As WB Yeats said it: “Tread softly, for you tread on our dreams.”

This is a repost from a while back; but one of my favourite collections of stuff.

Weegee at his typewriter in the trunk of his 1938 ‘Chevy’. Unidentified Photographer. ca. 1943. The International Center of Photography. Dimensions: Image: 11 15/16 x 9 3/16 in. (30.3 x 23.3 cm), Paper: 14 x 11 in. (35.6 x 27.9 cm), Mount: 20 x 16 in. (50.8 x 40.6 cm); Purchase, with funds provided by the Lois and Bruce Zenkel Purchase Fund, 1982.  Accessed September 21, 2011.  emuseum.icp.org/

The Permanent Collection at ICP contains more than 100,000 photographs. Since its opening in 1974, ICP has acquired important historical and contemporary images through a dedicated Acquisitions Committee and through generous donations and bequests from photographers and collectors. The collection spans the history of the photographic medium, from daguerreotypes to gelatin silver and digital chromogenic prints. At present approximately 20,500 records are online. More will be accessible during the course of 2011.

ARTstor

Man in Telephone Skit. Herbert Cole. 1976. Asafo (Fante Military) Company. Accessed September 30, 2011. artstor.org

The ARTstor Digital Library provides more than a million digital images through internet accessible software designed for teaching and research. The collections comprise contributions from international museums, photographers, libraries, scholars, photo archives, artists and artists’ estates.

ARTstor serves educators, curators, librarians, and students at more than 1,350 institutions including the ICP.  The ARTstor Digital Library is available by subscription through the ICP Library. The ICP has a site-wide license through the library and access is granted through the IP authentication anywhere onsite or through a membership remotely. The site licenses allow unlimited numbers of simultaneous users to access the Digital Library, both onsite and remotely.

For a subscription to ARTstor you can use remotely contact the ICP Library or stop in for a subscription and a tutorial.

The Commons on Flickr

Mr Clampett and Mr Downes. A. H. Poole Studio Photographer. A. H. Poole Studio. 1884. The Commons. Accessed September 22, 2011.  flickr.com/commons

The Commons on Flickr shows images from public photography archives. This web site aims to make publicly held photographs and photography collections accessible to a wide audience. Photograph collections with “no known copyright restrictions” made available by various cultural institutions (Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, and many others) and hosted by Flickr. Visitors are encouraged to participate in the project by adding tags to photos and by commenting on them so, your input and knowledge can help make these collections richer. Participating institutions include the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, the State Library of New South Wales, the Brooklyn Museum.

Library of Congress

Dorothea Lange. Resettlement Administration photographer, in California. 1936. The Library of Congress. Acessed September 21, 2011. loc.gov/pictures/

The Library of Congress American Memory focus on the history and culture of The United States. Subject titles include Advertising, African American History, Architecture, Landscape, Cities, Towns, Culture, Folklife, Environment, Conservation, Government, Law, Immigration, American Expansion, Literature, Maps, Native American History, Performing Arts, Music, Presidents, Religion, Sports, Recreation, Technology, Industry, War, Military & Women’s History.

Nasa Images

Walter Schirra. NASA Photographer. 2007. NASA. Acessed September 27, 2011. nasaimages.org/

Nasaimages.org was created by Internet Archive and provides public access to images, video, and audio created by NASA. Images are organized by category: Universe, Solar System, Earth, Aeronautics, and Astronauts.

The Getty

Women With Claws, Paul Outerbridge. 1937. G. Ray Hawkins Gallery, Beverly Hills, California. Accessed September 26, 2011. getty.edu/art

The Getty is a great place to search for certain individual photographers such as William Henry Fox Talbot, Gustave Le Ray, Roger Fenton, Julia Margaret Cameron, Carlton Watkins, Alfred Stieglitz, Walker Evens, Alfred Sander, Man Ray Paul Outerbridge, and Alvarez Bravo, as well as for photojournalism and social documentary photography.  The Getty is also on flickr at flickr.com/gettyimages/.

The New York Public Library

Helen Broderick as “Statue of Liberty” in As Thousands Cheer. 1933. Vandam Photo Studio. Accessed September 30, 2011. digitalgallery.nypl.org/

The New York Public Library is an excellent image resource.

LIFE

LIFE cover featuring The Jackson Five with their mother & father Joseph & Katherine, John Olson. 1971. Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images. Accessed September 27, 2011. life.com 

Some photographs from the LIFE photo archive, from the 1750s to today are now also available through Google. images.google.com/hosted/life

Corbis

Batman and Robin in the Batmobile. 1966-1968. Bettman/Corbis. ca. Accessed September 27, 2011.  corbisimages.com

Corbis is a private Seattle based digital image service that provides photography, illustration, footage, typefaces and rights clearance services to its members who are, for the most part, online, magazines, newspaper, and  television advertisers.

The Victoria and Albert Museum

I can neither confirm nor deny The Victoria and Albert Museum’s assertion of itself as the greatest museum of art and design in world because, I have not had the pleasure of having visited myself.  But I can recommend their website as an excellent visual resource. My favorite aspect of the sight contains photographs described for blind and partially sighted visitors.

The National Media Museum

Father Christmas arrives at Selfridges by parcel post with Mickey Mouse. Woodbine, George. 1939. The National Media Museum. Accessed September 30, 2011.  nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/Collection/Photography.aspx

The National Media Museum houses media items and artifacts of historical and cultural significance that as a whole track a technical history.  Their online selection of includes media from The National Photography, National Cinematography, National Television and National New Media Collections.

The Tibetan Album

14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso aged three.  Staunton,Harry.  http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk

The Tibetan Collections at The Pitt Rivers Museum at Oxford, a favorite of our own Matthew Carson, has made around 6,000 photographs spanning 30 years of Tibet’s history available online through The Tibet Album. http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk

George Eastman House

Untitled, from Domestic Stages. Levy, Carrie. 2004. Accessed September 29, 2011. eastmanhouse.org

George Eastman House images dates from the invention to the present day. Still photography collection subjects include everything from Mexican Daguerreotypes to Nineteenth Century Balloons.

The Metropolitan Museum Photographic Collections 

Climbing the Mast. László Moholy-Nagy. 1928. Accessed September 28, 2011.  metmuseum.org

The Metropolitan Museum’s Department of Photographs surveys the history of photography from its invention in the 1830s to the present. The collection of more than 15,000 works is largely European and American, with some representation of other parts of the world, particularly Japan. 

Or go analog at The Picture Collection

Mid-Manhattan Library, 3nd floor 

455 Fifth Avenue at 40th Street

212.340.0878  mmpic@nypl.org

The Picture Collection at the Mid-Manhattan Library is an encyclopedic visual resource arranged by subject.  Subject folders contain clippings of illustrations from books, newspapers and magazines as well as photographs, prints and postcards from 1914-present.  There is an entire file filled with a hundred years worth of images of broken objects.  It is amazing!

Or view some digital images from the Picture Collection:

Gallery Collection Guide: Mid-Manhattan Library Picture Collection
NYPL Digital Gallery 
Picture Collection Online
Historical Postcards of New York City 

Read more about the history of the Picture Collection in Worth Beyond Words: Romana Javitz and The New York Public Library’s Picture Collection.

Remember: Some of the images in the Digital Gallery may be subject to third party rights such as copyright and/or rights of privacy/publicity. Before using any of their images please review the specific digital library’s terms and conditions. To learn more about copyrights, visit: ICP LIbrary Picture Gather Resources 

” Confidence is the sexiest thing a woman can have. It’s much sexier than any body part . “Aimee Mullins, Amazing people .

Appointed as the latest L’oreal Paris spokesperson, Aimee is astonishingly amazing Athlete /Model / Actress / Superwomen . Her impact on modern society and influence on future generations is undeniable. Her film debut was a starring role in the highly acclaimed film by contemporary artist Matthew Barney, The Cremaster Cycle , first presented in the US at the Guggenheim Museum in 2003. Cremaster 3 is “an astonishing work of creativity,” and she became a muse to Alexander McQueen ,walking the runway in his London show using intricately carved wooden prosthetics . Her likeness has been immortalized in exhibits at institutions such as the Smithsonian, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the NCAA Hall of Fame, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Tate Modern, the Track and Field Hall of Fame, and the Women’s Museum, where she is honored for her contribution to sport among the Greatest American Women of the 20th Century.  She is the symbol of power to create and empowering herself , She is wonderful ! .

I’m not sure why this is true, given that its sumptuous cafe – there are glittering chandeliers, high ceilings, domes, columns, impressive interior tiles on the walls and the floors and the ceiling, as well as stained glass windows – was full of families with young children yesterday.

But having sculptures of interestingly textured stone at floor height is an invitation to disaster.

Of course you are now so very into your toddler game that, as you saw the Star heading delightedly for a particularly inviting looking East Asian dragon, you reasoned that, as they had put these statues out on display within easy touching distance of all and two-year olds, they must expect, nay, perhaps encourage, a bit of tactile investigation. And having run a mental check on how sticky he was likely to be, you let him get on with it.

But as the Star gave the priceless piece of work a few energetic pats, out of the corner of your eye you saw two museum workers give identical jerks of involuntary horror, came to your senses and dragged your boy away. And thereafter spent an energetic, although by and large succesful, half hour chasing the Star through the galleries, heading him off whenever he looked like he was getting too close to something irreplaceable.

You did have a slightly anxious moment when the Star started playing peekaboo around the bases of some busts. You were leisurely strolling towards him, having ascertained that none of the sculptures were in reaching height, when you distinctly saw George Wyndham* wobble. Surprisingly flimsy, those plinths.

George Wyndham, before his nose was mysteriously broken off.

With nightmarish visions of a Rodin masterpiece in pieces at your feet, you sprinted the last few feet and attempted to grab your son.

Who thought this was great fun and commenced playing hard to get.

The bust wobbled again, and I swear time stopped for a second or two.

However, the Star was retrieved without further incident in the end and escorted from the building, tucked firmly under one arm.

You will be going again, but perhaps you will stick to the collections behind glass.

The problem with that is just as your heart swells with pride as the Star lets our a howl of obvious delight and sprints towards a display case is what he is actually interested in is the little placard describing what’s on show. And the one in the case next to that. And the one next to that.

That Star, in fact, remained distinctly underwhelmed by the art and design masterworks, being far more interested in the fire extinguishers, the way his voice echoed when he shrieked, the marble steps in the Raphael gallery, the slipperiness of the floor and the pull out rope barrier dispensers on the walls.

*Although it could have been Honore de Balzac. Adrenaline surges really interfere with your ability to read plaques.

India, full of bright colour and detailed architecture I am inspired by the culture and colours of India, as it is a unique and busy place full of life. From architecture to animals and festivals India is full of unique inspiration such as the Taj Mahal, which is covered in intricate details and mosaic style patterns. Including aspects of Rococo I will begin my minor project by going through my research and collecting images and objects to draw such as the stonework in The British museum, which I visited over summer and photographs from India itself.

To gain further information on the subject I am going to London on the 10^th October 2009 to gain market research and to find the latest in cutting edge design. To visit The Victoria and Albert Museum where they are going to display an exciting exhibition of the Maharaja, the Splendour of India’s Royal Courts, featuring exhibits from the rich and varied culture of royal India. I will take sketches and photograph relevant items, with the hope of drawing jewellery, costumes and weapons. Also to visit relevant fabric and embroidery shops such as Borovicks and The Silk Society. I am also hoping to visit the connecting shop to Hand and Lock for visual and market research.