Museums

  • Onsite: Tate Britain

    The Tate Britain in London is a treasure of a museum cum gallery of art. Its free entrance is a bonus but the special exhibits inside makes the short trek alongside the River Thames worth it. The use of open spaces and creation of new, modern rooms for the experience of contemporary forms is a breath of fresh air on London’s museums and galleries scene.

    The site has played host to visitors and art fanatics since the 1890’s, and it’s not dimmed since. The eclectic mix of crowds that often descend on it mostly enjoy its environs with enthusiasm. It’s said to elicit strong responses from some who count it amongst the greats in Europe. The focus on Britain is still strong, but it also has a contemporary flourish of international flavours.

  • Onsite: Museum of Natural History, Oxford

    In a museum these days, it’s expected there are interactive elements such as sights and sounds, as well as the usual educational input. The excitement some children show is found in the ability to use or manipulate the objects on display.

    In a museum of natural history, we know the context is going to be different, but here it doesn’t matter. The awe is still in seeing a dinosaur skeleton, and curiosity in admiring examples of taxidermy, but there’s much more on display.

    The concept of evolutionary theory is shown for all to see in a walk-about way, helping visitors to see the novelties and factual points of the study of it in its full light. As I pace in a large atrium, and up flights of stairs, I can see it in colour.

    A statue of Charles Darwin is fitting, taking a casual glance over proceedings as his work is still perused today. However, the many objects available to see tell a story more of who we are, not necessarily how we are here, in my view.

    The Pitt Rivers Museum is a large room off the main focus of the museum, and is a delightful selection of curios from overseas. Obviously, they were collected and transported back a long time ago, but they still have a relevance here.

    The charm is the primitive culture, tribes, and spiritual communities represented here in such a broad display. There’s no let up in showing the varieties of what artistry and belief means to other people. There’s something of us all in it.