National Museums Liverpool Blog - Thursday, August 03, 2006

Our latest downloadable mp3 is Robin Emmerson's gallery talk on Fritz Spiegl's 'Loophonium' (mp3/transcript/links). The 'Loophonium' (sometimes known as the 'Harpic-cord') is the Walker Art Gallery object of the month and is a cross between a euphonium and a toilet.

The twenty minute talk covers descending valves, ophicleides, transverse spring slides, the metamorphosis of ajax, bog houses, stink traps, Banner's Patent Drain Trap, Alexander Cummings, Dr Pridgin Teale's 'Pictorial Guide to Domestic Sanitary Defects', the washdown closet, a concerto for two tuning forks, Ibert's 'March for a Dead Parrot', Z Cars, Handel's 'Water Music' and the Loophonium itself.

Robin (Head of Decorative Arts at National Museums Liverpool) will be delivering the talk again at the Walker Art Gallery on Thursday 24 August 2006.

Yesterday Dawn told you it was National Play Day 2006. There was plenty going on at World Museum Liverpool as part of the Liverpool Children's Festival as these pictures show. Hoardes of happy kids got stuck into face painting, dance sessions, dressing-up and making workshops, culminating in a parade along William Brown Street, accompanied by drummers, stiltwalkers and museum staff. Happy days!

Umbrella fun at the parade

See this teddy in the Reveal display

Sad news this morning from the Wookey Hole Caves Teddy Bear Museum in Somerset. More than 100 teddies were damaged last night by a guard dog, including a rare Steiff bear that used to belong to Elvis Presley. Hopefully the teddies are made of stern stuff (and stuffing) and will be able to pull through with a few well placed stitches.

Caring for objects that have either been damaged in incidents like this one, or are just suffering from age and normal wear and tear, is all in a day's work for the staff at the National Conservation Centre here in Liverpool. Our conservators are often asked about the care of treasured objects like teddy bears, photos and other family heirlooms. If you would like advice you can ask them in the opinion service.

You can see another well worn Steiff teddy bear in the Reveal display, which explains how conservators use science to unlock the stories hidden in everyday objects.  If he reminds you of your own teddy bear or another favourite toy, then we'd like to hear about those special memories. Tell us about the object of your affection and we might include it on the website.

For more cuddly fun have a look at the website for the old Teddy Bear Story exhibition, held at World Museum Liverpool a few years ago.

I expect I'm not the only woman who's counting the hours until Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx return to the big screen in Miami Vice. The film, like the 1980s TV series before it, follows two undercover cops on the trail of arms and drug traffickers.

Dancing coke can from the museum collections

If you can't wait to see the film you could always pop along to the Customs and Excise Museum in the Albert Dock to see the real stories of how customs officers in this country protect society from smuggling.

We might not have any Hollywood superstars, but we do have dancing coke cans and a very unusual toilet...

Image copyright Ken Stein

The Brooklyn Museum of Art, have used innovative online services to promote and enhance their current exhibition 'Graffiti'. A series of podcasts are available, allowing visitors to transfer the audio files to their mp3 player and bring them on an exhibition visit. The museum also has its own Flickr account, which it has used to invite the public to upload their own photos of graffiti in Brooklyn. The Brooklyn graffiti flickr group currently has over 1200 photos submitted.

Our own online exhibition Stewart Bale 2.0 features classic photographs from our archives 'recreated' by Liverpool-based flickr photographers.

Today is Playday 2006 (who decides these things?). 

It coincides with Liverpool Chldren's Festival and judging by the PA I can hear booming down William Brown Street, there's going to be lots for children to do throughout the day. But why should the kids have all the fun?

Guy Cheeseman invites you to play the ever popular Pick Of the 'Pool

I can't think of a better reason for a bit of frivolous online gaming, so I thought I'd dust off our resident Pick of the 'Pool compare Guy Cheeseman and create a list of activities for your gaming pleasure. 

Have fun!

• Shipwrecked - Survival game
• Pick of the 'Pool
• Conker Collectables
• Agents of Deterioration
• Fish Olympics
• Beatles Games
• Portrait Detectives

Apparently today is National Yorkshire Day.

This reminded me - on a recent web team outing to Tate Liverpool to see the Bruce Nauman exhibition we also stumbled across the collection display, Henry Moore: Natural Form, which I thought was quite beautfiul. Must go back and spend some more time there. Visitors to the Tate might also want to take a trip to the Walker Art Gallery, to see Moore's sculpture, Falling Warrior. (NB. Actually I've just found out that it's currently at Fundacio "la Caixa", Barcelona and won't be back at the Walker until November - so you might want to wait until then!)

I can't let the moment pass without  congratulating rugby league team Huddersfield Giants who beat fellow Yorkshire heavyweights Leeds Rhinos this weekend in the Challenge Cup semi-finals. They will be joining Merseyside's very own St Helens in the final at Twickenham in August.  (You can recognise Saints by the Capital of Culture logo on their shorts).

Other favourite Yorkshire things (Sean Bean aside) include Leeds Armouries, West Yorkshire Playhouse and the Brontes' Haworth.

Falling Warrior ... or could it be a Leeds player overcome by a Huddersfield tackle?

Today - 1 August - is the anniversary of the law coming into force that prohibited the slave trade throughout the British Empire. The Slavery Abolition Bill itself received Royal Assent on 29 August 1833 but came into force on this day in 1834.

Slavery Remembrance Day is later this month - 23 August. The date was chosen by UNESCO as on that day in 1791 began an uprising of enslaved Africans on the island of St Domingo (modern Haiti and the Dominican Republic). This revolt was a crucial event in the fight against slavery, and stands as a reminder that enslaved Africans were the main agents of their own liberation.

For more on the transatlantic slave trade visit our website.

Congratulations to Stuart Ian Burns, ex-employee of the Walker Art Gallery, on five years of feeling listless.

Liverpool Clipper, looking pristine and shiny new before the start of the race last October

This morning the Liverpool Clipper sailed into Holyhead to win the penultimate leg of the Clipper 2005-2006 round the world race. All ten clippers have a quick rest before the final race, arriving in the Albert Dock tomorrow. It'll be a nail-biter, as Liverpool are now only one point behind 3rd placed New York on the leaderboard. Could they regain their podium position?

The return of the clippers to Liverpool will be celebrated with a weekend of activities on the waterfront. The Maritime Museum is hosting traditional craft demonstrations, hands-on art activities for children and survival fun in the new Shipwrecked exhibition. It's also the museum's annual RNLI weekend.

If you're among the crowds in the Albert Dock, don't forget to pop into the Piermaster's House for a chat to Rose, the Piermaster's wife, who will be receiving visitors from 1-4pm on Saturday 29 July. Have a look at the What's on section for the full programme of events. 

The Piermaster's House in the Albert Dock