National Museums Liverpool Blog - Friday, November 10, 2006

Hat of woven shiny black straw with decorated crown, dating from about 1932-35. Part of the Tinne collection.

Today is 'Wear a Hat Day' , as part of a campaign by Age Concern Wirral to raise awareness of the need for the elderly to keep warm and well through the winter.

Despite years of looking, I've never found a hat that doesn't make me look completely daft. So instead of putting a hat on my head I'm getting in the spirit by putting one on the blog.

This rather fine hat was displayed at the Walker earlier this year as part of the popular exhibition A Passion for Fashion. The exhibition has now closed but you can still see some of the highlights on the website, including a few more lovely hats, part of an incredible collection of over 100 that were once owned by Mrs Tinne.

Actors and crew in County Sessions small court room

Several of our venues have recently provided sets for a new BBC1 period drama series to be aired in 2007. 'Lilies' is set after the First World War and tells the story of three Catholic sisters living in Liverpool.

County Sessions House, Canning Dock, the quaysides around the Merseyside Maritime Museum and an area of the Walker near The Death of Nelson will all be featuring.

This image shows the small room at County Sessions House doubling as a 1920's magistrates' court. The costumes came from a theatrical costumiers in Manchester and date from the original era. Our press officer, Stephen Guy, who spent 30 years in courts as a reporter and has studied 1920s classic crime cases, advised the production crew on court etiquette from the era, eg women had to wear hats in court.
More images from filming can be found on our Flickr page.

More about 'Lilies' and filming at Woolton Picture House can be found on the BBC website.

We'll let you know when the series is being shown in the new year (I love location spotting).

We've already brought you Paul O'Keeffe's artwork of the month talk on John Moores 24 first prizewinner 'Before Vermeer's Clouds'. Last week, the artist himself, Martin Greenland, visited the exhibition to give a talk on the painting (mp3/transcript/links).

Over 45 minutes Martin discusses recurring themes in his John Moores entries, the decision to show his work without a frame, visions of Heaven, the Lake District, Exeter and the colourful Islamic architecture of Samarkand.

When textile conservator Anne-Marie Hughes was still at school she saw a documentary that made a big impression on her. The programme featured a suitcase of clothing that had survived the sinking of the Titanic. She was fascinated to see how specialist conservators cleaned and preserved these delicate objects full of history.

She probably never imagined at the time that one day she would get to work on actual objects from the Titanic herself. However, Anne-Marie is currently preparing a number of items for a new display due to open in the Maritime Museum next year, including the Titanic lifejacket shown here.

Ian Silverberg from Silverberg Opticians was faced with a tough customer today. This fussy client only wears the finest vintage designer clothing and was looking for a fine pair of glasses to match. They don't even have bad eyesight - they really only want some spectacles as a fashion accessory.

The customer in question is actually one of the mannequins in the textile conservation studio that are being prepared for a new display of designer clothing in the Craft and Design gallery at the Walker. The display is due to open in December, watch this space (with or without your glasses) for more details nearer the time.

Simone Martini's Christ Discovered In The Temple can't fail to impress

I think that many people have experienced an ‘emperor’s new clothes’ moment when faced with certain elements of contemporary art. 

But even some of the world’s most renowned paintings fail to resonate with armchair critic, Peter Bennett from Wallasey. He compares Van Gogh to primary school work, calls Dali ‘bonkers’ and the Mona Lisa a ‘tired, frustrated woman’.

He is impressed, however, by the Walker Art Gallery’s marvellous Simone Martini painting, Christ Discovered In The Temple. It’s wonderful to know that even the harshest of critics can find something they love when they visit the Walker.  I guess some paintings just speak for themselves.

Cape Farewell, due to finish at National Conservation Centre on 26 November 2006, will now continue until 28 January 2007.

Related Cape Farewell displays at the Walker Art Gallery will still close on 26 November 2006.

This photo gives you a sense of the size of the frond.

Check out this monster. It's the latest acquisition for World Museum Liverpool. It's a 50 million year old palm frond, Sabalites sp. It was found in Folly Quarry on the Lewis Ranch, near Kemmerer Wyoming City, Western Lincoln County, Wyoming, USA. It's over seven feet tall as you can probably guess looking at the man to the right of this photo

Now for the technical bit from curator, Dr Alan Bowden:

The rock formation is the Fossil Butte Member of the Green River Formation, Eocene (50 million years ago). The Green River Formation of Wyoming represents sediment that was laid down in a series of large freshwater lakes. Algal blooms led to a lack of oxygen in the water causing many of the lake’s animals and plants to die, as well as stopping bacterial action on the bottom of the lake. Here, dead animals and plants that would normally have rotted away were preserved in exceptional detail. Deposits such as this provide a rare glimpse into a long vanished world with its spectacular preservation of plant and animal remains. The fossil palm frond shows us that 50 million years ago this was a subtropical environment with lush and exotic vegetation bordering a large lake complex. It was a very different environment from the high mountain desert found in Wyoming today, where temperatures frequently go below freezing with long winter snows.

There are further photos of this fossil on our Flickr page.

Keeper of the Merseyside Maritime Museum, Tony Tbbles, and head of learning, Carol Rogers, have just recorded a programme in the Making History series which is currently running on BBC Radio 4. Discussions included the Transatlantic Slavery Gallery, plans for the bicentenary of the abolition of the British slave trade and the opening of International Slavery Museum in 2007.

The programme will be aired on 7 November at 3pm. You can listen live (or listen again if you miss it) through the Making History page on the BBC site. <AHREF="HTTP: making_history.shtml? making_history history radio4 www.bbc.co.uk>

A couple of online features from other museum groups have caught our attention this week. The Science Museum in London is hosting the touring exhibition Game On, featuring a history of computer games from the 1960s to the present day. The web team at the museum have documented the creation of their online feature on their blog, including commissioning a contemporary version of the classic game Pong set in a car park. Frankie Roberto has also blogged about online media coverage of the exhibition.

We've already seen how Brooklyn Museum are pioneering the use of Flickr online through their Brooklyn graffiti project, the latest set of photos on their Flickr account shows the installation of a new exhibition of works by Ron Mueck.

Finally, the Tate Modern website suggests visitors should arrive before midday if they want to go on Carsten Höller's Test Site, currently drawing huge crowds in the Turbine Hall. The Tate website has videos online showing a ride on each of the five slides (Realplayer only).

Just a few of the fabulous things on display in 'Objects of Desire' at the Lady Lever Art Gallery

I'm feeling very virtuous. I am the image of restraint, a pillar of strength who has faced the ultimate temptation without losing control. Somehow I have just visited the new Objects of Desire exhibition at the Lady Lever Art Gallery without testing the limits of my credit card. I think I deserve a medal, or at least a round of applause.

This is the gallery's first ever selling exhibition, in collaboration with Liverpool's Bluecoat Display Centre. The ever-changing selection of beautiful ceramics, jewellery, glass, metal and textiles on display are all by leading contemporary makers from the north of England.

All the exhibits are available to purchase and take them home. So if you are looking for a Christmas present with a difference, or if you just want to treat yourself, it's worth checking the exhibition out.

For extra festive cheer, there's a Christmas shopping night on 6 December from 5.30-8.30pm, with carol singers and mulled wine.

18^th century painter and social satirist William Hogarth is portrayed by Toby Jones in tonight’s Channel 4 drama ‘A Harlot’s Progress’.

The one-off production examines Hogarth’s relationship with prostitute Mary Collins. Hogarth famously lifted the lid on the Georgian vice scene and depicted a grittier side of 18^th century life.

Hogarth moved in theatrical circles and sought out the colourful side of Georgian England

Hogarth’s theatrical portrait of actor David Garrick as Richard III can be seen in the 18^th century gallery at the Walker. A Harlot’s Progress is broadcast tonight on Channel 4 at 9pm.  

• Explore the Walker’s 18^th century gallery
• View more of Hogarth's paintings
• Read more about Hogarth
• Explore David Garrick as Richard III in the Portrait Detectives interactive

Happy Samhain!

If you are recovering from yesterday’s Halloween revels then you have the pagan festival of Samhain to thank. Samhain, which means ‘summer’s end’, predates the Christian All Saints’ Day or Hallowmas – hence Halloween or All Hallows' Eve.

Apparently, Samhain historically marks the first day of winter in the country calendar. At this time shepherds would bring their herds down from the hillsides and give them shelter in stables. (Someone must have forgotten to tend to these sheep which can usually be found at the Lady Lever Art Gallery).

Brrr....it's chilly in here! Dan Hays' less than cosy hamster cage painting, Harmony In Green, 1997.

No coincidence then, that following last night’s chilly temperatures I was forced to bring my hamster in from the unheated conservatory and bring him into the cosier kitchen. Of course I was very careful not to put him too near the radiator because small pets don’t like sudden changes in temperature. 

Ironically, Dan Hays' Harmony In Green painting (shown above) is described as an attempt to make a hamster cage look like a desriable place to live. Can't say I fancy it myself.

Diwali dancers at the Merseyside Maritime Museum

Visitors at the Maritime Museum yesterday were treated to a special Diwali performance by local children. Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, is a major celebration in Hindu culture, in which evil is banished and lamps are lit to symbolise the triumph of good.

The young dancers have been learning about this and other Indian traditions with teacher Purvi Parikh, who commented “Dance is such an important part of Indian culture and this is a great way to make it accessible to everyone". She even managed to involve the audience in a few dance moves on the day.

Some of the clocks on display at World Museum Liverpool

If you are reading this from an office in the UK then don't forget to go outside and make the most of the daylight after work today, as when you leave work next week it will be a lot darker. That's right, the clocks go back this weekend, something which usually causes mass confusion in my house as there's always a clock or two that we forget to change.

All those in the same position should spare a thought for John Griffiths, the curator of horology (or man in charge of the clocks) at National Museums Liverpool. True, most of the timepieces in our collections are not kept wound up and running, so they wont need to be changed. However, the clocks in John's care that do keep time are located in several different venues spread out across Merseyside, including World Museum Liverpool, the Lady Lever Art Gallery and Prescot Museum. With all that running around to do next week, I bet he'll be glad of an extra hour in bed on Sunday.

Mannequins under wraps in the textile conservation studio

The textile conservation studio currently resembles the dressing room of a Paris fashion show, with tall glamorous models haughtily waiting to have their hair and make-up done before donning fabulous designer clothes.

We haven't been invaded by Kate Moss and her mates though, these are actually mannequins that textile conservator Anne-Marie Hughes and curator of costume Pauline Rushton are preparing for an upcoming display at the Walker.

The new display in the Craft and Design gallery will feature designer clothing from our collections spanning the last four decades, including outfits by Andre Courreges, Jean Muir, Bill Gibb, Yves St Laurent, Vivienne Westwood and Stella McCartney. You can't put frocks like these on just any old clothes horse, so the mannequins have been specially made for the display, each with the right hair and make-up to suit the era that their clothing is from.

If they look this good now I can't wait to see them properly dressed. The new display will open at the Walker in December.