National Museums Liverpool Blog - Monday, December 11, 2006

Detail of a botanical print of frankincense

It's cold outside, so the latest online exhibition to grace the National Museums Liverpool website is on the theme of winter weather.

As always the online exhibition draws on items from different venues, many of which are not usually on public display. This time we've got exhibits and animals from some of the coldest places on the planet, plants traditionally associated with Christmas and the perfect teapots to make a warming cuppa on a cold day, to name just a few.

So if you've ever wondered exactly how Inuit women keep warm in temperatures of -40°C, what frankincense and myrrh actually look like, or what type of bird would make a good novelty tureen to serve a nice warming stew out of - and I'm sure that last question in particular has kept many people awake at night - then we have the answers you seek. 

Well, come capital of culture year everything will be 08 this and 08 that, and the city will be bedecked in the figures 0 and 8. There's doubters saying the city won't be ready, however earlier this week the webteam took a short stroll around town and were able to spot one or two 08's already in place.

It's difficult to explain what I'm on about without having a quick look through the flickr gallery of the results (slideshow available), it's fun to spot them (honest) and if you see one, send it to us. If you are a flickr member you can send images to the group automatically, everyone else will have to use our photo upload function to send us their images.

We've also created a google map showing the locations of the 08 photos.

David by Sam Taylor-Wood; commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery with the support of JPMorgan through the Fund for New Commissions.

I don't usually go for blonds and I don't usually go on appearance alone, but for some reason all that goes out of the window where David Beckham is concerned. He so fine! And now you can gawp to your heart's content under the pretext of bringing some culture into your life. Just skip down to the Walker Art Gallery, nod sagely and say things like 'interesting use of light' and no one will be any the wiser (other than the crowd of other gawpers that is).

Joking (and drooling) aside 'David' is a wonderful video portrait of a super star sleeping, created by artist Sam Taylor-Wood. It was shot in a single take following a training session at Real Madrid. It goes on display at the Walker tomorrow but is only on loan until the end of January so best make use of your Christmas holidays.

More details on the piece, Sam Taylor-Wood and Becks himself can be found on our main site.

Detail from Holman Hunt's 'The Finding of the Saviour in the Temple'

There's an interesting article on the 24 Hour Museum site by Jacob Simon from the National Portrait Gallery on the portrayal of disability in art. Several of the artists mentioned also feature in our collections including Zoffany, Hogarth and Reynolds.

This got me thinking about the portrayal of disability in our own collections, and wondering how much attitudes have changed in the time since these magnificent pieces were painted. Just off the top of my head I can think of the blind man in Holman Hunt's 'The Finding of the Saviour in the Temple' (see image), and three depictions of Nelson (by West, Drummond and Maclise) who at the time of his death was missing an eye and an arm.  

Benjamin Robert Haydon considered himself near blind but still managed to produce several works including 'Christ Blessing the Little Children' which was commissioned to decorate a chapel for the blind (this linked page includes his son's description of Haydon wearing several pairs of spectacles at once).

There is also the theory that JMW Turner had increasing problems with his sight as he aged - colour blind from an early age and then cataracts in later life (check out this Guardian article). Works like The Falls of the Clyde might be seen as the result of a condition, though we probably wouldn't describe Turner as disabled.  

I guess the most famous modern representation of disability in art is Marc Quinn's wonderful statue, 'Alison Lapper Pregnant', which stands in Trafalgar Square. It seems that attitudes really have changed.

Should also mention, in case you've missed it, that National Museum Liverpool is hosting events as part of this year's DaDa Fest. More details on the North West Disability Arts Forum website.

I spent yesterday afternoon at the Alima Centre with artist Alison Jones. Alison was taking us round the 'On the Edge' exhibition in the second floor gallery.

The exhibition is part of Dadafest (Disability and Deaf Arts Festival), 'exploring the physical and emotional issues of being forced to the
edge…of the city, the art scene, society, people’s consciousness and
view'.

Alison has produced an excellent sound piece for the exhibition 'Art, Lies and Audio Tapes' in which visitors to the Walker Art Gallery have been asked to provide a description of our popular painting 'And When Did You Last See Your Father?'. This audio is then played in the exhibition in front of an imprecise line drawing of the painting.

'Art, Lies and Audio Tapes' is a work in progress and one possibility is to produce a version of it for the Walker Art Gallery website in the new year. In the mean time, 'On the edge' continues at the Alima Centre until 15 December 2006.

Casablanca Cabinet

Curator of Fine Art, Ann Bukantas (mp3/transcript/links) takes an extended look at Helen Chadwick's 'Viral Landscapes', a recent addition to the Walker Art Gallery's permanent collection.

Head of Decorative Arts, Robin Emmerson, found time last month to deliver object of the month talks at both the Walker and the Lady Lever Art Gallery.

At the Walker, Robin spoke about Ettore Sotsass' 'Casablanca Cabinet'  (mp3/transcript/links). The cabinet is displayed in the gallery's cafe, outside the entrance to the Craft and Design gallery, and there is a lot of background noise on the recording from the lunchtime crowds.

The next day Robin was at the Lady Lever to deliver his talk on the 'Moor Park mantelpiece' (mp3/transcript/links). Robin begins his talk by admitting that he knew little about the object when he was asked to deliver the talk.

I've abandoned my diet already thanks to temptation from the Christmas market in Liverpool city centre, so I'm looking forward to getting some tips and yummy recipes from Nigella Lawson's Christmas special on BBC2 tonight.

As food's on my mind, today's festive treat is another vintage Christmas card from the Decorative Art collection, showing 'A dead heat for the plate'. This is just one of the designs available in the selection of Christmas e-cards on the website.

Congratulations to LoveSport supporters St Helens Rugby League FC on a further two prestigious accolades. It has been announced that Paul Wellens has won ‘Rugby Player of the Year’, while Daniel Anderson scooped Coach of the Year at the BBC North West Sport Awards 2006.

You may remember that Saints’ loveable mascot Saint Bernard was on hand a few ago for the launch of LoveSport exhibition at World Museum Liverpool. The treble-winning side have had something of a dream season. They were crowned Super League Champions earlier in the year, as well as taking the League Leaders’ Shield and the Powergen Challenge Cup.

Paul Wellens has already been named Man of Steel, Players’ Player of the Year and Rugby League Writers’ Player of the Year, as well as taking the Harry Sunderland Trophy for his performance in this year’s Grand Final.  Earlier in the year Daniel Anderson was named Super League’s Coach of the Year, James Graham was crowned Young Player of the Year, while Sean Long took the Lance Todd Trophy in the Challenge Cup Final.

Given the evidence, you probably won’t be surprised to hear that the super Saints are also in the running for Team of the Year which will be announced at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony at Birmingham NEC on Sunday.

I am though. The only other rugby league team ever to have won the Team of the Year is Wigan RLFC’s 1994 side. Rugby league often struggles to get the attention it deserves in the media as it mistakenly dismissed as a ‘Northern’ sport for men with flat caps and whippets. In actual fact, rugby league is a great spectacle and a wonderful family game where you’ll find everyone from grandma to the youngest of youngsters screaming for their beloved team.

My fingers (and toes) are all crossed for the boys and I managed to get my text vote in before the deadline. Strangely enough, so did my Wigan-season-ticket-holding-husband - because victory for St Helens will be a much-needed boost for the game of rugby league and put this wonderfully entertaining sport in the spotlight.

St Helens are up against the European Ryder Cup Team and Sussex Cricket Team. While we're here, best of luck to Manchester boxer Ricky Hatton and Cheshire gymnast Beth Tweddle who will be competing for Sports Personality of the Year on Sunday.

The BBC North West Sports Personality of the Year show can be seen tonight Wednesday 6th December at 7pm on BBC 1.

Update: I don't believe it! They actually won. Read about it here. Well done lads. And another win for Daniel Anderson for Coach of the Year too!

What a miserable start to the day, to rush downstairs and turn the cricket on to hear England all out Downunder and Australia progressing tidly towards an unlikely victory 'against the head' in the 2nd Ashes Test.

Clicking just anywhere to get the cricket off of my web browser, my mood was slightly cheered by stumbling across Sam's post about the excellent decorative arts selection of vintage christmas e-cards and then depressed again to find a cricket related one (pictured).

This card entitled 'Anxious moments' (1.30am this morning anyone ?) was posted on the 24 December 1884 to a Robt Thomas Esq with the message 'with David's sincere wishes that you may "score one" this xmas'. Maybe you have an Australian colleague that you could use the e-card to send some sporting congratulations to (I did say maybe) and at the same time perhaps hand them the ashes.

The only crumb of comfort I can find in this card (other than that little cricket insect finding some late reverse swing with the kookaburra ball) is that when it was sent during the 8th Ashes series in 1884/1885 also in Australia: England had just won the first test and went on to win the 2nd, then Australia came back from two tests down! to level things up (so it is possible) before err England completed a 3-2 series win.

You can watch highlights of each day's play during the ashes series on the BBC website, and keep up with latest stories from the Test Match Special team on The blog from the boundary blog.

The display includes work by André Courrèges, Jean Muir, Bill Gibb, Yves St Laurent, Vivienne Westwood (Buffalo Girls and Anglomania), Tommy Hilfiger, Stella McCartney, Juicy Couture, Hardy Blechman.

Sam's already blogged about the arrival of the mannequins, a visit from Ian Silverberg and a hole in  the Vivienne Westwood dress; there's also a flickr set showing the mannequins in the textile conservation studio.