Christmas Links #14
Ohio family brings Griswolds' Christmas house to life:
"For the past seven years, Greg Osterland has decorated his Ohio home with 25,000 lights. His goal? A real life version of the Griswolds' creation in the classic movie "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation."
Here’s a Kinda Genius, Kinda Evil Way People Are Gaming Spotify Playlists:
"It’s just the latest trick in a long history of hacking digital music services to promote your own songs."
Anjli Mohindra and Laura Fraser to guest star in Series 12!
"With less than one month to go until the TARDIS lands back on BBC One, television stars Anjli Mohindra and Laura Fraser are set to guest star in upcoming episodes of the new series!"
The 100 Memes That Defined The 2010s:
"From planking to VSCO girls."
Sandra Bullock became a rom-com star with a cozy love story about crushing loneliness:
"Lucy Moderatz (Sandra Bullock) spends her days behind a glass window in a Chicago Transit Authority booth and her nights home alone with her cat."
Global Christmas treats come to Seoul: At markets, European countries cook up their tastiest delicacies for the holidays:
"The Christmas spirit was in the air at the Seongbukcheon Fountain Square in central Seoul last weekend as people braved the freezing temperatures to queue for Czech goulash or Ukrainian varenyky."
Christmas Links #13
Jimi Hendrix cleared of blame for UK parakeet release:
"The rumour parakeets arrived in the UK when rock star Jimi Hendrix released a pair in London's Carnaby Street in the swinging 60s has finally been scotched."
Four Ingredient Christmas Cake, 16p:
"Christmas for me is a disparate and disorganised affair – zipping between various peoples houses, delivering a Small Boy to all the relatives that want to pinch his cheeks and ruffle his hair, like an exasperated sugar-high parcel."
Why can’t more than four people have a conversation at once?
"t’s called the “dinner party problem”: A table of four or fewer people may happily converse as one, but a party of five or more will splinter fairly quickly into separate conversations of two or three four people each. What is it about the number four?"
Alternative Christmas events in London:
"Looking for something different to the festive classics? Here are the most weird and wonderful events happening in London this Christmas."
Berlin’s rubbish collectors say give time not stuff this Christmas:
"Waste management firm suggests greener ways of celebrating festive season."
Why like Emma Watson, we're happy to be single at Christmas:
"From trips to Winter Wonderland to mistletoe kisses, the Christmas season can feel like it's all about relationships."
Where Christmas trees come from:
"Every year, millions of Americans purchase and decorate Christmas trees to ring in the holiday season."
Christmas Links #12
Bernie, Elizabeth, My Dad, and Me — or How To Not Kill Your Family This Christmas:
"My father is voting for Bernie Sanders. I am voting for Elizabeth Warren. He’s a 75 year-old, brilliant man, who pioneered early software for the railroad and never went to college, who was a police chaplain and still isn’t quite retired from being a deeply liberal Catholic Deacon. I’m a 38 year-old filmmaker who has a medical crisis at least once a month. The apple fell far, bounced, and bruised."
7 of the best cult Christmas films:
"When you're sick of watching 'Love Actually' try these under-the-radar picks."
Bob Dylan Reads “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”
“Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…”
Women Rule 2019 National Film Registry:
"‘Boys Don’t Cry,’ ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter,’ ‘Before Stonewall’ Among the Titles."
Officials Warn to Check Christmas Trees for Praying Mantis Eggs:
"Officials in Erie County, Ohio are warning of walnut-sized and shaped masses in trees."
Hundreds of dead birds found in mystery mass death:
"Hundreds of birds found dead on a north Wales road are to be tested to discover how they died."
Police say mystery mass bird death phenomenon may have happened before on the island:
"Reports suggest that this is the second time this has happened in exactly the same spot."
Meat? In dessert? Why I made a Christmas mince pie – with beef:
"A US website went viral this week after it confused mincemeat and ground beef in a recipe – but would the resulting dessert taste as bad as it sounds?"
Christmas Links #11
The Deep Sea:
"Made with ♥ by Neal Agarwal"
Christmas Lights Safety:
"We all love getting into the festive spirit, decorating our homes, putting up lights on our Christmas trees, around bannisters and even hanging them outside to share the Christmas cheer with our neighbours."
My starring role as Santa Claus:
"University taught me many things to prepare me for the life of a journalist."
The 36 Best Christmas Movies of All Time:
"There’s a difference between a Christmas movie and a movie that happens to be set at Christmastime."
Christmas Cat on a Robot Hoover #XmasLife
"Feel the festive cheer with our furry friend, and live your best Christmas life."
Expect family talks about climate change this Christmas? Take tips from Greta Thunberg:
"As bushfires rage and our cities lie shrouded in smoke, climate change is shaping as a likely topic of conversation at the family dinner table this Christmas."
N.J.’s Four Queens whiskey fuels boilo, a Christmas tradition in Pennsylvania’s coal country:
"The closest coal mine is more than 100 miles to the west, across the river and up into the hills of Northeastern Pennsylvania. But each year, just after Thanksgiving, a Central New Jersey distiller sees an enormous sales spike in one of its lesser-known products out in coal country."
Christmas Links #10
Christmas tree in western Japan with 51,626 message cards attached sets world record:
"A giant Christmas tree at an elementary school here in western Japan decorated with 51,626 message cards was recognized by Guinness World Records on Dec. 8 for having the highest number of notes attached to it."
Amazon Fire HD 10 review: still a top budget tablet:
"Faster processor, updated software and good screen make Amazon’s 10in hard to beat for £150."
How to Install the Google PlayStore in your Amazon Fire Tablet:
"See how you can install the Google PlayStore in your Amazon Fire tablet and control your smart home with it."
As London’s Tube Expands, So Does the Fight Over Its Map:
"It’s never been easy to design a map of the city’s underground transit network. But soon, critics say, legibility concerns will demand a new look."
Here are the weirdest and worst Christmas gifts of 2019:
"Vancouver Courier’s 15th annual Dreck the Halls gift guide to the unusual, strange and just plain wrong."
Christmas Links #9
Will It Snow In London This Christmas?
"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas... just like the ones I used to know."
Deep and crisp and vegan: now meat-free festive fare goes exotic:
"For years, a plant-based diet was seen as dull. But as more and more people embrace it, food stores are upping their game."
Fanny Cradock Cooks for Christmas:
"Fanny Cradock's recipes for a successful Christmas."
Borders towns see Christmas trees shrink by a third:
"Christmas trees put up at sites across the Borders have shrunk by a third compared to previous years."
Christmas tree of kegs lights up in New York:
"Genesee Brewery in Rochester, New York made a Keg Tree for the holidays out of 530 empty half barrel beer kegs."
Christmas Links #8
Lizzie and Tomas revisited:
"... Spoiler, but I predicted they would get married and… well, the reason there’s no review of the latest Blind Date today is because I am AT LIZZIE AND TOMAS’S WEDDING. I know. Amazing."
From cantatas to carols: the best classical Christmas albums of 2019:
"From small-scale Bach and Renaissance Spain to a poignant Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, there is festive uplift for all."
This 'underwhelming' roadside Christmas tree has delighted commuters for decades:
"'Some people talk about him being a little beacon as they drive home,' says Ed McHugh"
Devils chase children in Czech village's eerie Christmas custom:
"Masked devils march through the village, rattling their chains and clanking bells, going door-to-door to search for badly-behaved children."
Greg Davies switches on Christmas lights in Wem:
"He had one task and Shropshire-born comedian Greg Davies mastered it well when he performed the annual Wem Christmas Lights switch on."
37 Things That'll Make Late '90s Kids Say, "This Is How I Remember Christmastime!"
"It was a simple time, back when all you wanted was a Furby, Beanie Babies, and Old Navy Performance Fleece."
Christmas Links #7
The Nightmares Before (And After) Christmas:
"A Hobo’s Christmas (1987)"
'It shows a nicer way of life': meet the makers of the £100 viral Christmas ad:
"Hafod Hardware owners in Wales say simple message has struck a chord with viewers."
Taylor Swift’s Music Video for ‘Christmas Tree Farm’ Marks the Arrival of Swiftmas:
"The music video for “Christmas Tree Farm,” has premiered, marking the official beginning of the holiday season, and, of course, of Swift’s birthday month."
Someone Said Kim Kardashian's Christmas Ornaments Look Like Evil Tampons And It's Me, I'm Someone:
"Giant creepy dildos? Happy holidays!"
Christmas sweaters are adding to plastic pollution, environmental charity says:
"Most Christmas sweaters are made of plastic and are likely to contribute to plastic pollution in the world's oceans, an environmental charity has warned."
The Christmas Chronicles 2 Coming To Netflix – With Goldie Hawn As Mrs Claus:
"Last year Netflix gave us an instant contender for the all-time-great movie Santas in The Christmas Chronicles – a Chris Columbus-produced festive adventure movie that cast none other than Kurt Russell as the man with the, er, bulging sack. It was evidently a hit, because the streaming service has just announced a sequel – The Christmas Chronicles 2 – coming in 2020."
The 2010s Broke Our Sense Of Time:
"The rhythms of American life changed in the 2010s. How everything from TV to Trump to Instagram messed with your head just enough that time feels like it melted." [via]
Christmas Links #6
Caught in the crush: are our galleries now hopelessly overcrowded?
"Can you really appreciate art when you have to crane your neck, dodge elbows and wait for selfie-takers to move on? Irate gallery-goers in London and beyond tell us why they’re giving up."
Checkout Girl (Get Your Free Copy!):
"When an 83 year old woman dies, she’s not transported to heaven but taken on a detour back to her life shortly before she died. It’s the first time she has ever experienced a detour being the best part of a journey."
The Sounds of Spotify:
"Public Playlists."
[Editor's note: This seems to be the base account for all of the genre playlists on Spotify. The Sound of Everything has one track representing each and has 3,782 items. I think I have a new obsession for 2019.]
Taylor Swift is dropping a new Christmas song:
"The star shared a video teasing a self-penned festive song written over the weekend. The song will be accompanied by a self-shot video, which will premiere on Good Morning America in the US."
December's Schedule:
"Pretend to work."
Christmas family strain:
"How many films have been made all about the stress of family life over the Christmas period? Quite a few. Many of these films are comedies, and most end with everyone enjoying their family Christmas. But the reason we find these films so funny, is because we can relate to that Christmas family stress all too easily."
Exit through the gift shop:
"With the festive season upon us, Apollo’s editors have picked out their favourite gifts from museum and gallery shops."
Trafalgar Square Christmas tree: 'Sparse' spruce ridiculed:
""Britain's most famous Christmas tree" has been branded a turkey over its "sparse" foliage and "anaemic" appearance."
Art of the State:
Chester:
Grosvenor Museum.
Art For years, my annual Christmas shopping ritual was to visit Chester, Manchester, Southport, Formby and Cheshire Oaks. But thanks to my monthly visits to London and each losing their distinctiveness, I've visited some of these places less and less. But I've stuck with Chester which has tended to survive intact, dodging somewhat the destruction of the high street. Not any more. Rather like a more picturesque Stoke, large sections of the shopping areas are now filled with vacancies and businesses which have been in situ for decades have slowly disappeared. Although some places have demolished old stock and started again, Chester doesn't have that option. So what will they do about such places as the block of shops opposite the cathedral which used to house some wonderful jewelry and sweets? All is not completely lost. A new vinyl shop has opened just around the corner from here selling new releases and back catalogue at premium prices but how long will that survive?
Access To Collection.
The Museum is open Monday to Saturday 10.30am–5pm, 1pm-4pm on Sundays. The Grosvenor hasn't changed much since my visit for the last project over ten years ago. The paintings are still displayed between the three areas, the lecture theatre, stairwell and room on the first floor. There hasn't been a significant rehang, although the lecture theatre now contains work by more contemporary local artists, a rather strange portrait of HRH The Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester by Tom Wood has been given pride of place in the main display room (he "re-opened" the museum after refurbishment in 1992) and the still fabulous depictions of workers at Williams & Williams, purveyors of cast iron window frames have been moved to the help yourself tea room in the ground floor of the adjoining 22 Castle Street, a National Trust-style recreation of a 17th century home (currently decorated with trees and tinsel ready for Christmas).
Collection Focus.
Painted and acquired since my original visit, Francis Mullen's Ferris Wheel, Chester, Christmas 2010 captures the town in its ideal state, snow on the ground, grey skies, winter clothing, ancient buildings behind the city wall and lighting and an incongruous object. Somehow, I'd completely forgotten that the wheel had been in place at the beginning of the decade, but this isn't an imagined scene. Here's a photograph of a similar scene from an angle behind the spire of St Mary's Church. Here's how Chester News covered the announcement of the event. Mullen himself donated the painting to the Museum in 2013 and he goes into some depth on his methodology in this interview which also includes a brief biography. This is his only painting on the Art UK website. Most recently around Christmas time, this is how I imagine Chester will be, which is why I keep returning each year despite my increasing levels of disappointment and probably still will.
Access To Collection.
The Museum is open Monday to Saturday 10.30am–5pm, 1pm-4pm on Sundays. The Grosvenor hasn't changed much since my visit for the last project over ten years ago. The paintings are still displayed between the three areas, the lecture theatre, stairwell and room on the first floor. There hasn't been a significant rehang, although the lecture theatre now contains work by more contemporary local artists, a rather strange portrait of HRH The Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester by Tom Wood has been given pride of place in the main display room (he "re-opened" the museum after refurbishment in 1992) and the still fabulous depictions of workers at Williams & Williams, purveyors of cast iron window frames have been moved to the help yourself tea room in the ground floor of the adjoining 22 Castle Street, a National Trust-style recreation of a 17th century home (currently decorated with trees and tinsel ready for Christmas).
Collection Focus.
Painted and acquired since my original visit, Francis Mullen's Ferris Wheel, Chester, Christmas 2010 captures the town in its ideal state, snow on the ground, grey skies, winter clothing, ancient buildings behind the city wall and lighting and an incongruous object. Somehow, I'd completely forgotten that the wheel had been in place at the beginning of the decade, but this isn't an imagined scene. Here's a photograph of a similar scene from an angle behind the spire of St Mary's Church. Here's how Chester News covered the announcement of the event. Mullen himself donated the painting to the Museum in 2013 and he goes into some depth on his methodology in this interview which also includes a brief biography. This is his only painting on the Art UK website. Most recently around Christmas time, this is how I imagine Chester will be, which is why I keep returning each year despite my increasing levels of disappointment and probably still will.
Christmas Links #5
'They threw sausage rolls!' Christmas gigs bring no cheer for standups:
"During the festive season, comedy clubs can be hijacked by drunk, obnoxious audiences. Dave Johns, Maff Brown and Jessica Fostekew recount their worst experiences."
Hashtag hunger: Are Britain’s supermarkets profiting from food poverty this Christmas?
"Sainsbury’s “#ShopForOthers” campaign and other such schemes invite customers to buy extra for people going hungry."
The £100 Christmas ad that blows John Lewis out of the water:
"Move over, Excitable Edgar! The most life-affirming Christmas advert of 2019 is here – and it’s for a tiny family-run hardware store in Wales."
I celebrated Native American Heritage Month by ruining a comedy podcast:
"Last week, I guested on the popular Earwolf series How Did This Get Played, a weekly comedy podcast dedicated to reviewing the worst and weirdest video games." [via]
12 Spirited Facts About How the Grinch Stole Christmas:
"Each year, millions of Americans welcome the holiday season by tuning into their favorite TV specials."
Pastime Paradise:
"One of my pet projects over the past few years has been trying to work out which Doctor Who scripts exist. After all, if you’re writing an article for Doctor Who Magazine, or a book for The Black Archive, it helps to know what is out there. So I’ve put together a rough guide."
How Artists on Twitter Tricked Spammy T-Shirt Stores Into Admitting Their Automated Art Theft:
"Yesterday, an artist on Twitter named Nana ran an experiment to test a theory."
Christmas Links #4.
The Christmas Trilobite:
"Up at 5am writing this year's Christmas story. I was convinced that if I carried on sleeping I was going to forget it. Three hours scribbling by lamplight and I think I've written pages of crazy nonsense. It's called - get this - The Christmas Trilobite. Hurray! Coffee now."
Why are fewer Christmas trees growing in the US? Blame the Great Recession.
"It's an interesting time for the Christmas tree industry right now: There are fewer Christmas trees being grown than 10 to 15 years ago, yet more people are buying them. And, they're paying a heftier price to boot."
Marvel's 'Black Widow' Returns in First Trailer:
Just to break out of format briefly (#nurd), but by the end of this trailer I'm more convinced than ever that that one of the post credits sequences on this will feature her waking up on Vormir perhaps next to Gamora after a final Steve Rogers cameo or some such. The Russos say that the reason she didn't get a proper memorial at the close of business in Endgame was because this film was coming. Well ok, fine, but the more believable reason is that she's not really dead, with Black Widow II already commissioned. Anyway, back to the links ...
Christian group goes ballistic over a Christmas drag show: “An insult to the birth of Christ”:
"The drag show "blurs the lines established by God regarding sexuality," according to the conservative Christian group."
Child homelessness at Christmas up 46% in 4 years:
"The number of children who will spend Christmas in temporary accommodation due to homelessness has risen by almost half in four years, a charity says."
ITV reveals full Christmas Day schedule:
"A host of celebrity quiz show specials, plus a double bill of seasonal soaps."
CHRISTMAS DAY ON ASSOCIATED-REDIFFUSION… IN 1957:
"Christmas 1957 can be looked at as forming a turning point in the development of a more contemporary way of Christmas. It was for example the last year that there was a full set of Football League fixtures in England, although this TV schedule, unlike that of the BBC, makes no reference to sport."
Ice cream themed Christmas tea room opens for first time in Cornwall:
"Christmas bombes and sundaes are on the menu."
The 50 best Christmas songs of all time:
"Not all Christmas songs are naff. Forget the turkeys – here’s our pick of the festive pops for your Christmas Playlist."
Sophia Takal’s ‘Black Christmas’ Brings an Early Present With This Official Image Gallery:
"Blumhouse will be releasing director Sophia Takal‘s new take on the slasher classic Black Christmas on Friday, December 13, and the official image gallery has arrived today."
Christmas Links #3
Oldham College students bid for Christmas Number 1:
"All proceeds from the college's Christmas single will go to Stop the Traffik - a charity tackling human trafficking."
A 'bushtucker trial in a tin' - 3-course Christmas Tinner for Gamers is back by popular demand:
"Yes, that's right! The 3-course Christmas Tinner which went viral back in 2013, is now back with new vegan and veggie options after being inundated with demands."
Courtenay man attends Christmas parade dressed as Satan after 'Santa' typo:
"After a Vancouver Island newspaper accidentally advertised opportunities for "pictures with Satan" during a weekend Christmas parade – which drew international attention to the community – one man decided to dress up as the red man himself."
Or Do You Get Paid By The Joke?
"You would not believe how many times a week I get told that I should not be using Twitter. No, not that I use it too much. That I should not be using it at all."
The one where Central Perk came to London and made new Friends:
"Twenty-five years after the series first aired, UK fans gather on the set of the TV phenomenon."
Hallmark Christmas Movies Dominate The Holiday Season Because Fans Want An Escape From Everyday Life:
"“It’s just something to watch that’s mindless and doesn’t stress you out.”"
Popular Edinburgh chippy gets in to festive mood with return of its deep-fried Christmas pudding:
"A popular chippy in Edinburgh is aiming to get people into the Christmas mood with the return of its deep-fried Christmas pudding."
Christmas Links #2
Christmas for children and families at Liverpool Cathedral:
"Take your pick of these highlights from our Christmas events that are especially enjoyable for families and children."
Why You Are Wrong To Like The Film ‘Elf’:
"There’s been some kerfuffle in Britain this year about Channel 4 losing the rights to show Elf and some genuine upset that this great Christmas film won’t bring the nation together." [originally published in 2014]
Four Ingredient Christmas Cake, 16p:
"First measure out your ginger ale or ginger beer; it needs to be fizzy in order for this to work as the bubbles seem to act as a kind of leavening agent."
Healthy leftover ideas for Thanksgiving and Christmas foods:
"CNN Health's Jacqueline Howard offers tips on how to store and repurpose holiday leftovers, including cranberries and sweet potatoes."
Mince pies tasted by baker Alice Fevronia: 'It screams Christmas':
"The Great British Bake Off finalist picks the best of the 2019 supermarket offerings, with help from Stuart Heritage."
Fawlty at Large, Part One: “Did you book a sprout?”:
"There is a tendency, when talking about TV shows, to get caught up in the same old anecdotes and stock opinions."
BBC One Christmas film encourages people to live their #XmasLife this season:
"BBC One is urging friends and family to get together and enjoy ‘#XmasLife’ with a film that trots out BBC stars and features programmes."
How Yorkshire farmer conquered the Christmas tree market - despite planting them on his 'worst land':
"Dickie Ryder planted 300 Christmas trees in the mid 1970s."
Christmas Links #1.
Merseyrail Christmas Timetable:
"Summary of changes over the Christmas period."
Mince pies with a Chinese twist — Fuchsia Dunlop recipes:
"Sweet or savoury, these most elegant of seasonal canapés are perfect for Christmas parties."
'Have a one-night-stand with a dress': the fashion rental revolution:
"Instead of buying a new dress for each event, join the sustainable fashion movement and hire your outfit instead."
The Queen's Windsor Castle Residence Has Been Decorated for Christmas:
"If you thought your festive table settings were suave, think again."
Fayetteville welcomes Christmas with A Dickens Holiday:
"Fayetteville's historic downtown Hay Street transformed into a Victorian-themed wonderland on Friday."
BBC confirms Christmas schedule, with Doctor Who, A Christmas Carol, Worzel Gummidge and more:
"There will be plenty to watch on the box this year, providing a perfect break from the busy festive season."
Free Christmas grotto bus coming to Liverpool's most deprived areas for families to enjoy:
"Children get to meet Santa and will get a free gift and selection box."
What Are the 12 Days of Christmas?
"Everyone knows to expect a partridge in a pear tree from your true love on the first day of Christmas ... But when is the first day of Christmas?"
Art of the State:
Stoke-on-Trent:
The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery.
Art My first recollection of hearing the name of the place was back in 1984 when Liverpool's International Garden Festival closed and there was much publicity for a similar event in Stoke which I was very keen to visit but wasn't old enough to make a convincing argument to my parents. So when I was casting about for places which were (a) easy to get to and (b) relatively cheap on the train, it was at the top of the list. The museum is in the Hanley area whose city centre is not unlike a lot of the north western towns I saw for the other project, modern block paving and pedestrianisation for nought thanks to the decline of the high street and also in this case what seems like half the town having been demolished to make way for a shopping mall where all of the high street chains monolithically cohabit with a Cineworld and food hall.
The Potteries has numerous other museums dedicated to local manufacturing. A glance at Google Maps shows why this is a tourist destination for people interested in china and pottery, which to be frank is something ... I'm ... not. Despite everything, I have a disconnect with most plates, cups and vases unless they have some kind of fine art or sculptural element. Which isn't to say I won't be returning to the area when the weather improves. The local council also runs the Gladstone Pottery Museum which as Doctor Who fans will know was the scene of the Sixth Doctor's final battle within the Gallifreyan Matrix against the Valeyard in Trial of a Time Lord (a connection which is not immediately obvious from the website for some reason). That I have to see.
Access to Collection.
The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery is open Monday to Saturday 10am – 5pm and Sunday 11am – 4pm. The "art gallery" section of the museum title is a bit overstated. The majority of the displays present a massive collection of decorative arts from local hoard finds through to pottery manufactured in the area along with a smattering of local history. This includes Ozzy the Owl, an old Antiques Roadshow find which was sold the museum at auction. Only about a ten percent of the six hundred and eighty two paintings listed on the Art UK website are on display with a special emphasis on local artists although around a quarter of the wall space is set aside for their numerous Lowrys.
As this handy guide on the Art UK site explains, the collection "grew out of a bequest from Dr John Russell, OBE in 1927 who had attached a condition that the Corporation of Stoke-on-Trent ‘provide a building or part of a building to be set apart for the reception and storage of pictures and to be maintained as an Art Gallery’" How would he feel about the works which have been chosen? Other than the Lowrys and a Constable, it's not a hugely significant collection, but I'd argue that there are some works in the archive which are aesthetically more interesting than what is on show, but I appreciate that's a matter of taste,
Collection Spotlight.
John Collier has become one of my favourite artists. He produced the ravishing Lilith at the Atkinson in Southport and the incredibly powerful depiction of Clytemnestra at London's Guildhall Art Gallery. Brotherhood of Man which is the most eye-catching work in the space, depicts a collective of anarchists meeting to review a bomb which has been invented by a member of the group. As Art UK explains "the posters in the background are based on actual Bolshevik designs that were confiscated by Scotland Yard and, at the time Collier was painting, held in the British Museum."
Perhaps most interestingly for the purposes of this project is that the "figure holding the bomb is Charles Robert Chisman who founded the Art Exhibition Bureau that circulated works by living artists to provincial museums. The organisation acted as secretaries to many painters including John Collier." So arguably he's the man who created the explosive spark of culture across the country which meant that galleries didn't simply wallow in the past. It was gifted to the gallery in 1936 by Collier's widow, two years after his death.
The Potteries has numerous other museums dedicated to local manufacturing. A glance at Google Maps shows why this is a tourist destination for people interested in china and pottery, which to be frank is something ... I'm ... not. Despite everything, I have a disconnect with most plates, cups and vases unless they have some kind of fine art or sculptural element. Which isn't to say I won't be returning to the area when the weather improves. The local council also runs the Gladstone Pottery Museum which as Doctor Who fans will know was the scene of the Sixth Doctor's final battle within the Gallifreyan Matrix against the Valeyard in Trial of a Time Lord (a connection which is not immediately obvious from the website for some reason). That I have to see.
Access to Collection.
The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery is open Monday to Saturday 10am – 5pm and Sunday 11am – 4pm. The "art gallery" section of the museum title is a bit overstated. The majority of the displays present a massive collection of decorative arts from local hoard finds through to pottery manufactured in the area along with a smattering of local history. This includes Ozzy the Owl, an old Antiques Roadshow find which was sold the museum at auction. Only about a ten percent of the six hundred and eighty two paintings listed on the Art UK website are on display with a special emphasis on local artists although around a quarter of the wall space is set aside for their numerous Lowrys.
As this handy guide on the Art UK site explains, the collection "grew out of a bequest from Dr John Russell, OBE in 1927 who had attached a condition that the Corporation of Stoke-on-Trent ‘provide a building or part of a building to be set apart for the reception and storage of pictures and to be maintained as an Art Gallery’" How would he feel about the works which have been chosen? Other than the Lowrys and a Constable, it's not a hugely significant collection, but I'd argue that there are some works in the archive which are aesthetically more interesting than what is on show, but I appreciate that's a matter of taste,
Collection Spotlight.
John Collier has become one of my favourite artists. He produced the ravishing Lilith at the Atkinson in Southport and the incredibly powerful depiction of Clytemnestra at London's Guildhall Art Gallery. Brotherhood of Man which is the most eye-catching work in the space, depicts a collective of anarchists meeting to review a bomb which has been invented by a member of the group. As Art UK explains "the posters in the background are based on actual Bolshevik designs that were confiscated by Scotland Yard and, at the time Collier was painting, held in the British Museum."
#/media/File:Lilith_(John_Collier_painting).jpg){kind=link}
Perhaps most interestingly for the purposes of this project is that the "figure holding the bomb is Charles Robert Chisman who founded the Art Exhibition Bureau that circulated works by living artists to provincial museums. The organisation acted as secretaries to many painters including John Collier." So arguably he's the man who created the explosive spark of culture across the country which meant that galleries didn't simply wallow in the past. It was gifted to the gallery in 1936 by Collier's widow, two years after his death.
Art of the State:
Liverpool:
Tate Liverpool.
Art There's not much more that I can add to the last time I visited Tate Liverpool as part of one of these grand projects. In 2013 I suggested that Tate Liverpool saved my life and there's not much to add to that in the six years since, other than to an extent it saved me again. What I didn't mention then (due to the blog rules) was that at around that time, a company called Morris Hargreaves McIntyre employed me as a market researcher, which amounted to stopping people as they left the building and asking them what they thought. The number of shifts per month were variable, but quite often they got me over a few financial bumps although it did mean that whenever I attended a press day there, the resulting review would be more diplomatic, shall we say, than perhaps they might be. Eventually, I began following Thumper's philosophy and just wrote about those exhibitions that genuinely engaged me.
Access to Collection.
During the winter months, Tate Liverpool is open Monday to Sunday 10.00–17.00, extended to 18.00 during over the summer. But the gallery as such does not have a permanent collection, its contents a mix of loans for the paid exhibitions and items from the Tate's larger archive in the form of Constellations and In Focus displays, both of which rotate their topics on an annual basis if not longer. The Art UK website lists four paintings as being in this location which is an error. Perhaps you could say that it has a permanently temporary collection, a way for people in the North West to enjoy items which would otherwise be in storage or on display in London. It's worth noting that in the past I've privately been pretty scathing about the level of work which has made its way up here, but at the moment there's an astonishingly good selection on display.
Collection Spotlight.
The current "in focus" exhibition is considers Op Art, a movement which unsurprisingly sprang from the sixties given that the proponents, as the Tate website describes, "combined lines, geometric shapes and eye popping colour to create artworks that fool the eye. Images could be subtle or disorientating, giving the illusion of movement". In many ways this exemplified by Jesus Rafael Soto's Twelve Blacks and Four Silvereds (1965) in which dozens of thin vertical parallel lines are broken by a series of black squares floating above the surface which cause the said lines to "move" when the viewer shifts their weight forth and back. This is an interactive display, the viewer being coaxed into participating in each piece even though for the most part they're two or minimally three dimensional objects which we're not allowed to touch.
Unifying the exhibition is Jim Lambie's Zobop, an installation with a 1999 insep date which has been recreated in the gallery space. Perhaps I'm being obtuse in selecting this as my favourite piece because it won't exist in this form once the exhibition closes, but it is an excellent example of how an art collection doesn't just contain objects but also ideas or at least the prerequisites necessary for the recreation of a work. It's listed on Tate's website as "presented by Tate Members in 2006" which presumably means that when it's constructed by the artist or someone else, unless its inside a Tate building its essentially "on loan" even though it's contents are a series of coloured lines spread across a floor. The record for Zobop contains images of an instance of Lambie's effort on the floor of Tate Britain, a much larger space than at the Albert Dock.
The work is the most striking part of the space, filling two of the three display room on the second floor. Lambie pleads the 5th on the meaning of the work, which he's recreated in black and white and materials other than the 3M tape which adorns the Tate Liverpool floors. The lines twist and turn around the corners of the place like Tron cycles or a manic game of Snake, frame within frame within frame. I spent a few minutes following a green line around as it shifted between corners and over concentric ovals which from a distance look like curved slices, an optical illusion often exploited by chalk street artists. What I'd really like to know is how this is held within Tate's vaults. Is it a patent-like statement of intent wrapped around to reels of tape? Photographs of its various installations across the years?
Access to Collection.
During the winter months, Tate Liverpool is open Monday to Sunday 10.00–17.00, extended to 18.00 during over the summer. But the gallery as such does not have a permanent collection, its contents a mix of loans for the paid exhibitions and items from the Tate's larger archive in the form of Constellations and In Focus displays, both of which rotate their topics on an annual basis if not longer. The Art UK website lists four paintings as being in this location which is an error. Perhaps you could say that it has a permanently temporary collection, a way for people in the North West to enjoy items which would otherwise be in storage or on display in London. It's worth noting that in the past I've privately been pretty scathing about the level of work which has made its way up here, but at the moment there's an astonishingly good selection on display.
Collection Spotlight.
The current "in focus" exhibition is considers Op Art, a movement which unsurprisingly sprang from the sixties given that the proponents, as the Tate website describes, "combined lines, geometric shapes and eye popping colour to create artworks that fool the eye. Images could be subtle or disorientating, giving the illusion of movement". In many ways this exemplified by Jesus Rafael Soto's Twelve Blacks and Four Silvereds (1965) in which dozens of thin vertical parallel lines are broken by a series of black squares floating above the surface which cause the said lines to "move" when the viewer shifts their weight forth and back. This is an interactive display, the viewer being coaxed into participating in each piece even though for the most part they're two or minimally three dimensional objects which we're not allowed to touch.
Unifying the exhibition is Jim Lambie's Zobop, an installation with a 1999 insep date which has been recreated in the gallery space. Perhaps I'm being obtuse in selecting this as my favourite piece because it won't exist in this form once the exhibition closes, but it is an excellent example of how an art collection doesn't just contain objects but also ideas or at least the prerequisites necessary for the recreation of a work. It's listed on Tate's website as "presented by Tate Members in 2006" which presumably means that when it's constructed by the artist or someone else, unless its inside a Tate building its essentially "on loan" even though it's contents are a series of coloured lines spread across a floor. The record for Zobop contains images of an instance of Lambie's effort on the floor of Tate Britain, a much larger space than at the Albert Dock.
The work is the most striking part of the space, filling two of the three display room on the second floor. Lambie pleads the 5th on the meaning of the work, which he's recreated in black and white and materials other than the 3M tape which adorns the Tate Liverpool floors. The lines twist and turn around the corners of the place like Tron cycles or a manic game of Snake, frame within frame within frame. I spent a few minutes following a green line around as it shifted between corners and over concentric ovals which from a distance look like curved slices, an optical illusion often exploited by chalk street artists. What I'd really like to know is how this is held within Tate's vaults. Is it a patent-like statement of intent wrapped around to reels of tape? Photographs of its various installations across the years?
Tetris Snake.
Games Double trouble. Play Tetris one one side, Snake on the other, with the same controls. Solid.
Touched by an Audiobook.
Audio One of my favourite stories from the Matt Smith era of Doctor Who is the novel Touched by an Angel by Jonathan Morris. As you'll remember from the review, my experience of the book was incredibly profound. I cried a lot. Much of that had to do with the prose, but it was also because of the strength of the reading because I was listening the actress Claire Corbett read his words as an audiobook. As I said at the time, "I wasn’t prepared for quite how sympathetically she’d bring an entire novel to audio, unafraid to turn the prose into a story told, rather than the rather neutral reading sometimes offered by others", which on reflection rather undervalued her contribution to the experience. Even after all these years I can still feel the tone of her voice as she described the darker moments in the story.
The Guardian has a lengthy piece by Tom Dowling about the process of making audiobooks and the actors and producers within the craft. Claire Corbett is amongst them, one of the most prolific having leant her voice to over two hundred books. But I really hadn't considered the emotional stress the readers experience due to the short timescales, having to plough through the text in single takes for as long as possible, skipping back and forth between different voices for the various characters. But also the fears of producers that in preparation they've failed to notice something important like the revelation that the first person narrator is supposed to be Irish many hours into the process. It's a fascinating insight and has just made me want to listen to more books (assuming I can fit them in between all the podcasts we're supposed to keep up with).
The Guardian has a lengthy piece by Tom Dowling about the process of making audiobooks and the actors and producers within the craft. Claire Corbett is amongst them, one of the most prolific having leant her voice to over two hundred books. But I really hadn't considered the emotional stress the readers experience due to the short timescales, having to plough through the text in single takes for as long as possible, skipping back and forth between different voices for the various characters. But also the fears of producers that in preparation they've failed to notice something important like the revelation that the first person narrator is supposed to be Irish many hours into the process. It's a fascinating insight and has just made me want to listen to more books (assuming I can fit them in between all the podcasts we're supposed to keep up with).
Art of the State:
London:
British Museum.
Art The British Museum (which you can read more about here) is the first of these institutions which caused me to have an anxiety attack. This was last month before this project officially began when I decided after three or four years of monthly London trips it was about time for a visit (although I'm taking the Amy Adams in Arrival approach to time now and including anywhere I may have visited recently as being part of the project even if I didn't know the project had begun yet). Everything began as usual on entering, toilet then lunch from the museum cafe then find the section I was focusing on for the visit, on this occasion Europe in the last millenium.
Truth be told, I'd already been nervous about that London visit for some reason. The week before hadn't gone completely to plan for various reasons so I was already on edge when on reaching the Museum I discovered that the one working men's toilet was in the basement (as long term readers will know I spend half my time in museums and art galleries traipsing to and from the lavatory so the closer it is to the objects the better). Then the wrap bought in the cafe was pretty horrendous, a smooshy concoction with large raw piece of broccoli root in the middle. Then there's the map of the museum which is incredibly confusing if you don't already appreciate the geography of the building.
Such things sound like pretty low level issues but if you're already a bit tense they begin to add up. Once I was in the museum space with the map searching for the Europe section, my head began to spin. When I eventually reached the section I was after, my bladder was already screaming at me, the toilet so, so far away. Between that, the sheer number of people moving around and existing and objects in display cases placed so close to each other in the rooms, one of the largest museums in the world began to give me sensory overload, like the final moments of the Doctor Who episode Turn Left but with the word "distraction" printed across all the surfaces.
Everything just got too much for me and I ended up having to run to a bench and phoning someone I could trust so that I could hear a voice which would take me out of the environment. Eventually Mum was able to coax me back and I left as soon as I could, feeling incredibly defeated. Apart from a visit to the nearby camera museum with its chronology of machines in the basement, the day went pretty much downhill from there and I ended up getting an earlier train home. Although I'm sure it's not for these reasons, for the first time I understood why some people don't like London. Sometimes it's a little bit too everything all together.
Access to the Collection.
The museum is open daily 10.00–17.30 and Fridays 10.00–20.30. Due to its size, I can't honestly say how many of the paintings on the Art UK website are on display. When it first opened, the National Gallery was essentially part of the British Museum so its art collection was transferred there. As one of the notes on the Museum's Wikipedia page says, "Sculptures and applied art are in the Victoria and Albert Museum; the British Museum houses earlier art, non-Western art, prints and drawings. Art of a later date is at Tate Modern. The National Gallery holds the National Collection of Western European Art. Tate Britain holds British Art from 1500 onwards."
Collection Spotlight.
Hokusai's The Great Wave off Kanagawa is graphically complex and thrilling artwork depicting the threat of watery chaos against three boats off the coast of the southern prefecture of Japan. The white foam looks like claws about to pull the fishermen to their death, demonstrating the ongoing conflict between man and nature. It also somewhat captures what it's like to have anxiety, forever under threat that you're about to overwhelmed knowing that eventually you will be engulfed despite taking medication, despite knowing that it will pass, hoping that that if you do capsize you'll still be able to make it back to shore.
Two things worth noting for the purposes of this project. Firstly, it's not listed on the Art UK website which again opens up the discussion about the line drawn between museum ethnographic artifacts and public art collections - although it's worth nothing that because the database began life as the Your Paintings section on the BBC website, it doesn't necessarily feature prints or drawings yet, that would be another massive undertaking. But it is one of my favourite objects in the BM's collection and with the greatest respect far more interesting than the paintings which do feature on the Art UK website which are mainly of interest in relation to the history of the museum.
Secondly, it isn't on the walls, only brought out every couple of years as a precaution against damage, something I only discovered on a further visit this month to see it. Not wanting to be emotionally destroyed by a building, after visiting Leighton House and the surrounding sites, I returned to the museum, taking advice from a few people online to use the side entrance which was indeed a lot more civilised and with less queues. Holborn tube station may be adorned with British Museum advertising, but Goodge Street is just as close and allows you to skip the crowds. London is always somehow less intimidating when you're acting like a local.
Before visiting I googled the artwork to check whether it was on display. You see I did do some homework, and this page on the website indicates "On display: G35/od" - I assumed the letters and numbers were some kind of room designation. Not wanting to have to deal with the map again, I approached the information desk for directions, only to be told that it wasn't in fact on display. Dejectedly I suggested that perhaps the website should be updated to say as much upon which the clerk showed me this page which does indeed show that it is "not on display". Being me I trapsed up to the Japan gallery to check anyway only to find a sign on the wall explaining its absence.
Needless to say, I've emailed the collections database department at the museum for an explanation. Looking now, the acquisition details are different in each entry which suggests the British Museum actually owns two copies of the print but that doesn't explain why one of them is listed as being on display when it appears neither of them are. I'll rewrite and complete this paragraph when I get a response.
Truth be told, I'd already been nervous about that London visit for some reason. The week before hadn't gone completely to plan for various reasons so I was already on edge when on reaching the Museum I discovered that the one working men's toilet was in the basement (as long term readers will know I spend half my time in museums and art galleries traipsing to and from the lavatory so the closer it is to the objects the better). Then the wrap bought in the cafe was pretty horrendous, a smooshy concoction with large raw piece of broccoli root in the middle. Then there's the map of the museum which is incredibly confusing if you don't already appreciate the geography of the building.
Such things sound like pretty low level issues but if you're already a bit tense they begin to add up. Once I was in the museum space with the map searching for the Europe section, my head began to spin. When I eventually reached the section I was after, my bladder was already screaming at me, the toilet so, so far away. Between that, the sheer number of people moving around and existing and objects in display cases placed so close to each other in the rooms, one of the largest museums in the world began to give me sensory overload, like the final moments of the Doctor Who episode Turn Left but with the word "distraction" printed across all the surfaces.
Everything just got too much for me and I ended up having to run to a bench and phoning someone I could trust so that I could hear a voice which would take me out of the environment. Eventually Mum was able to coax me back and I left as soon as I could, feeling incredibly defeated. Apart from a visit to the nearby camera museum with its chronology of machines in the basement, the day went pretty much downhill from there and I ended up getting an earlier train home. Although I'm sure it's not for these reasons, for the first time I understood why some people don't like London. Sometimes it's a little bit too everything all together.
Access to the Collection.
The museum is open daily 10.00–17.30 and Fridays 10.00–20.30. Due to its size, I can't honestly say how many of the paintings on the Art UK website are on display. When it first opened, the National Gallery was essentially part of the British Museum so its art collection was transferred there. As one of the notes on the Museum's Wikipedia page says, "Sculptures and applied art are in the Victoria and Albert Museum; the British Museum houses earlier art, non-Western art, prints and drawings. Art of a later date is at Tate Modern. The National Gallery holds the National Collection of Western European Art. Tate Britain holds British Art from 1500 onwards."
Collection Spotlight.
Hokusai's The Great Wave off Kanagawa is graphically complex and thrilling artwork depicting the threat of watery chaos against three boats off the coast of the southern prefecture of Japan. The white foam looks like claws about to pull the fishermen to their death, demonstrating the ongoing conflict between man and nature. It also somewhat captures what it's like to have anxiety, forever under threat that you're about to overwhelmed knowing that eventually you will be engulfed despite taking medication, despite knowing that it will pass, hoping that that if you do capsize you'll still be able to make it back to shore.
Two things worth noting for the purposes of this project. Firstly, it's not listed on the Art UK website which again opens up the discussion about the line drawn between museum ethnographic artifacts and public art collections - although it's worth nothing that because the database began life as the Your Paintings section on the BBC website, it doesn't necessarily feature prints or drawings yet, that would be another massive undertaking. But it is one of my favourite objects in the BM's collection and with the greatest respect far more interesting than the paintings which do feature on the Art UK website which are mainly of interest in relation to the history of the museum.
Secondly, it isn't on the walls, only brought out every couple of years as a precaution against damage, something I only discovered on a further visit this month to see it. Not wanting to be emotionally destroyed by a building, after visiting Leighton House and the surrounding sites, I returned to the museum, taking advice from a few people online to use the side entrance which was indeed a lot more civilised and with less queues. Holborn tube station may be adorned with British Museum advertising, but Goodge Street is just as close and allows you to skip the crowds. London is always somehow less intimidating when you're acting like a local.
Before visiting I googled the artwork to check whether it was on display. You see I did do some homework, and this page on the website indicates "On display: G35/od" - I assumed the letters and numbers were some kind of room designation. Not wanting to have to deal with the map again, I approached the information desk for directions, only to be told that it wasn't in fact on display. Dejectedly I suggested that perhaps the website should be updated to say as much upon which the clerk showed me this page which does indeed show that it is "not on display". Being me I trapsed up to the Japan gallery to check anyway only to find a sign on the wall explaining its absence.
Needless to say, I've emailed the collections database department at the museum for an explanation. Looking now, the acquisition details are different in each entry which suggests the British Museum actually owns two copies of the print but that doesn't explain why one of them is listed as being on display when it appears neither of them are. I'll rewrite and complete this paragraph when I get a response.
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