26. Please sit down.

 It’s Monday, the English Bank Holiday today but almost everything is open. As it is raining cats and dogs today we’ve decided to go to the Victoria & Albert Museum. Did you know that almost all museums in London are free to the public? Needless to say it was quite packed on this holiday weekend. But what a fabulous place. It’s our first time and we will certainly go back on any future visits to London. 

It’s basically a cultural museum I think is how I would describe it. It has spectacular permanent exhibitions including sculpture, some art, furniture and design, and a new photography centre. I really have to let the photos do the talking again as it’s quite difficult to describe the museum. It is huge, on four floors, and you have to remember to look up from time to time, as many of the ceilings are incredible pieces of work in and of themselves. 

I have one photo of a staircase just below. Look at the work on both the walls and the ceiling. 

This was a cute installation. For once, it said, “Please sit down.”
It’s a display letting one test out all of the design styles of chairs over the centuries. Of course everywhere else throughout the museum it says, “Don’t touch.” or “Please don’t sit on the chairs.”

I was intrigued by the sculptures by this artist, Thomas Price. 

His art is made to look you right in the eye. 

This is a carving of Jesus on an ass (donkey). 

Look at the ornate art under the arch. 

A sculpture of Diana, the Goddess of Hunting.
In this particular stance, Diana was portrayed as a runner. 

This installation which hangs from the ceiling was called “Breathless.” Read below how it was made. 

This was a modern work made by an artist in the silver and metalworks section.
 It is a floral display all made from cutlery. Can you see the forks and spoons? 

I can’t describe how incredible the works were in The Cast Courts. They are very large installations, copies actually, of real works elsewhere in the world. When we were on the lower level we didn’t realize this particular piece was actually a staircase. That realization came  when we got to the second floor and suddenly had an aerial view. 

Pour mes petits enfants. This is a display of old cameras.

A model of a Samurai Warrior and what his outfit
would have been like. He looked very real. 

 

Look at the intricate detail.
Can you imagine being the artist who crafted this?
The rooms were full of this kind of work. 

We had dinner in tonight and are putting our feet up in preparation for whatever excitement awaits us tomorrow. Much to my surprise, my favourite book, “The Boy, The Mole, The Horse and The Fox” was on BBC One tonight. It has been made into a thirty-minute animated movie. A delightful and again, moving, thirty minutes. I don’t believe it has yet been shown in North America so this was a real treat for me. I dare anyone to watch it without shedding at least one tear. Charlie Mackesy is such a brilliant author and illustrator.