The Sensory War, Manchester Art Gallery

I have been meaning to visit The Sensory War exhibit at the Manchester Art Gallery for a number of weeks now as I had heard a large number of good reviews an recommendations. Normally I don't venture the busy town center on the weekend but learning that it was the exhibition's last weekend was the push that I needed to get me down to the Manchester Art Gallery on a Saturday afternoon.

I am going to join the ranks and shower the exhibition with praise. It was beautiful and haunting at the same time, covering a large number of genres, periods and conflicts. Each piece was accompanied by detailed text that conveyed the background information of each artwork and how the artist was connected to that particular war. I was particularly touched by images created by victims from Hiroshima and Nagasaki; none of the artists were professionals by any means but the images that they created were touching and extremely telling of the horrors of war. 

The Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester - Grand Re-opening!

On Saturday I visited the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester for the first day of its grand reopening weekend after being out of action for a £15 million refurbishment. As a Museum studies student and a member of the University of Manchester, it was a very important and exciting event in this year's calendar and has been highly anticipated, especially by the University's AGMS students (Art Gallery & Museum Studies). Having only lived in Manchester since September, I didn't have the fortune to see the gallery before its transformation so I can not successfully give a comparison between the old building and the new. However, what I did find was a beautiful, contemporary space that still held the charm of the original 19th century building while treating the visitor to a modern, open plan gallery. 

Upon entering on Saturday morning, the gallery was already busy and bustling and the staff were obviously excited and eager to help all of the visitors that came through the doors. The new look galleries are spacious, modern and beautiful and highlight The Whitworth's stunning collections. 

I was particularly interested in Cornelia Parker's work, which is the gallery's first major temporary exhibition to mark the reopening. I am the first to admit that I have never been a fan of modern art; I can not often see the beauty in it, (something which bemuses me and annoys my modern-art-loving friends who have to put up with my disappointed sighs) however I found Parker's work to be both fascinating and beautiful. There is a curiosity in her work and often a hidden beauty in the mediums that she uses that I found particularly interesting. I am looking forward to visiting again in order to properly soak in all of her work, as I found the mass of visitors to the gallery that day made it extremely difficult to focus on any one art work for too long. 

With wonderful temporary exhibits alongside beautiful permanent displays, it is no wonder that The Whitworth gained thousands more visitors on its opening weekend than was estimated. I unfortunately couldn't take the crowds after nearly two hours of battling our way around the various rooms and reluctantly retreated to the gardens. However, my next trip is already planned (with part of that plan being to visit the delicious-looking cafe) and I can't wait to soak up all that The Whitworth has to offer!

Elizabeth Gaskell's House

Elizabeth Gaskell's House was bought to my attention by one of my course lecturers (Helen Rees Leahy), she was one of the curators on the project and talked very passionately about her involvement and all of the work that had gone into restoring the building to it's former glory.

Formally owned by 19th century writer, Elizabeth Gaskell and her husband William, the house was only reopened to the public at the end of last year after being restored to its former period beauty. The rooms have been painstakingly designed and decorated to match the few photographs and descriptions to hand, using original furniture where possible and providing accurate replicas where not. I was impressed that everything down to the same type of horsehair seating has been used on the chairs to give the house the most authentic feel possible. 

Some of the objects and furniture on display did originally belong to the Gaskell's and give an air of authenticity and a personal touch to the restoration. I found the staff to be extremely knowledgeable and eager to share their information with the visitors in each room. Mostly, I found it fascinating that you were invited to touch, sit and fully experience all of the displays, something that I have never come across before. With it being so ingrained in my head that most things in museums aren't for touching, it was hard to get my head around that I could sit on the chairs and take books off of the shelves but I found this to be a brilliant touch to this unique little house. 

I was disappointed that, at the moment, there are only 4 rooms to explore and because of this considered the entrance fee maybe a little too high. There are plans to resume the restoration of the bedrooms upstairs and I think that when that does happen the entrance fee will be perfectly adequate, especially because it lasts for a full 12 months. There is also a lovely little tea room situated in the original kitchen of the house that does nice coffee and cake that is well worth a visit after you have explored the rooms. 

MOSI - Museum of Science and Industry

In my time living in Manchester I had not yet visited MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry) and as a good Museum Studies student I felt the need to visit while mulling over some dissertation topics. Now, I am not particularly charmed by Science Museums and industrial history does not particularly interest me so maybe this should have been a foreshadowing of my visit....However, after slightly falling in love with the National Railway Museum in York I felt that perhaps I had been converted and anyway, never knock something until you've tried it. 

Unfortunately, MOSI didn't capture me the way that the National Railway Museum did. Maybe it is because it isn't as grand or maybe it is because (i'm sorry!) I don't find Manchester's cotton industry that interesting. The child inside me loved the moving displays in Power Hall and the interactive exhibits upstairs in the Great Western Warehouse and from the amount of families with small children that I saw, it looked fun for family members of all ages. There were some lovely displays that I found interesting (Air and Space Gallery in particular) and I am sure that anyone with an interest in the historical industries of the north would find MOSI a fascinating place, but I'm afraid it just wasn't for me.

Manchester Cathedral

Today, while visiting Manchester city center for a bit of shopping, I decided to visit the nearby Manchester Cathedral on a whim. It is a lovely, quiet place to visit; it is a definite oasis of calm in Manchester, especially during a busy Saturday. 

It may be small but it packs a punch. Free of charge to enter, I casually walked in, fully expecting to just have a nose around and snap a couple of pictures. However, when I entered there was a lovely musical performance that was reverberating beautifully inside the building. I had stumbled upon the practice session before the Cathedral's Saturday morning Coffee Concert. I was treated to a trumpet and piano performance from Rebecca and Jane Robertson and also a free coffee while I listened. I am a big fan of the traditional organ and choir performances within churches and cathedrals but it was a pleasant surprise to hear something different that still complemented the surroundings so well. 

With such a beautiful, historic building right on my door step, I can't believe I haven't been here more and will definitely be returning for the next Coffee Concerts! (February 7th and 28th)

A Review of Talking Statues, Manchester 

Talking Statues is a project by Sing London designed to bring statues to life from across London and Manchester by giving them a voice. Each of the statues involved in the project is provided with a monologue, written and voiced by a collection of famous writers and actors. The viewer can scan the Talking Statues plaque using a smartphone and upon scanning, the viewer then receives a ‘phonecall’ from the statue. Talking Statues want to create an outlet for members of the public to connect with public art pieces that are often walked passed and unnoticed, and in the case of the less recognisable figures, most people will have no clue who they are or what relevance they once had.

The talking statues in Manchester are:

·         Queen Victoria – Piccadilly Gardens

·         Abraham Lincoln – Lincoln Square

·         The Reading Girl – Manchester Central Library

·         L.S. Lowry – Sam’s Chop House Pub

·         Alan Turing – Sackville Gardens

·         John Barbirolli – Bridgewater Hall

Overall, when personally using the application I found the technology to be very user friendly. The general idea is a great way of getting people engaged in the statues and with using technology to access heritage. I found very few problems with the project and most of the problems that I did encounter were with physical access to the Talking Statues plaques themselves. Despite being named as a Talking Statue on their website, I found myself very disappointed when I couldn’t find the Talking Statues plaque when visiting the Alan Turing figure in Sackville Gardens. I also found that some of them didn’t work or were placed in areas that weren’t very noticeable. The plaque for Queen Victoria is placed on the floor in front of the statue so as a consequence was only noticeable when the user actually walks directly up to the statue. Similarly with Lincoln, the plaque placement seemed a little silly; it was noticeable on the front of the plinth but was placed quite high up. To access the NFC chip with my phone, I had to stand on my toes just to reach the plaque. I feel this isn’t very user friendly especially for disabled people or younger users of the application.

However, overall I really enjoyed my experience of the Talking Statues project. Each statue is represented in a different way, owing to the different professionals that wrote and voiced them. I think each of the authors and the actors that were chosen for the project did a brilliant job of making the statues come to life and to be entertaining as well as informative. When listening to Queen Victoria I was amused to hear her speak about not enjoying the view and her plinth being very uncomfortable. I think this makes her much less intimidating and the inclusion of humour makes the talks much more enjoyable and less of a history lesson which is obviously more likely to keep people engaged. Each of the statues shows how they have a connection to Manchester, I think this is a very important aspect of the project as it educates the listener about their environment and the possible previously unknown local histories.

These statues are often an integral part of their surroundings and some have been there for many years which I think makes them more accessible and engaging both to newcomers and regulars to the area. The project could easily reach out to tourists as it provides lots of information about the statues’ significance as well as background information about that particular historical person. However, I also think they are certainly interesting for locals because many people may walk past these statues daily and not know who they are or why they are there. It could serve to enrich their local knowledge and add something exciting to what was before an everyday addition to their local area.

The project definitely changes the perceptions of the statues and people’s interaction with them. Once they have been given a personality, the statues stop being viewed as art pieces because of the creation of a much more tangible connection with the people that they depict. The project also helps to facilitate more learning surrounding the subject manner of the statues. Many people who have viewed the statues previously and not known much about them may not then find themselves researching the statue later at home. This application provides direct access to learning, allowing people to access information about the statues instantly while still viewing the piece in person. I think the use of public projects such as Talking Statues is pivotal in engaging the community in public artworks as well as creating accessible art for a wider audience. 

National Railway Museum, York

On a family trip to York, my younger brother wanted to visit the National Railway Museum. Now, as much as I love museums, I wasn't too stoked about visiting a museum full of trains and neither were my parents. Dropped off outside the museum, I was left as museum chaperone for the day. 

I have to say, the exterior did not excite me, instead it seemed to prepare me for a long boring day trudging around after my brother. We entered and left a donation (the museum is actually free admission) and were handed a map and a list of the day's activities by some very friendly staff members. We arrived in the Great Hall and almost immediately my preconceptions were proved wrong. Just the shear size and array of trains on display are enough to impress even if, like me, you know nothing about the history of trains.

The huge space that the objects are housed in helps to convey a sense of majesty and grandeur. Beautifully conserved and displayed, there is plenty of information on each train and many have elevated platforms for easy access to peer inside the driver's cab and carriages.

With a collection containing over 1,000,000 objects spanning 300 years of railway history it is easy to see why the visitor may get confused but it's safe to say that the use of space is utilised so well that you hardly notice that you are seeing so much in such a small amount of time. From a replica Stephenson's Rocket to the Eurostar and Japan's high speed bullet train, the National Rail Museum covers every aspect and delivers something for every visitor. We visited during the school summer holidays and the whole museum was very busy, especially with families and children. Even with the large amount of visitors on this day, the only crowded spaces we found were the gift shop and the cafes.

Station Hall is situated in a building across the street, accessible through an under-road tunnel. Station Hall was built in the 1870s and was once home to York's main goods station, functioning for nearly 100 years. The visitor is completely transported to a station of the past surrounded by classic station objects, celebrated Royal trains and impressive historic installations. 

In the center of Station Hall, with the impressive backdrop of the Royal trains, is The Dining Car Restaurant. A beautiful space where you can eat your lunch in a recreated Victorian lounge area or your very own traditional 'dining car' booth. This area was so beautiful and the perfect place to stop for lunch in this historic setting, we were really disappointed that we had already eaten lunch in the more modern (but equally lovely) Mallard Cafe in the Great Hall.

The National Railway Museum also offers some surprises along with the more typically expected engines and carriages. When I visited, the Gallery housed a beautiful photography exhibition covering industrial work spaces and employees. This lovely collection from a variety of photographers created a very artful area alongside the physically industrial space of the Station Hall and Great Hall.

One other surprise for me was The Warehouse; a lovely area that houses over 700,000 of the museum's objects displayed in an eclectic cabinet of curiosities layout. The visitor can spend hours just perusing the thousands upon thousands of objects ranging from chairs and train models to stained glass windows and the Platform 9 ¾ sign from the Harry Potter movies. Even though some may find the scattered display hard to stomach, I found it highly entertaining and could easily visit the museum again just to visit the Warehouse.

Overall, The National Railway Museum York, completely shattered my expectations and taught me not to judge a museum by it's cover! As a visitor with no previous knowledge of trains or railway history, I left feeling happy and educated and because of this I highly recommend a visit, it may change your mind too!

On a side note; I loved the mini-train which runs at regular intervals between the museum and York city center for a small fee. Especially what we needed on a rainy northern day!

Manchester

Today I went on a bit of a trek around Manchester visiting some areas in preparation for an upcoming presentation (eek). On the way I found some really lovely spots that I had never visited before, including Sam's Chop House and the Manchester Central Library.

Naturally I took lots of photographs!

I had my first visit inside the Manchester Central Library and particularly liked seeing the 

books and texts that have been taken from the newly opened Elizabeth Gaskell's house.

 After recently learning of the story of Alan Turin and his tragic life,

 I found the memorial to him in Sackville Gardens nicely understated and very moving.

The whole reason I took my walk around the city today was to visit the statues from the

   'Talking Statues' project. Here you can see Barbirolli, L.S Lowry and The Reading Girl 

from the Central Library. (more coming on that project soon!)

The John Rylands Library, Manchester.

When I first moved to Manchester, The John Rylands Library in Deansgate was somewhere that really made me fall in love with the city. The late Victorian Neo-gothic building was opened to the public in 1900. It was founded in memory of John Rylands, Manchester's first multi-millionaire. Rylands owned the largest textile manufacturing company in the UK and the library was founded in his memory after his death in 1888 by his wife Enriqueta. Sat directly on the street on busy Deansgate, John Rylands is the perfect place to step away from the hustle and bustle outside. 

With church like architecture, the building itself seems to represent the worship of knowledge. The new building extension does not impose on the beauty of the original building at all, housing the cafe and gift shop, so to keep the more modern amenities from interrupting the flow of the old. The new and the old is juxtaposed perfectly with the original walls of the building still showing through as you walk up the stairs and into the library itself.

The library owns over 250,000 printed volumes and over a million manuscripts and archival items. The collections include Medieval illuminated manuscripts, what is believed to be the earliest specimen of The New Testament and the second largest selection of printings by William Caxton. Such a beautiful collection reflects the elegance and the artistry of the architecture itself and provides the perfect setting to browse the historic collections.  

One of my favourite parts of the library is the original Victorian toilets, which can be found next to the original entrance hall. They are still fully functioning and have been unchanged since 1900, showing a wonderful Victorian charm including cubicles large enough to fit in a traditional bustle skirt. Something that intrigues and delights me the most is that the library is still fully functioning place of academic research; all of the books and manuscripts in the library's collection are available to access through the libraries reader services and the dedicated reading room. 

The Historic Reading Room is easily my favourite area of the library, and one of the most spectacular places in Manchester. The huge stained glass windows and floor-to-ceiling book cases make the room a hybrid of church and library that creates an aura of wonder and resonance. The Historic Reading Room, as well as the rest of the library, still remains a place for quiet study, relaxation and research as well as an intriguing exhibition space presided over by the proud statues of Mr and Mrs Rylands themselves. Such a unique space and a beautiful building has fully cemented itself as one of my favourite Manchester places. 

     Well done to the staff of The John Rylands Library & their sense of humour!
    On my visit, Mr & Mrs Rylands were fully mustachioed  in honour of Movember.