Crowd-Funding an Exhibition – Please show your support

‘We only have 2 weeks left to raise the money to stage Mark Fairnington’s exhibition at the Horniman Museum and every pound counts. To find out more, make a donation and get wonderful rewards visit http://www.artfund.org/get-involved/art-happens/mark-fairnington-the-hornimans-hidden-world’

This week I received the above email asking me to help support the crowdfunding efforts of the Horniman Museum to stage the exhibition Mark Fairnington: The Horniman’s hidden world and rather than just tweet or flag it on Facebook I thought I’d quickly mention it here.

The idea of the exhibition is to stage Mark Fairnington’s paintings alongside their inspiration, the Horniman’s hidden taxidermy treasures. The objects will be presented as they are in storage, the aim being to ‘evok[e] the wonder Mark experienced when he found them for the first time’.

Now, I’ve never heard of museums or galleries crowdfunding before, but a quick scan of www.artfund.org show’s me to be rather naïve in that view. So I guess it’s just never appeared on my radar before – but what a fantastic idea! We all know of the growing pressures museum face, especially with regards to funding cuts and this to me just seems like an imaginative way to get an exhibition up and running.  It’s placing emphasis on public engagement and asking the public to get involved and support institutions and culture they value.

I donated – why? Because of my interest in natural history, taxidermy and fondness for the Museum, but also because of my curiosity about how Mark has taken something so ‘of its time’ and made it relevant. I’m really interested to see how the specimens will be represented in his modern art and how he has used the collection. It will bring modern art and natural history together and show that natural history collections are relevant and continue to provide inspiration, outside of a scientific context (my thoughts not the museum’s!!!). It will also enable the museum to show a more extensive selection of its holdings, that it could not otherwise display, which again can only be a good thing, for us curious members of the public!

Anyway, I didn’t intend to review the museums fundraising technique, I just wanted to say what a fantastic idea I think it is and hope that maybe some of you who read this, might also feel as impassioned about this idea and offer a donation to help it become a reality.

Follow the link if you do - http://www.artfund.org/get-involved/art-happens/mark-fairnington-the-hornimans-hidden-world

Thanks!

The Monuments Men: A New Angle on a Familiar Topic

It’s been a while hasn’t it? What with the festive season and the fact I’ve been busy working on my PhD application, blogging has fallen a little by the wayside…. But enough of those excuses, let’s try and get back into the swing of things shall we…

I saw a link to an article this week entitled “20 things only history students understand” (1) and read it with some amusement - a number prompting a smile or even a ‘lol’ moment and the only obvious omission being: ‘when pub quizzing everyone always expects you to get the history questions correct… do you not know the breadth of what the subject “history” covers”!!!! That said and all jokes aside, the second statement really stuck with me, because its true isn’t it? To quote the article, “you’ve had enough of learning about the Nazis – yes you understand their significance and accept why they can be fascinating, but you’ve had it drilled into your throughout your whole education – give it a rest!” I mean no disrespect at all in repeating that article; I personally find it one of the most fascinating periods of history and have chosen to continue studying it in higher education for that reason. In fact, I chose my University based on the expertise of staff who specialised in the Second World War and Holocaust Studies (I know, how I got onto the Victorians and animal history is a blog for another time)… but it did become quite oppressive.

It is all I remember about secondary school history and the majority of A Level history too. There may be a little bit about Motte and Bailey castles, the abolition movement and history of medicine mixed in there, but predominately I have good recall on events in Europe during the Second World War. It’s a shame in a way, because it becomes so drilled into students that I do think it loses that originality which makes it an interesting topic to learn about and engage with. If you’re told the same things over and over again there comes a point where you’re not open to the new and more interesting narratives that might be being offered to you.

It’s become clearer to me recently that there is actually a lot more to the events of this period than we are ever told at school or indeed that are so far missing from the mainstream that very few people actually know about them. Of course topics and events like the Weimar Republic, Rise of Hitler, the Anschluss, and Holocaust take precedence when examining European events, while at home the Blitz, rationing and evacuation dominate the narrative. But the Second World War was all encompassing and as such resonated within so many different areas of society; a fact I think is all too easily often forgotten and one that certainly isn’t shown to students. I know they are taught what is on the curriculum in order for them to complete coursework and pass exams, but I just wonder what the effect would be if an alternative approach was taken (I think I shall do some investigation into the curriculum changes for a future blog and follow up on this point).

One of my favourite projects conducted as part of the MA was the research paper I wrote on a fascinating set of sources I found by chance at Surrey History Centre. These were the diaries of Philip Bradley, a fairground enthusiast, which were filled with notes and newspaper clippings that gave invaluable insight into the affect the war had on fairgrounds and their professionals. I was fascinated to read how rationing impacted what prizes were offered and how steam engines were commandeered for the war effort, in particular demolition work. At a high level we are taught the basic concepts; the policies, reasoning and impact, but very rarely are we shown the impact at a grass roots level and this project on fairgrounds showed me that. It took one group of professionals and highlighted their plight and huge contribution to this life changing conflict - it really brought it home for me.

And this brings me nicely on to what prompted this blog in the first place – the 2014 film The Monuments Men, directed by George Clooney. I’d heard about the film and was intrigued by the plot but until I received it for Christmas I hadn’t got around to watching it. So last night I got cosy with a cup of tea and some chocolate (so much for the January diet I hear you cry) to see what it was about. I’ll be honest, it was a slow burner but it did raise some very thought provoking statements, well obviously if it prompted this blog.

The Monuments Men, 2014.

The film is based on the true story of The Monuments Men, a group of men and women from thirteen nations, who volunteered for service in the MFAA – Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Section – in order to save as much of European Culture as they could from being destroyed, both accidently and deliberately, during the war. Amongst them there were museum directors, curators, art scholars, artists and architects all of whom entered professions which would see them dedicated their life to culture, whether creating it, restoring it or critiquing it. So when war broke out it almost seems natural that they would step forward to protect it from ultimate destruction. I therefore ask, why has it remained one of those aspects of war very few people know about?

In this opening speech Clooney as lead character Frank Stokes, presents his argument for the taskforce to the President, stating that “we are at a point in this war that is the most dangerous to the greatest historical achievements known to man” and that “while we must and will win this war, we should also remember the high price that will be paid if the very foundation of modern society is destroyed…”. Stokes and team then go on to salvage stolen works of art from houses and mines, and if it can be taken as a true reflection of what was identified and found, then it was an astounding amount. As the film develops you realised that in Stokes' mind, art, culture and history are the basis of identity and if that is lost, then it is as if those people, societies and generations never existed. This was a fight for identity.

The narrative is actually very poignant and emotionally charged, especially when you consider that many people posed the question, “is art worth a life?” when they heard of this work. But when you understand the motives of those involved and why they were willing to risk their lives, than the answer to that question becomes clear.

I was left asking myself a great many questions. Would we, in modern society, react in the same way? Would there be people who put their lives on the line to protect and secure art from destruction and return it to the many? Is our cultural identity as tied to these traditional and priceless works of art as it once was, or has time moved on? And, would we still look to preserve the classics, or would we just be looking to preserve modern art, the likes of Warhol and Hirst?

Authors own Photo

It is hard to envisage the reckless destruction that occurred during that time, but it highlights another side to the war – the assault on cultural identity and questions of ownership. I can’t imagine not having seen first-hand the Mona Lisa or Venus De Milo in Paris - just imagine what it would be like to only know of these artworks and not be able to experience them first hand. It was a great thing those of the MFAA did and I am glad that this film has highlighted their work. I just think it is so important we try and find ways of communicating these aspects of the war to students and not just the more conventional narrative, it could be hugely successful way of reinvigorating interesting and putting a stop to those “give it a rest!” comments. I for one will be looking into this in a little more depth!

For another perspective on the film I found a great blog piece here - http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/monuments-men-wonders-art-worth-life

(1)    http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/03/18/20-things-only-history-students-understand_n_4986523.html

Flamingo or Ostrich? St Michaels Mount and the big debate

Having recently joined the working world, I haven’t been visiting as many historic places as I would like recently, but here is a little gem from my archive that I thought I’d share with you while we wait for normal service to resume.



Authors Own Photo

Let me start by posing a simple question; is the bird on the left a flamingo? Or an ostrich?

On a mini getaway to Cornwall earlier in the year, I found myself at the top of St Michael’s Mount staring at a stained glass image of what I was convinced was a flamingo. The shape and colouring of the bird had me convinced (allowing for artistic expression and that this is an old image whose artist may never have actually seen a flamingo before) and I was amused at how wherever I seem to go, I manage to find the exotic animal connection somewhere. So rather chuffed I went back to my friends and shared my discovery, only to be rather surprised when they questioned my identification – the remark, “that’s an ostrich”, sparking the beginning of an on going debate. Needless to say, we then all went and stood in front of the window trying to reach a definitive answer but could only agree that we’d have to do some further research and find the answer.

The Mount has an interesting history that dates back to around the 12^th century. It’s a site with religious roots, has been a location for historic battles, was once a trading port and remains the ancestral home of the St Aubyn family, as well as a small local community. It’s now also a popular tourist destination which tourists can reach either by walking out too it at low tide, or otherwise hop on a boat for a short cruise across the sea. But where exactly do exotic birds fit into this equation? And is it a flamingo or an ostrich?

St Michael's Mount
Authors Own Photo

The stained glass window is located in the room known as the ‘Chevy Chase’ and it would appear that also within the room is a 16^th/17^th century plasterwork frieze that depicts, rather unusually, the scene of an ostrich hunt. I will therefore have to admit defeat (Congrats Porge!), for it evidently seems more likely that my friend was correct and that the image was in fact that of an ostrich.

The evidence got more compelling when I then discovered that this very topic was the subject Karen La Borde’s PhD (2011). La Borde describes how the ‘imagery has long been interpreted as symbolic of the events of the early English ballad of ‘Chevy Chase’, hence the name of the room and through her PhD aimed to critically analyse this plasterwork frieze and add historical context. La Borde later suggests the work may have been that of Flemish artist Jan van der Straet who was born in Flanders in 1523. He drew inspiration from Roman frescoes and mosaics which also depicted the hunting of exotic animals, imported from all corners of the globe for the entertainment of the crowds gathered for gladiatorial contests. Animals seem to be a timeless interest/source of entertainment as here once again, we find evidence of human fascination with rare and exotic beasts.  

Authors Own Photo

It continues to amaze me just how often animals are evident within history when you start to look and how their depictions continue to reveal fascinating insights into human history. Whether it was intended as a flamingo or an ostrich, this simple piece of stain glass art sparked a discussion that only now, six months later, has reached a resolution.