My trip to London

This is a blog post about my trip to London in September.

Play in Our Changing World Conference

The Play in Our Changing World Conference was held at Royal Museums Greenwich’s National Maritime Museum. I attended both the day and twilight sessions. Unfortunately, due to the delays on the coach, I missed the first 2 keynote talks, and arrived halfway through the third. To summarise, everyone has a right to play, especially children. Children should have the opportunity to curate their own play and be creative with what is around them, whether that be an empty space, or boundary lines on a museum floor saying, “Please don’t touch!”. It is essential for people of all ages to play. If parents play with their children, not only does it create a bonding experience, but adults can relax and have fun. The breakout sessions included learning about projects done by other institutions, to not only encourage play, but to learn from other cultures, including that of indigenous peoples, and Nomadic communities. There was also a stress of thera-play, as children in the fostering and adoption system may have experienced trauma and need a safe space to be encouraged to play and play well with others.

The twilight session was two keynotes, describing the collaboration projects with Royal Greenwich Museums and local primary schools. One had emphasised the importance of using recycled items, like packing crates, and nature (grass and mud) to make creative play. Another school was involved in the design of the new play area at the National Maritime Museum, called the Cove. This is a brand new area that has space for everyone, those who like sensory play, and easy access for wheelchair users.

Cleopatra’s Needle

Before I get into the history of Cleopatra's Needle, I need to state two of my favourite factoids ever.

1. The word obelisk is Greek. It translates as "skewer". So whenever I see an obelisk, I get hungry for kebabs.

2. Cleopatra's Needle, has barely anything to do with Cleopatra VII.

(I'm quite tempted to not write anything else and leave it there... but I won't.)

As the photo above suggests, there are two sphinxes on either side of the obelisk. There are marks all over the sphinx bases. These were caused by bomb fragments, that landed across the road. The obelisk originally stood at Heliopolis, during the reign of Thutmose III (1479- 1429 BC), and had its inscription extended by Rameses II (1279-1213 BC). It was then moved to Alexandria during the reign of Cleopatra VII around 12 BC. The needle was presented as a gift by Mahommed Ali, who was the viceroy of Egypt in 1819. For its transportation it was cased in iron, and had an unfortunate accident. It was abandoned on the western coast of France. Obviously, it was recovered and placed ion the embankment in 1828.

Turns out, there are a pair of obelisks named Cleopatra's needles, one in London, and one in New York. It is currently at Central Park, not far from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Mithraeum

The Mithraeum is probably the best ancient instillation I have ever seen. It is a temple to the Roman god Mithras. On ground level, there is a case full of objects found at the excavation, including that of jars and pieces of a door. You go down the stairs, where there are dates and factoids about the street level over time. Before the Mithraeum itself, there is a small museum, with replicas of three pieces found in the temple, on interactive plinths. These plinths go into more detail into Mithras and his cult following, and the symbolism of the art. There are also interviews being played through speakers on this level, by experts of the deity and those who were involved in the excavation itself.

The temple is another level below. There are timed slots for each persons visit, and there is a presentation that lasts five minutes. The lights are barely lit when you enter, and everyone makes their way around the glass barrier, surrounding the entire temple. This is an interactive experience. The curators have manipulated the lights, to create the columns, the inner and outer walls, and there are the voices of the priests and followers of the god, speaking through the speakers. (This is where I have to admit I had no idea what was being said, as it wasn't in English, but it was still really cool!). There is time at the end of the presentation when visitors can freely look around at the rubble, and column bases.

The British Museum

The British Museum is probably one of my favourite places in the UK. However, I went about midday on a Friday, and it was packed. I barely got to see what I wanted to see, and was quite disappointed. The best time to go (if you would like to visit yourselves) is on a Friday night. The museum is open until 8.30. The last time I went, I entered about 7pm, and no one was in front of the Rosetta Stone! So for this bit, I will just briefly talk about my top three highlights:

1 - A Dramatic Metope

A metope is a square block of carved stone, found on the frieze of a Doric column in ancient Greek architecture. My favourite metope in the BM, is from the south side of the Parthenon in Athens, which depicts the Centauromachy (Battle of the Centaurs). This is a fight between the Centaurs and a people called the Lapiths. Here, a Lapith has his left arm attacking the back of a Centaur. Both have no heads (a lot of art from the Parthenon have been damaged over time). I like this one the most because it looks like it could be a scene from an ancient version of High School Musical. The Lapith is lunging away from the Centaur and his cloak is draping from his arms, like a theatre curtain.

2 - Caryatid

A Caryatid (Latin) or Korai (Greek for "maiden") is housed round the corner from the Lapith. It looks like a statue, and technically it is, but it is actually a column from a temple called the Erechtheion, which is still on the Acropolis in Athens. I have been obsessed with temple since I studied it in college. There is no real reason for it, though it may be because of the columns. It is a woman, in a relaxed standing position, her hair is up, and she is wearing a type of dress called a peplos. Above her head is a capital, like on all columns. This is in the pattern called the "Egg and Dart", with the ovals carved out of the stone, and the dart is the shape of the space in-between the "eggs".

3 - Tomb chapel painting

The next piece is an Egyptian painted scene from the tomb-chapel of a man named Neb-amun. He was an account (a wealthy one) based in the Temple of Amun in Thebes (modern day Karnak), and he lived around 1350 BC. These scenes are an idealised view of life, but they are absolutely beautiful. I remember studying about the most well-known piece in my first year of uni, and love going upstairs to see it in person. In this scene, Neb-amun is with his wife and son on a boat, hunting in the marshes. Have a look at the piece below and comment below or on social media what animals you can see!

The National Portrait Gallery

To be completely honest, I was a bit disappointed with the National Portrait Gallery. Like the BM, it was crowded and hot, which didn't help with my temper, but I was also disappointed with the pieces. I was inspired to go after the start of the self-portrait exhibitions at the Atkinson, because they were well curated and just, absolutely incredible pieces of work. Because of these exhibits, I was hoping to be inspired by the modern art for my own artwork. There were some beautiful pieces, however, nothing jumped out at me. There was one historical exhibition currently open, about the Tudors. The portraits of Henry VIII's wives were unbelievable. My favourite was of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII.

Sophie Tea Gallery

Absolutely nothing to do with history, but such a beautiful gallery, by a stunning artist. This gallery is based at Carnaby (SOHO). It is full of nude paintings, sketches, and holographic artwork. She has also dabbled in immersive art as well. A room below, with a mirror wall and a fluffy wall, has miniature versions of her artwork within the walls, and positive vibes. It's just so empowering, the messages and the artwork. Highly recommend for something different to do around London!

Some last thoughts...

London is the capital city of England for a reason. History is everywhere. Literally. There are museums around almost every corner, beautiful architecture on every street, and dotted around the city, are little pockets of history, just like Cleopatra's Needle. Down the Embankment, nestled away by the Tower Hill tube station, is a Roman wall and a statue of the emperor Trajan. Round the corner is platform for some medieval ruins.

The trip was incredible, and it sucks that I only had two days there. Keep an eye out on our social media and blog for more detailed information on some of the pieces mentioned in this post. If you have taken away something from this post, and you would like to find out more, click through the links below!

The National Maritime Museum - Greenwich

The Mithraeum

The British Museum

The National Portrait Gallery

Sophie Tea Gallery

Molly Osborne Egyptologist Links:

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