Welcome to the 24 Hour Museum news in brief page for the week ending July 20 2008.
18.07.2008 - Party free with the Museum of Science and Industry - if you are 25!
Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) in Manchester is planning a birthday party for the preview night of a new show which celebrates 25 years of its collections. If you were born on the same day the museum opened its doors MOSI wants you to join in the celebrations!
The museum wants to invite anyone who was born on its opening day, 15 September 1983, to come to the preview of the 'Making of MOSI' exhibition' on 24 July. The exhibition, which features the history of the museum's development in the context of changes in North West science and industry, will open to the public on 28 July.
Tony Hill, Acting Director at MOSI said: "The Making of MOSI exhibition is as much a reflection of the changes in the North West over the last 25 years, as a celebration of the story of one of Manchester's most popular and established attractions. If you were born on the same day as the museum opened please do get in touch to claim your invitation, and celebrate your 25th year with us!"
MOSI is based at the former Liverpool Road station, which was built in 1830 as part of the Liverpool and Manchester railway and is the oldest surviving passenger railway station in the world.
The Making of MOSI exhibition opens on 28 July and runs until 4 January. If you are 25 years old on 15 September 2008 please contact Sarah Roe on Tel: 0161 606 0176 to claim a complimentary ticket for the preview night on 24 July.
17.07.2008 - Bowes Museum musical swan automaton rebuild begins in September
Conservation of the Bowes Museum's unique, lifesize, 230-year-old Silver Swan musical automaton has begun, with initial work on the rarity taking place already.
Specialist horologist Matthew Read will work on the metallic bird in the galleries in September 2008. Matthew's work will allow the development of a complete conservation record ensuring Bowes staff can keep the swan in working order for many years to come.
The swan, made in 1773, was immortalised by Mark Twain in his book The Innocents Abroad. It is the only one of its kind in the world and for the first time in its history every component will be recorded, piece by piece.
Despite its outer facade, and lack of dial and hands, the swan is operated by three intricate clockwork mechanisms.
The Cecil Higgins Art Gallery in Bedford has purchased a rare 30-piece tile panel by the Gothic Revival designer William Burges thanks to grants from the MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund, The Art Fund, and from the Cecil Higgins Trustees.
The tile panel dated circa 1880, consists of twelve signs of the zodiac with eighteen border tiles of other designs. Only three complete sets of the tiles are known to exist, the others being at Castell Coch in Cardiff and Mount Stewart on the Isle of Bute.
The Gallery bought the tiles for a total of £25,000 at a Sotheby’s auction. The sale hit the headlines due to the interest of Jimmy Page, the Led Zeppelin guitarist who owns Tower House, a gothic style house designed by William Burges in 1877 for his own residence. The auction sold works from the Page collection and also that of Gary Kemp of eighties’ band, Spandau Ballet.
The tiles join what is now one of the best collections of works by William Burges (1827-1881), outside London and Cardiff. The collection includes Burges’ own bed, dressing table and the ‘Narcissus’ washstand as well as a wardrobe and a zodiac-themed bookcase.
William Burges (1827-81), was one of the leading exponents of the Gothic Revival. An architect and designer who counted among his patrons the Marquis of Bute, for whom he redesigned Cardiff Castle and built Castell Coch, examples of his furniture and metalwork designs can be seen in Cardiff, London and Chicago as well as Bedford.
The Cecil Higgins Gallery is planning a major refurbishment which will include the transformation of a unique hexagonal building from the 1800s into a stunning new Burges Gallery decorated in an authentic recreation of Burges’ style. The new space will house the entire Burges collection as well as pieces by other Gothic revival architects and designers, including tiles by Henry Holiday and A.W.N. Pugin.
Two medieval carved ivory panels, separated in antiquity, were re-united at National Museum Cardiff on Monday 14 July 2008, and put on display at the museum from Tuesday 15 July 2008.
The diptych - an object with two flat plates attached at a hinge – will be seen whole during the museum’s National Archaeology Week celebrations, thanks to Dr Mark Redknap, Curator of Medieval and Later Archaeology.
The right panel was discovered during the demolition of the ‘old well house’ at Llandaf, Cardiff in 1836 and was acquired by Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales in 1901. More than 100 years later, as Dr Redknap worked late one evening researching its history and date ahead of the opening of the National Museum Cardiff’s Origins: In Search of Early Wales exhibition, he realised he’d found the panel’s exact match.
“As I looked through a catalogue of ivories in preparation for the Origins exhibition, I noticed the decorative details, dimensions, condition and hinge positions of our ‘Llandaf piece’ corresponded very closely with a left hand ivory panel pictured in the publication,” said Dr Redknap. “It was one of those ‘eureka’ moments. I couldn’t wait to get into work the next day to confirm my suspicions.”
The right-hand panel of the diptych, which was made in Paris about 1340/60, portrays Christ on the cross flanked by Mary and John as a young man. The left-hand panel, which shows the Virgin and Child flanked by SS Peter and Paul, was at the Walker Art Gallery, National Museums Liverpool.
Robin Emmerson of National Museums Liverpool said:
“We are thrilled by Dr Redknap’s discovery and delighted to be able to reunite the two halves of this ivory carving.”
The reunited diptych panels will be shown at National Museum Cardiff for 12 months, thanks to the generosity of National Museums Liverpool. When the original is returned, a highly accurate laser cut resin copy of the left panel – commissioned for the Origins exhibition in 2007 - will be on display.
14.07.2008 - Visitors flock to Hayward to celebrate venue's 40th birthday
2700 visitors took part in The Hayward Gallery's 40th Birthday celebrations and enjoyed the acclaimed Psycho Buildings exhibition for 40p on Friday 11 July 2008.
As a thank you to the public, the gallery dropped the usual £10 ticket price for the opening hours of 10am to 10pm, allowing 12 hours of viewing for just 40p. The day was made possible with the support of Bloomberg, the sponsors of Psycho Buildings.
The day marked the end of a week of birthday celebrations which included a 40th Birthday Party, sponsored by Eversheds LLP, on Wednesday 9 July. The party brought together 600 guests including artists Jeremy Deller, Antony Gormley, Maggi Hambling, Richard Long, Phillip King, Gustav Metzger, Julian Opie, Cornelia Parker, Grayson Perry, Michael Raedecker, Yinka Shonibare and Gavin Turk.
Gallery Directors present included Sir Nicholas Serota (Tate), Julia Peyton-Jones (Serpentine Gallery), Ekow Eshun (ICA) and Iwona Blazwick (Whitechapel Art Gallery).
Cards wishing The Hayward a Happy Birthday were sent by well-wishers including Sir Anthony Caro, David Hockney, Bob and Roberta Smith, Richard Wentworth, Rachel Whiteread, Sam Taylor-Wood, Rick Mather, Rt Hon Andy Burnham MP and Ed Vaizey, MP.
The birthday was marked by the cutting of a spectacular birthday cake created in the shape of The Hayward by cake-designer Rachel Mount.
The Hayward’s 40th Birthday season continues this autumn with a major new exhibition of Andy Warhol and the first UK exhibition of South African artist, Robin Rhode.
