The working life of Museum of London

As mentioned in our last “Your 2012 ” update one of the challenges facing the Olympic organisers has been dealing with the invasive pond weed common to the waterways around the Olympic site.

This photo, taken last autumn near the Olympics stadium, shows you just how bad the problem had become in many parts of the canals interlocking the site.

When we visited the same site last week a massive transformation had taken place…

A big clearing operation has taken place and we could not see a single sign of any pond weed.

Such a task must have been very labour intensive.

On another note, we also saw this flag along the canals…

We would like to think that word is already spreading about the Museum of London Docklands new exhibition Pirates: The Captain Kidd Story which opens in May.

Look out for our next blog coming soon that focuses on the athletics warm up area beside Stratford High Street and we’ll share too images as the ‘Orbit’ structure take shape.

Peter.

Continuing our monthly update from the 2012 Olympic Park at Stratford in advance of our upcoming visitor host led exhibition “Your 2012″.

August

We are posting this update on a cold February morning, and in the grip of a harsh winter it is worth sparing a thought for those with more unusual jobs. As you can see from the picture below there is a man in the canal. In case you are wondering what he is doing, he is actually measuring the depth of the canal at various points to help out with knowing what parts of the canal need to be deepened to improve access for bigger boats.

All we can say is rather him than us!

September

Here we can see construction work going on for what will soon be turned into a warm up area for athletes prior to their events. it is opposite the Greenway and Stratford High Street and we will show in another blog update shortly how this area has changed.

November

One of the many challenges facing the Olympic organisers is how to deal with the massive amount of pondweed that grows around the many canals surrounding the Olympic Stadium. As you can see there is a blanket covering of the canal at this point and quite how to deal with this issue has not yet been decided.

Yet another big area of change is the transport infrastructure to make it sufficent for the massive numbers of visitors expected in 2012 and beyond. Below we can see part of the solution. This is the area right beside the Docklands Light Railway at Pudding Mill Lane where the Crossrail link will be built. Again, expect some updates soon as to how the area has changed.

Overall then the whole site is still buzzing with activity and will not be finished  until this summer so you can expect many more updates from us in the coming weeks.

Peter.

Hello again,

We have had a bit of a break as we have had changes to the project team, so let me introduce you to the hosts who are taking this exhibition forward.

We now have photographs being taken by myself, Peter, Dave and Donald.

Other regular updates will be coming from Rachel and Matt as the exhibition develops.

We are picking up from where we left off on our blog with this photograph from High Summer:

This is part of the Greenway (a walking route through the Olympic site) looking calm and tranquil. Things are a lot different now. We will show you how in future updates as  interest in the site in general has grown massively in the last few months with organised group visits commonplace including I might add ones for visitors to our museum!

 Our next update will take you through from Autumn right into the heart of Winter.

After we have talked you through these changes we will then go onto discussing further the development of our free exhibition which opens in July this year (one year before the Olympics are due to begin).

Greetings fellow Olympian enthusiasts! When I last left you, the team had just submitted our exhibition proposal to the relevant committee . It’s been some time since that last post (sorry!) so I won’t keep you in suspense much longer. As it turns out, our exhibition proposal was too ambitious, the good news however is that a scaled down exhibition will mean increased emphasis on things like blogs and I am now very important. Also, as we won’t be able to display as many of the fantastic photos in the physical exhibition, I am able to debut the ones I fancy right here, right now. So join me, won’t you, as today we take a journey through this last year.

I have chosen to use the main stadium as the ‘control’ if you will, in order to better contrast the seasons. The decision to use the stadium was a symbolic one for, as the focus of the ceremony and grandeur, this stadium represents the heart of the…
I’m not sure where I’m going with this. We had a lot of pictures of it, ok?

As you may have guessed, this is the stadium in March. I wasn’t exaggerating when I mentioned a journey through the year. Each month hosts have been braving the elements and documenting the Olympic site. In fact, the banner picture at the beginning is from February.
In addition to a control shot of the stadium, I also wanted to include something a tad arty-er, which brings me to this companion shot. The holey obelisk in the photo is a signpost awaiting signs. Hopefully, after the Olympics, the signs will be removed again and the post buried in order to confuse future archaeologists.

Something a little different for April. Instead getting up close and personal with the Olympic site, we managed to secure rooftop access to one of the many skyscrapers that litter Canary Wharf, climb up there, and take some bird’s-eye shots. We’re rather daring here at the Museum of London Docklands, you see. Also, an important conceit of this exhibit is that it reflects your 2012, so we only use photos that we took ourselves and that anyone with sufficient sweet-talking roof-walking skills (or a high altitude office in Canary Wharf) could take themselves.

The observant ones among you may have realised we skipped over May. I’m not sure why. Perhaps we were particularly busy. I would encourage you, however, not to dwell on this omission and, instead, enjoy the spring-time stylings nature has brought to the site and the stadium.
Though the construction process is fascinating, I’m always amazed by flora and fauna of the Olympic site. As the area has sat idle since the factories slowly died off, nature has had a head start and the variety of animal, and especially plant life could be an exhibition in and of itself. Of course the dilapidating factories also left behind an equally wide assortment of contamination.
Luckily for the flowers and the Earth in general, a major push is underway to clean the area. Every bit of dirt on the Olympic site is being systematically gathered, rinsed of all pollution, and released back into the wild. Though I’m still a bit unclear on the exact process (cleaning dirt will always strike me as a contradiction in terms) it’s wonderful to know that, whatever else it brings, the Olympics will certainly leave a legacy of a clean and arable Stratford.

July saw the implementation of what can only be described as a very English campaign protesting the Olympic regeneration. The campaign was waged in the form of brown cardboard signs, as seen in the picture, each sporting a rather adorably genteel and frequently misspelled observation.
In case you can’t quite read it, the one in this photo remarks

The transport links are very usefull(sic) in their own way, but they are just another means of diluting the community.
Other highlights include

I pass it a lot(sic) but I don’t have much day to day contact with it

When you build up an area like this to being urban, like having so much development in it, I think you kind of risk it becoming a bit sort of soulless(sic) and detached from the rest of the world

and my personal favourite

I’m a little bit dubious about the outcome.

Though soft spoken, I suppose only time will reveal if his dubiosity is justified. In the meantime this signage has disappeared as the Olympic site has continued to expand and evolve. Sadly for you, I’ve been taught to always leave an audience wanting more, so you’ll have to wait for the next post to see photos from August through December. These photos are totally worth the wait. Seriously, incredible stuff. You will be astounded and dumbfounded and all sorts of ounded. Afterwards, colours will look brighter. I’ll stop now, I’d hate to oversell you on this. I guess what I’m saying is check back early and often.

In the meantime, have this visually stunning teaser courtesy of Villers Park Educational Trust. They are a charitable organization supporting young people from difficult backgrounds, you can find out more on them here. Recently they ran an in-depth project on the Eton Manor Boys’ Club, the grounds of which have now been incorporated into the Olympic Park (the aptly named “Eton Manor” area). Along with collecting various oral histories, archival documents, and photographs, they hold a collection of 21 watercolour paintings of the area. This is obviously a member of said collection. Brilliantly, they have offered a loan of these for our exhibit and hopefully we’ll be able to find space in our scaled down-design, but at the very least I can debut this one in cyberspace.

Y’all come back now, ya hear?

-Kathryn

Your 2012 Profile of the Week

Donald

Role: Lead photographer/Exhibition designer.

Likes: Travelling, foreign cinema, the feel of wind in his hair

Dislikes: Fakes

Donald is an artiste who is single handedly responsible for drawing up the layout of our exhibition and capturing no less than 27 images of ducks in the month of August. Watch this space for the premiere of his work which captures and quiet corners of the Olympic site in ways both abstract and intimate.

Hi there, Kathryn (host at Museum of London Docklands extraordinaire) here to give you a glimpse into the creation of Your 2012, an exhibition reflecting on the past, present, and future of the communities affected by the Olympic Games. This exhibit also has the distinction of being curated by hosts just like me! Truth be told, I joined the project in progress owing to my recent date of employment. I hope this blog can contribute to the excitement and scope of the project, and I’m also eager to share the things I’m learning as I catch up with my colleagues.

Our last meeting was a Big One. It was the meeting during which we finalised the Exhibition Concept and Content Outline. Said outline is now being reviewed by a team of experts, and if all goes well, we will be assigned a project manager by the end of October and can begin putting together all the material collected and researched during the past months.

The exhibition has a very photographic emphasis, which has the double benefit of showing the fascinating evolution of the Stratford area and being very cheap. Evidently the nation is in some sort of recession, who knew? Nevertheless, it’s been a fascinating enterprise scrolling through photos taken at the site every month since February and seeing the transformation through the spring and summer. Last week I was able to add autumn, and compare the photos with the evidence of my own eyes when I took my first trip to the Olympic site.

We didn’t actually go inside the site (though they do offer bus tours), but walking around the area was an incredible experience.  As a frequent patron of the DLR, it was fascinating to see more than tiles proliferate on the roof of the aquatic centre and to explore the landmarks I studied twice a day from the window of the little teal train. A neon lime construction turned out to be the View Tube, a gallery/classroom/café/lecture theatre/viewing platform…let’s just call it a multipurpose space. When I was there, they were just hanging a display of art made by a local youth group consisting of gorgeous photos of the site, meshed and modified into something I wanted to hang on my wall.

The View Tube itself is built out of disused shipping containers, a method very much in keeping with the Olympics on whole. Evidently, as the Stratford area was by no means short of bits and bobs (and I-beams) of disused factory detritus, the project managers are endeavouring to salvage and reuse as much material as possible in the construction of the

Olympic Village. They’re even using the local network of currently algae-clogged waterways to transport these salvage materials quickly and cheaply. It makes me feel all green and fuzzy inside. (Perhaps that’s the algae)

I could go on, but this post is meant to be about Your 2012 so lets return to the Museum of London Docklands hosts, and their steps and progress in making the exhibition a reality. Currently we have a blueprint for the gallery and a layout for the exhibition, the most recent addition to the plan being a frieze along the top and bottom of the walls featuring our myriad of artistic and quirky photos. We are also attempting to get a bird’s eye photo of the Olympic Stadium therefore one of us will be flying to Belgium and back in order to capture some aerial shots. As you do. Details (who/when/how) are still a bit sketchy, but believe me, I will keep you posted.

Cheers!

Kathryn

Your 2012 Profile of the Week

Dave

Role: Archaeological liaison, tour leader, and Olympics Mastermind.

Eyes: Blue

Hair: N/A

Dave knows everything about the Olympic site because it is situated in his back garden and because he knows everything.  I know this, because he took me on his home-made, hand-crafted tour this week. Be sure to catch his ITV 1 debut in Whitechapel this Monday. He’s the one yelling “HIT ‘IM!”

Here are the things we in the Visitor Services team have been up to this month ….

Measure for Measure at the Almeida

Ally headed to the Almeida to see Measure for Measure. Once you’ve navigated the funky but slightly socially awkward fold-down bench seats, the Almeida is a brilliant characterful theatre, and the production was great- really playing up the black comedy in the text. As ever, the best characters are the baddies, and this play is no exception. A must-see for anyone who likes their Shakespeare tense and dark.

http://www.almeida.co.uk/production_details/production_details.aspx?code=90

Wonder Fish, 407 Camden Stables

Rachel dipped her toes (quite literally) into a bowl of Garra Rufa  aka Doctor Fish – so named for their ability to clear up even the most crusty of feet at Wonder Fish in Camden. The idea behind Wonder Fish is to immerse your feet into bowls of warm water full of the small minnow like fish. The fish instantly swarm to the most dry and crusty areas of your feet and nibble away to reveal a beautiful fresh layer of skin underneath. The fish originated in two areas of Turkey and have long been known for their ability to clear up skin conditions and dry skin. The treatment is now increasingly popular across the Japan, Korea and Turkey -  Alex tried the treatment when he was in Korea.

Tickly but painless with fantastic results! Just what you need after standing in a gallery all day! This is well worth a trip at only £6 for 15mins.

Kingdom of Ife: Sculptures from West Africa

You’ve probably read the rave reviews so we won’t go into to much detail except to say everything you’ve heard is true – a fab exhibition. Just the right size and particularly good panel descriptions. If you can’t make it to the exhibition you can see a couple of the sculptures on loan from the British Museum in our London, Sugar and Slavery Exhibition at Museum of London Docklands.

http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/all_current_exhibitions/kingdom_of_ife.aspx

Blaze at the Peacock Theatre

You’ve only got until the 28th March to see them but if you can get there, get to Blaze. An amazing show, back to back, non stop routines, intelligent with a sense of humour. Quite a few cheaper tickets were available to. Our £10 tickets at the back of the stalls had excellent views of the stage.

http://www.sadlerswells.com/show/Blaze

Henry Moore at TATE Britain

Ally went to see the Henry Moore show with a colleague – it was great but both found it hard to ‘turn off’ being Museum geeks! Unwittingly the highlight of their Day Of Culture had turned into a Gallery Maintenance Walk, with surreptitious wiping of fingers to check for dust and tut-tutting at peeling captions. However the exhibition is fantastic, even if we did struggle to hold back from touching the achingly tactile sculptures.

http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/exhibitions/henrymoore/default.shtm

Amsterdam

Alex went to Amsterdam to relax in luxury on the River Amstel. His favourite Modern Art Museum, the Steidlijk, was closed for major renovations and even the national museum, Rijksmuseum , was doing a “MOL” and was 3/4 closed! So abandoning culture, a spa and bath were ordered and he found the beautiful art deco baths which reminded him of the Selfridges lifts in our collection – but with much more nudity!

http://www.saunadeco.nl/faciliteiten2.html

http://www.stedelijk.nl

http://www.rijksmuseum.nl

Sheffield

Lynne spent the weekend up in Sheffield and put together her recommendations …

The Sheffield Museum

Exhibitions covering the history of the city and the natural history of the local area. Lynne was aware that Sheffield was famous for steel, surgical instruments and cutlery, but was unaware that it was the home of Basset’s liquorice allsorts and jelly babies! The museum underwent major renovation a few years ago and won The Guardian award for “Family friendly museum 2008”. There were lots of things for kids to do include using plastic food to construct a picnic lunch to take walking in the peak district,  dressing up as a Victorian maid or butler and using microscopes to examine pieces of Roman Samian ware.

There was also a really cool “bugs” gallery and the café served a “bug hunters” children’s meal in a “McDonalds style” package. The gift shop was very interesting, with a selection of beautiful soft toy dinosaurs. Lynne and her partner are now the proud owners of a T Rex and jelly baby badges!

Bakewell

This village on the Pennines is famous for a delicacy known as the Bakewell tart, it is also a really beautiful place. Even on a cold, misty day in early February, you could see the potential as a summer picnic spot. Cold chicken and salad, white wine, feet in the clear sparkling river, perfect! Be sure to visit the Bakewell pudding shop. Yes pudding, not tart! The shop does sell white iced almond confections with a strategically placed cherry, but do try the puddings. The puddings look a little like a treacle tart but taste like crème caramel (on a pastry base) and have the texture of custard tart. Very sweet and excellent with custard.

If you can’t make it to Bakewell you can ‘post a pudding’ with the The Old Original Pudding Company.

http://www.bakewellpuddingshop.co.uk

Yet to come ….

Ashley’s excited about going to a Powderfinger (Australian band) concert late April, Brixton Academy. It is rare that they perform let alone in the UK so well worth getting tickets if you can get hold of them.

The Visitor Services team here at Museum of London aims to engage and enthuse every visitor that walks through the door with our passion for London. We hope that this extends into our blog posts. Every month (or so) we make our recommendations for all things London plus a few highlights from our travels elsewhere. We hope that through our blog you’ll get to know us better, our personal obsessions, interests and past times – basically what we’re into each month.

If you do follow up a recommendation let us know what you thought of it either by…

• Popping in to see us in the galleries, you can’t miss us – we’re usually walking around with a chainmail hood, hand axe or similar – oh and the uniform’s a bit of a give away too!
• Sending us a letter – we love post! 150 London Wall, EC2Y 5HN
• Commenting on here, the Museum’s Facebook page, Tweeting at us… etc
• Dropping us an email – hosts-mol@museumoflondon.org.uk

Post by Rachel Kuhn, Team Leader

(Page updated with image: 8 April 2010)

Welcome to the Visitor Service team’s first blog entry! The Visitor Services team here at Museum of London aims to engage and enthuse every visitor that walks through the door with our passion for London. We hope that this extends into our blog posts. In the coming months we’ll be making our recommendations for all things London plus a few highlights from our travels elsewhere. We hope that through our blog you’ll get to know us better, our personal obsessions, interests and past times – basically what we’re into each month.

If you do follow up a recommendation let us know what you thought of it either by …

• Popping in to see us in the galleries, you can’t miss us – we’re usually walking around with a chainmail hood, hand axe or similar – oh and the uniform’s a bit of a give away too!
• Sending us a letter – we love post! 150 London Wall, EC2Y 5HN
• Commenting on here, the Museum’s Facebook page, Tweeting at us… etc
• Dropping us an email – hosts-mol@museumoflondon.org.uk

So here are the things we’re into this month ….

A couple of the gang went to Tower 42. Amazing views – including out across the Olympic site, great service, nice Tapas type food. Very chic. Book a couple of weeks in advance though.

Chris visited Greenwich on a sunny Monday – recommended for a week day because area is much quieter then. Begin the day by having milkshakes at a café which promises over 100 flavours of milkshakes just down from the Cutty Sark. Visit the Maritime Museum and learn about British sea voyages, the telescope and take in a show at the Planetarium. Have lunch at one of the cheap Thai/Chinese places around Cutty Sark aimed at students – you get the £ to portion ratio!! Top tip – to try get in on the kids’ session at the Maritime Museum as they come up with some classic lines and are clearly legends in the making.

Rachel, Ashley and Leigh finally made it to a Jack the Ripper walk (having been promising to go for ages). They went on a walk organised by London Walks with Donald Rumbelow. A good one to go to with a bunch of mates and he really knows his stuff. When you’re done head for a curry in Brick lane. You can also buy Donald’s book, The Complete Jack the Ripper, in the Museum shop.

Our newest discovery is Jen’s Café in China Town – head there for ‘bubble tea’. Any flavour is good.

Ashley visited the Imperial War Museum and recommends the special exhibition on espionage.

A bit further afield, Kareen went to a cool coffee place in Stockholm on Sveavägen which is one of the main roads in the city. The place was full of strange antiquities and had a view out onto most of the city. Well worth a visit.

And Rachel headed to Paris – visiting the catacombs. Walk through the old underground quarries deep beneath the city streets that hold the remains of (allegedly) over six million Parisians.

And finally we have to give ourselves a quick plug … we (of course) recommend our brilliant Gallery Highlight Tours at 12.00 and 4pm every day – come and hear about 450,000 years of London history including Roman bikinis, medieval castration tools and prehistoric trepanation.

Post by Rachel Kuhn, Team Leader