So with an entire day to ourselves and each other exclusively(!) this August bank holiday (mostly because we're both too broke to have gone away with friends), we decided to further indulge this mutual interest. And to the Natural History Museum we went! (Along with half of London's parent-infant population...)
Standing in the queue to get in was actually particularly enjoyable (despite all my boyfriends' jokes involving the Britishness, summer days, rain and queuing.) It allowed us to appreciate the amazing architecture of the building, an activity that continued inside. I also liked seeing all the umbrellas in the landscape, I wanted to draw them (and shall in due course.)
Coral Reefs: Secret Cities of the Sea.
I really liked the design of this exhibition - with complex 3D structures made of slotted plywood hexagons, used to guide visitors around the displays, representing the structure of coral itself. This method of construction is one I am pushing in my own personal work, and it was interesting to see it on this scale.
As a scientific exhibition (rather than of art), I wouldn't say my review could be in any way critical or analytical. I thought it was really good fun, really informative and had lots of nifty highlights. The 4D interactive viewing chambers were genius (a installation pioneered by the sponsors Caitlin Industries). I liked that the museum had provided some coral you could touch, as most of the specimens were behind glass cages.
The grouper made a fantastic selfie opportunity!
The use of video, text and visual displays together explained things very well I felt. Lastly the tank with live coral and fish donated by the Horniman Museum, and video explaining their studies into breeding in captivity were a perfect end to the show.
Coral interests me as it really does form underwater architecture. I'm not often drawn to nature as inspiration due to it's wildness and rounded edges, however coral really does have a clear pattern like structure to it, so a nice juxtaposition of nature with architectural-like structure. The colours are so vivid and fantastic, and patterns are formed everywhere you look.
I very much look forward to drawing (from memory) the coral I see. Though it would be fantastic to have an underwater camera, I think I will make interesting illustrations this way. I can always top them up with visits to aquariums. I particularly liked this print that I saw in the gift shop.
After leaving the exhibition (which was nicely peaceful), it didn't take much spent in the overrun permanent collections for us to have had enough of screaming children. Still I got some nice shots of the building, which would be a joy to go back and draw on a more quiet day. The marble floors and warm glow of the stonework reminded me slightly of grand central station in New York (one of my favourite buildings ever.)
The rest of the day saw us enjoy a delicious Dim Sum dinner at New World Chinese in China town, and wonder through the back streets of Soho, where we each picked up some gifts in little purple Liberty bags! Though I shopped in the stationary department (HAY), I spent a good while fawning over the prints in the scarf hall. All the more motivation to get some of my own textiles made up! (Though unlikely on such fine silks..)
Our last stop was the Chesham Arms pub, a jolly little local near Sutton House in Hackney Central. I particularly love the fact that it's at the end of 'Isabella Road'. I literally could buy a house with my name on it! And what a great local to have. A game of monopoly and a few pints later, we were ready to roll home to bed.
With one last thing to do of course...; decide what nature documentary we'd be watching tonight...
