Busy days

In recent weeks I seem to have been offline more than I've been online. That's been down to a combination of things - a new laptop with gremlins and teething problems and other creative commitments. My husband had a week's holiday booked ages ago and we had no concrete plans but we decided to take off on the spur of the moment last week and catch up with relatives in Bristol and Bath whilst taking in a couple of exhibitions that I'd earmarked as wanting to see if I got the chance. Well, in a whistle stop two days we crammed in lots of things and I don't want to bore you with lots of photos so here are a few highlights.... (believe me, you've been let off lightly...)

First stop was the Fashion Museum in Bath, somewhere I'd always hankered to visit. In truth I was a tad disappointed but I think that had a lot to do with the hoards of screaming French school children that were running all over the place. It served to remind me that I don't like too much noise in a confined space. It was hard to concentrate on the information panels and the low light didn't help matters much. The main exhibition focussed on wedding dresses through the ages not surprisingly and some of them were very beautiful, but also very much of their time. Also on display is a previously unseen archive collection of sepia photographs of 1930's wedding dresses by the Paris couture house of Worth. These were beautiful and displayed wonderful designs and workmanship. They certainly did things in style then.

As far as style goes however, I think I missed that gene when it was given out at birth. The museum holds the 'dress of the year' from way back when and they are all displayed in their glory. The dress above is 2010's offering but the only one I remembered seemed to have a lot of shoulder pads in..... now don't tell me that doesn't put me in a very clear 1980's timeline.....

For the first time this year the museum is showing some of its historic collections in a 'Behind the Scenes' display. There were a series of chronological installations showcasing fashions from different eras and the thing that struck me most was how petite the wearers must have been and how much effort they put into their daily dressing. The clothes clearly showed that most people, particularly the ladies, were quite short. They also had very narrow and very small feet which they forced into some very glamorous shoes.

Although I am not a shoe lover , in that I do not have Imelda Marcos sized collections of them, I do find their design and construction quite fascinating. There were lots of beaded and embroidered designs to pore over and I took loads of photos. Sadly, I must have had the shakes when taking a photo of my favourite pair and I cannot share the image of a stilettoed open shoe made with the thinnest, clearest thread by Ferragamo back in the 1950's for some famous actress. They were amazing but probably ruined her feet!

Fighting through the crowds on the streets of Bath (I do not jest....) we headed off to the newly re-opened Holbourne Museum, the main object of our visit. After a three year re-fit and the build of a new extension the museum re-opened last weekend with an exhibition of the collections and work of Sir Peter Blake. This was quite simply, wonderful. I bought the accompanying book to the exhibition and I am saving the pleasure of opening and reading it. As an inveterate hoarder of what other people see as 'tat' I realised that I am a mere amateur in comparison to Sir Peter. Years of accumulated items were on display alongside recent and earlier collage and sculptural works. If you love the unusual this is a must see exhibition . It made me feel it was OK to keep all those things that other people would just throw out.... like my collection of Coronation memorabilia, all my Ladybird books, those empty tins of boil plasters I've been saving to use for something 'one day'.....etc , etc, etc

Before we headed home yesterday we visited Lacock, the National Trust village that has doubled up as Cranford and Merriton for the BBC. Who can forget Colin Firth as Mr D'Arcy striding down the main street in that memorable Pride and Prejudice of 1995? Well, I knew I wouldn't see Mr D'Arcy or Miss Matty but I did want to see the exhibition that is currently on in the Fox Talbot Museum by Jessica Ferguson who creates small vignettes and then photographs them with a pinhole camera. This is something I long to try. I was booked onto a workshop last year which was cancelled due to a lack of interest. I was so disappointed about that and this has just whetted my appetite to look for another somewhere. I so want to try this.

Images can take up to a few hours to be exposed and they are then printed using traditional methods such as cyanotype or salt printing. The images on display were so intriguing. If there had been any sun here today I would have got the solution out and made some cyanotype prints but we are enjoying some of the rain that the garden needs so I'll have to put that plan on hold. Besides, I am tired after all the activity of the last few days. Why does life have to be all famine or all feast? - just like this blog.... nothing for weeks and then 'War and Peace'! If you've fallen asleep by now I apologise!