#but like it was a first contact story with a passion for science but quintessentially a passion for the human aspect | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

nightrainlily · 6 years

Text

DAY EIGHT: THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC, REVISITED

today was our last day in London, and we really made the absolute most of it. the phrase repeated the most today was “this is crazy.” we’re overwhelmed by the art and history we’re witnessing in the museums, as well as on the streets.

at breakfast, Joelle got a chocolate croissant, which I’m obliged to talk about because she hasn’t started her own blog yet. she said it was less good than yesterday’s croissant, but had a 10/10 flake.

we knew that we would spend the majority of our day in the Victoria and Albert Museum, and I’m so glad that we planned for such a large block of time. again, we covered very little of what it had to offer, but what we did see was incredible. we started in the special exhibit The Future is Here, which is housed in the brand new exhibition space extension of the museum. it covered inventions and advancements that have the potential to shape the near future. the exhibit was interactive and engaging and honestly, distressing. the speed at which technology changes and the direction the show implies the future is headed is scary, which I think might be the point. as humans, we must respect and fear our power to shape the world, for good or for evil. we each had a few favorite items:

1. Protei, the boat that cleans oil spills. the kickstarter project describes the fleet as wind powered “ocean cleaning and research open hardware [drones].” read more about them here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cesarminoru/protei-open-hardware-oil-spill-cleaning-sailing-ro

2. a synthetic leaf made of silk proteins that can be used to ameliorate climate change due to deforestation. an article on the science: https://www.engineering.com/Education/EducationArticles/ArticleID/8375/The-Silk-Leaf-man-made-material-converts-light-and-water-into-oxygen.aspx

3. the floating city project. the Seasteading Institute wants to create micro-nations on international oceans out of interlocking platforms: https://www.seasteading.org/floating-city-project/

4. the library to rebuild civilization. these books were curated by a council that includes Brian Eno, and they cover every genre in the hopes of providing a comprehensive guide for people of the future: http://blog.longnow.org/category/manual-for-civilization/

5. the house to prolong life: the Bioscleave House moves around and doesn’t have flat floors so it forces its user to adapt to new environments, subsequently making them healthier. or something like that: https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/03/garden/03destiny.html

we also saw the fashion exhibit, which was possibly my favorite thing we’ve done in London so far. seeing the evolution of expression, in high fashion and streetwear, is truly seeing the evolution of society, and how people relate to each other. the most interesting aspect, to me, was the visible evidence of cultural collisions; Asian fashion changed in response to contact with Western styles, and vice versa. the ripple effect of these interactions is a direct reflection of the parallel political and social changes. fashion tells the story of the world and the people who inhabit it as well as a history book.

I was also fascinated by the section of the Asian exhibit focused on Japanese textile dyeing techniques. there has recently been a resurgence of interest in Japanese folk arts, and the recovery of these ancient processes came along with it. I watched part a short video that followed the creation of a single garment, from threads to a finished product. the dyes are made from roots and other natural pigments, crushed by hand. they were captivating and vibrant.

we spent some time in the courtyard, where we stood in awe of the intricate friezes lining the high walls. the scenes depicted there included images of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, the namesakes of the museum. every inch was busy with carvings. the fountain, where children were playing, reminded us of Phoenix splash pads, except deeply historic and lavishly decorated.

the last thing I want to mention about this museum was the docent who helped us to find the ticketing counter. she told us the story of how the new exhibition space was made, as well as the history of the stones on the face of the building that was bombed. her passion for the museum and her excitement at showing us around was infectious. she made our experience so much more interesting and meaningful; thank you to volunteers everywhere who want to share their love of the museum with the public.

we returned to Le Compotoir, as I said we would. I love Mediterranean food with an undying passion, and this meal was the first we’ve had since leaving home. I could and do eat hummus with a spoon. the flavors at this restaurant were exquisite—rose mint lemonade, bitter orange and raisin ice cream, halva and tahini yogurt. needless to say, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves there.

after shopping around a little (Joelle is on the hunt for a ruffle skirt, a style we’ve seen on the streets here), we headed to the West End for the highlight of this leg of the trip: Mamma Mia. if you read my Sweden blog, the title of this post may seem familiar because it’s the title I used for the day I visited the ABBA museum in Stockholm. I am, as I’ve already said at least a hundred times on the internet and in life in general, an ABBA-stan. the costumes! the English lyrics that sometimes don’t make sense because the writers are Swedish! the Eurovision origin story! the drama! the seventies beats! I can’t get over how many good songs are in their discography, and how consistent and prolonged that goodness was. often when I’m looking to fill a vacancy on a playlist, I turn to ABBA.

and then, in 1997 Judy Craymer and Catherine Johnson released Mamma Mia the musical. it opened in 1999 in the West End at the Prince Edward Theatre, but subsequently transferred the to Novello Theatre, which is where we saw it, nineteen years later.

a lot of things about this production were spot on. I’ll start with the set design, comprised of two simple curved walls made to look like the quintessential white Grecian architecture. I believe there were four or five formations of these two walls, and each permutation represented a different setting; for example, two concave sides out was the inside of Sophie’s room, one concave and one convex was the courtyard. the movement of these two simple pieces was so effective that the audience always knew what they were seeing and where they were meant to be. the costuming was also beautiful; the palate of each scene was coordinated and cohesive. every wedding guest was dressed in red, pink, yellow, orange, or some combination of these, so that the crowd was a wash of sunset hues. the beach scenes were all orange and teal, which invoked the blue water and hot sun. and the choreography! this show is something of an operetta; there are about seven minutes total of speaking, and the rest is all songs (how else do you think they fit twenty three ABBA numbers into the story?), most of which are group numbers. all of which means: there’s a lot of dancing. and the dancing was GOOD. reading the bios of the ensemble members revealed that most of them were recent graduates of music, drama, or dance schools across the UK, and most had extensive experience in West End productions, as well as international tours. everyone pulled their weight, and displayed great feats of athleticism on the stage.

I didn’t stop smiling all through the first act, let my face have a break during intermission, and then got right back at it in the second. Mamma Mia is a feel-good musical, and boy oh boy did I feel good.

we didn’t finish up and arrive at home until after midnight, and we have to leave at seven in the morning to catch our train to Paris. I’m glad we came to London.