Collecting memories: music for posterity

The outside of the building was bathed in icy blue light, perhaps in deference to the subject of the evening’s entertainment? I found myself thinking of the film, The Artist, as I sat silently in the auditorium at the Cadogan Hall last night. But this was a very different experience - in fact, it was almost the total opposite of watching a silent movie.












Whilst it is possible to get totally lost in music, classical concerts remain rather two dimensional – there’s just the sound we hear (though I suppose this could be described as a multidimensional realm in itself), and the musicians sitting on the stage, playing their instruments. But this concert, performed by the City of London Sinfonia, in association with the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI), also incorporated photography and the spoken word - along with a small display of artefacts from the SPRI Museum, which were hidden away in one corner of the concert hall foyer.

Hugh Bonneville, of Downton Abbey fame, was the narrator in the first piece - Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Scott of the Antarctic. The readings were from Captain Scott’s Last Expedition, Volume One (of which I just happen to own a copy - and from which these images are taken).

















Vaughan Williams’ Symphony No 7, Symphonia Antarctica, was accompanied by photographs of the expedition by Herbert Ponting - historical treasures in their own right.




















And the concert also included the first airing of a new work by Cecilia McDowell: Seventy Degrees Below Zero was specially commissioned as part of the Scott 100 series of events.























Oh, and did you know that Scott and his companions found the first breeding emperor penguin colony? A proud mother with her offspring can be seen left.

Did you also know that it’s Mother’s Day on 18th March? So if you’re looking for something curiously collectable like these books, do check out the selection of unusual gifts at ShopCurious...

Will you?

Memories, magic and bountiful blessings

I could easily have spent a whole day at the Wellcome Collection. The latest show, Miracles & Charms, which starts tomorrow and runs until 26th February 2012, is actually two exhibitions. The trailer video gives a taster, but is no match for the miracles and charms you will encounter:





















The rooms are packed from floor to ceiling with saviours, protectors, mascots, amulets - and about as much good luck as you could ever wish for. One part is dedicated to Infinitas Gracias: Mexican miracle paintings. There are over a hundred votive paintings, depicting around 300 years of answered prayers (see above, top). There’s also a contemporary votive wall (see above, right and below) from a church in Guanajuato, filled with everything from family photographs, drawings, love letters, and examination certificates to religious relics, wedding dresses, bouquets, and baby clothes. This part of the exhibition explores the culture and people behind the votive tradition.


















The other part of the show features hundreds of lucky charms amassed by Bank of Scotland cashier and obsessive folklorist, Edward Lovett (1852-1933), who scoured the city by night, buying curious objects from London’s herbalists, mudlarks, barrowmen, and sailors. They eventually became part of Henry Wellcome’s collection, curated here by Felicity Powell, and displayed as a ‘river’ of artefacts in a horseshoe-shaped cabinet, alongside some of her own contemporary works.




Powell’s Charmed Life is “A please to the votives’ thank you” and considers the strange allure of small objects, invested with mysterious potency and meaning through superstition. Like this sovereign-sized disc of paper, on which is inscribed the Lord’s Prayer (though you’d need a magnifiying glass to read it), which was taken into battle by a World War I soldier.




Other curiosities include peony seeds (for sudden incapacity), sea horses (kept by the nursing wives of fishermen to facilitate the flow of milk to their breasts), mole feet (a cure for cramp), acorn amulets (a safeguard against lightning), coral (for “sympathy with blood”, or good health), and a parade of lucky shoes (symbolizing the path of life). If you’re looking for something similar, you may wish to visit ShopCurious.





Powell’s wax images, meticulously crafted onto mirror backs, are extraordinary and worth an exhibition in their own right. Watch her film, Sleight of Hand, based on the theme of concealment – or mediate to William Basinski’s ambient music, as nebulous concepts, like hope and anxiety, are given form...

I just hope this inspires you to go along. The clincher is that it’s free of charge – the only requirement is that you’re incurably curious…

Are you?

Rummaging through retro memories

Philip Woolway’s ‘fish eye’ photographs of curiously cluttered junk shops illustrate a curiosity shop style that is very 'of the moment'.

These sorts of establishments are where contemporary jewellery and accessories designers often go to find retro bits and pieces for upcycling into curiously characterful new creations. Check out some of the uniquely arty items I’ve spotted in our latest Curious Trends post.

Products with past lives and provenance assume added value in today’s superficial, soulless world. Of course, you can create your own story too – and at ShopCurious we’ve got some ready-aged journals so you can do just that. The diaries in question are conveniently undated, yet give the impression of having been around for a good few years:



















There are several to choose from, including a girly pink ‘Soulmate’ version, and a somewhat more antiquated ‘Moment de Memoire’ - which wouldn’t look out of place in an old fashioned gentleman’s library. They’ll make great Christmas gifts – plus you’ll avoid the crowds (and less original items) on the high street.





















Alternatively, you may wish to record your own doings and thoughts. A few notes scribbled in an old book, perhaps alongside the odd photograph, may well become precious memories one day. Or you could always invest in one of Philip’s charmingly curio-filled photos and go all gooey about how things used to be…

Will you?

Food, style and brains...

Eating out isn’t just about the food. Presentation is also a significant part of the overall culinary experience. The way dishes are put together on a plate has become something of an art. Of course, it helps if the tableware is aesthetically appealing too.








Fresh ingredients, artfully arranged on a plain white plate, can look very appetizing (though excuse my foot, which crept into one of these shots).







Masters of Asian Fusion style, like Nobu, can turn a simple soup into a beautiful work of art.

Rustic plates in earthy coloured glazes (see below) add to the allure of the dishes.



















But ultimately, it’s still the taste that counts. The rather curious looking sloppy brown goo (pictured right) on my plate at the Chelsea Arts Club the other night was absolutely delicious – even though I was a little put off by the thought of eating brains…

I’ll certainly remember the first time I sampled the rather unusual dish of 'curried calves brain, cauliflower puree, rocket and capers'.





If you enjoy cooking up memories, you’ll love this curiously clever food journal from ShopCurious. By the way, whose culinary skills do you most admire?

Do you?

PS Read about the office lunch of the future in my RetroProgressive column this week.

Childhood musical memories

There’s nothing like a bit of nostalgia - so, what are your favourite musical memories? Does anyone remember Andy Pandy?

I’m of the opinion that an appreciation of music, as mentioned in my latest post at The Dabbler, is something that should be introduced to children from an early age.

When I heard about the Fun with Music CDs by Ann Rachlin, where she narrates stories to famous pieces of classical music, I bought selections of them for all my Godchildren.

I’m also a big fan of nursery rhymes. This wonderful vintage children’s picture book, currently available at ShopCurious, combines the well known Hey Diddle Diddle and Baby Bunting with curiously charming and old fashioned illustrations by famous cartoonist, Randolph Caldecott.















The rare publication dates from 1882, yet the rhymes are as loved today as they were then. This would make a very special heirloom gift for a newborn baby, young child or Godchild.















Anyway, I’m interested to hear your childhood musical memories, so do let me know...

Will you?

Vintage royal mementoes

Plans for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to travel abroad have apparently been put on hold, to avoid being hassled by an international media circus. ‘Wish you weren’t here,’ is the message the royal couple are most likely to send on a postcard home, as they strive to achieve some semblance of privacy.












As the happy couple spend a quiet pre-honeymoon weekend in the UK, recovering from the Royal Wedding, I discovered that a relaxing local getaway is very much in keeping with royal tradition of yesteryear (see my Retropgressive column at The Dabbler).





Meantime, I’ve also found the perfect selection of stationery for the Cambridges' official honeymoon greetings: A collectable set of six vintage postcards at ShopCurious, featuring royal portraits dating back to the reign of King George VI.








These curiously posh postcards are actually original photographs, ranging from formal state portraits of Her Majesty The Queen, to informal shots of the royal family at home. The artists include child photographer, Marcus Adams (1875-1959), whose work is currently on show at The Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh (until 5th June).










There are also photographs by the late Dorothy Wilding, probably Britain's most famous female photographer.







Wilding was the first woman to be awarded a Royal Warrant to be the official photographer to a King and Queen at their Coronation, and one of her photographs of the present Queen (known as the 'Wilding Portrait') was used for a series of definitive British postage stamps, used between 1953 and 1967.

If they’re not snapped up for the Royal Collection, such charming, old fashioned ephemera would make a lovely family heirloom. Alternatively, you may wish to mail a few royal memories to your friends from your own holiday hideaway…

Do you?

Memories of mother

I was rummaging around in a cupboard the other day, when I stumbled upon some old family photographs. I thought I’d share this one of my mother as a child – the curious scribblings around the border demonstrate my early artistic flair.











Talking of which, the Mothers’ Day card I chose this year, courtesy of the inspired Edward Monkton at Really Good cards, looks curiously childlike in its design. But what a lovely message – and so appropriate for my long suffering mother, bless her. Of course, I’m not saying that she isn’t beautiful on the outside too…






It’s a shame we can’t stay young forever, but ephemera like photographs are such a lovely way of remembering how things used to be. If you’re the nostalgic type, you might like the collectable film programme of Shirley Temple in Dimples that’s available at ShopCurious. It’s full of wonderful retro photographs of the young Hollywood icon.

Anyway, have a Happy Mothers' Day! I’m feeling all sentimental now...

Are you?

Scents of the season

I was out in the snow yesterday, playing with my new best friend - Calum, the snowman. Don’t you love the sound of icy snow crunching underfoot? And the appearance of freshly fallen snow: that strange yellowy blue light from the snowy sky, and the curiously lunar-white landscape. The coldness and soft melting quality of snow to the touch is totally unique – it even feels and tastes rather lovely on the tongue. But there’s one thing that snow doesn’t seem to have… a smell.

I was trying to recall the scents that have stuck in my mind, if that’s where the sense of smell resides? Then I found myself wondering about the first thing I ever smelled. At what age does recognition of smell kick in? Why do young children sniff so many things up their noses (sometimes requiring medical intervention to get them out again)?



I vividly remember my grandmother’s smell. A sort of lavender talcum-powdery, bathroomy sweetness, not unlike the relatively recently created Agent Provocateur fragrance. Then there was my first trip on a school exhange to France, where it wasn’t so much the wafting aroma of fresh croissants and coffee, more the pungent niff of Palmolive soap used by my host family that stuck up my nose – or in my memory at least.







Nowadays I use Burt’s Bees shampoo. Partly because it’s made with natural ingredients and is hypo-allergenic, but also because I love the smell. It reminds me of the bedroom I had as a child. There was a big honeysuckle bush outside, and almost every morning I’d be woken up by the sound of a bumble bee coming in through the open window and getting stuck behind the curtain (ahh, the days of the open window..)



On another trip to France I visited a wonderfully plain and simple white-washed church, where monks sang Gregorian chant in a haze of incense. The sounds and the smells were equally divine, and the essential purity of the whole experience left a lasting impression on me.

If you love naturally beautiful perfumes and ingredients too, I can suggest nothing better for Christmas than the organic scented products from Zarvis London at ShopCurious. From exclusive Patchouli Baby and Lavender Crystal gift sets to home fragrances like the seasonal scents in this Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh tin, which are guaranteed to 'bring forth good cheer.' There’s something for everyone - and every occasion in this range… So long as you have a suitably discerning sense of taste and smell.

Do you?