V&A Dundee

It’s true I mostly hibernated over the break — some days I never even left the house — but I did finally make it down to the V&A to experience the much-anticipated glory inside it. The outside, I already knew, was gorgeous. I mean really just lovely. But inside, too, many wonders awaited. Lots more…

Reflections on Celts

I dropped by the McManus to check out what was on and caught the Reflections on Celts exhibit which combined a few of their own treasures with borrowed items from the British Museum and the National Museums of Scotland. You can see my pictures here (along with the other two exhibits on) and read more…

Viktor Wynd’s Wunderkabinett

The last time I was at the Last Tuesday Society it was to attend a night featuring tales of ghost trains and the music of Sarah Angliss. I got to play her theremin, which was enough of a thrill that I finally did have to get my own theremin. I also wrote down the phrase…

British Library: Punk + Bard

My last full day in London I headed over to the British Library to catch the Punk exhibit. On the way, I nodded to Saint Jerome‘s holy place: It was quite gratifying to see PUNK emblazoned across that bastion of quiet intellectual historicism, though it reminded me of the line from that much-treasured film which…

Tate Britain: Conceptual Art

The only way to travel between the Tates is via boat. The only fun way to travel in London apart from shank’s mare is by boat. You see a different side of the city. If i were to ever win the lottery, I’d want to live on the river (maybe in the next life). But…

History Witch: Anglo-Saxon Death

I think the impulse that defines an academic nature is that one responds to difficult moments by turning to the past to see how others have coped with similar times. So still reeling from unexpected grief, I turn to history as I contemplate the ways we deal with the inevitability of parting from those we…

Running to Catch Up

That’s a misleading title as I plan for this to be a very lazy Sunday. I may wander out to a museum this afternoon and get myself a Sunday roast dinner, but that’s about as far as my ambitions run at present. I often have the thought of how little time I have in London…

And Away We Go —

This is how hot it’s been: Kipper lying on his back in front of the fan, feet in the air. Undignified. I hope it’s not like this in England, but the truth is the last couple of years it has been ungodly hot. I am taking one sweater along just in case (Manchester might be…

Madness & Montemartini

I am madly flailing today, so here’s someone else’s video at the Montemartini museum, which gives a nice sense of the unique place. I promise to get my pictures, video and adventures up soon!

At last, Mr Hitchcock

Last night Peg and I headed off in the direction of MassMoCA to catch Robyn Hitchcock and Joe Boyd perform their show Chinese White Bicycles, which links together readings from Boyd’s memoir in the music business in the 60s and Hitchcock’s performance of the songs from the artists including Dylan, the Incredible String Band, the…