Culture Syndicates CIC

  First Posted:  24th August 2015  In  Reviews Hannah Comer visits our past clients at the D. H. Lawrence Birthplace Museum   This piece of writing was influenced by  The Birthplace  by Henry James and various works by D. H. Lawrence. In his novel, James questions the status of the writer and Shakespeare’s legacy, and Lawrence, throughout his essays and fictional writings, questions the value ascribed to physical possessions. I wanted to explore this by looking at the notion of time and how Lawrence, and the figure of the author, has come to be regarded and represented within literature and culture. Moreover, Eastwood (Lawrence’s home town) and the surrounding area was a continual influence within Lawrence’s work and I wanted to capture the modern experience of visiting the birthplace museum and heritage centre. As a student at the University of Nottingham, Lawrence’s literary legacy and his place within Modernism form a large part of study and researc...

   First posted: 3rd August 2015  In  Industry Trends And Critical Analysis Simon Brown reflects on the MA Conference 2014 The annual Museums Association conference was held at the start of October, which this year was held in Cardiff for the first time since 1997. The event is always an excellent melting pot of discussion on the issues that have surrounded the sector for the previous 12 months, many of them especially relevant to our region. Many of the sessions were concerned with sustainability in the sector in the context of the (often euphemistically phrased) ‘current funding climate’. David Fleming, Director of National Museums Liverpool, spoke powerfully about how NML are still working to deliver ambitious projects in this situation, including the excellent dementia friendly programme House of Memories. Many small museums in our region are also eligible to apply for funding from programmes such as the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and the Arts Council’s Museum Re...

   First posted 3rd August 2015  In  Environmental Heritage Andrew Taylor investigates the effect of the robin as the national bird of Britain on the conservation of other species The National Bird Vote saw the robin take 34% of the votes, followed by the barn owl and the blackbird, at 12% and 11% respectively. Birder and organiser of the poll, David Lindo, claimed the robin’s bullish and territorial, yet chirpy nature is why Britain has voted for the robin as the country’s national bird. Our familiarity with the robin could also be why it was so popular, Grahame Madge, RSPB spokesman, says that wherever you are in Britain the robin “is only a flutter away from our footsteps, [it’s] a worthy winner”. Another obvious factor at play is the robin’s presence in British culture. Christmas and robins seem to go hand-in-hand as they feature on cards, in carols and even gave their name to the red-coated Victorian postmen that delivered Christmas cards. The robin also has rel...

  First posted:  3rd August 2015  In  Reviews When we consider how World War One is represented we conjure up images of those who fought on the battlefields who either died or survived while fighting for their country. However, we also picture those who remained at home and this is emphasised by The Galleries of Justice recent exhibition that ‘explores the impact that the Great War had on crime, policing, and imprisonment’. This exhibition focuses on the home front bringing the war much closer to home and in doing so it localises Nottingham’s wartime involvement by identifying what crimes were committed from ‘1914-1916’. Some of these crimes include ‘escapee prisoners of war, Anti-German riots and absentees’. The presence of the war at home is explored through ‘the changing role of the police’ as they had to deal with growing public anxieties towards ‘enemy aliens and prisoners of war’. Britain, during the First World War, was suspicious of those who posed a threat t...

   3rd August 2015  In  Reviews Emma Russell explores Joseph Cornell’s interesting use of astrological images Wanderlust, an exhibition at the RA dedicated to the works and worlds of Joseph Cornell, explores his fascination with travel. Yet, they also mention that he hardly ever travelled outside of New York State, preferring instead, to imagine the worlds of the Romantic ballet and Renaissance Italy in his home in Manhattan. This exhibition brings together a vast collection of his remarkable boxes, assemblages, collages and films, which ‘transform everyday objects into spellbinding treasures’ and runs from 7th July- 27th September 2015. Cornell created art during the time of the Surrealists. Though he did not partake in the entirety of the political motivations of André Breton’s (1896-1966) circle, which was often associated with the Communist Party, he is often defined as a Surrealist by academics and critics due to similar practices of production and a shared over...

   First posted: 3rd August 2015  In  Reviews Simon Brown reviews Moving On Up, the conference day for professionals Moving on Up, a one day conference for early career professionals, was held at the School of Museum Studies at Leicester University on 24th February. The event was sold out, with people travelling from all over the country to attend. The day has been about a year in the planning, so it was gratifying for the organising committee that it was so well supported! There was a range of speakers from across the sector, all addressing the issues that face us all in the early stages of our career. NTU’s own Neville Stankley gave a masterclass of quick fire interview tips. Mine was the only raised hand in the room when he asked if anyone never got nervous in interviews, which shocked me (even Neville called me a weirdo). I can’t be the only one? There followed a very interesting question and answer session with three experienced and respected leaders in the sect...