Space! The flight's delayed...

I really like the latest* cover of the New Yorker.

I like the slightly retro look and feel, but what makes it special is the juxtaposition of the spaceport outside (Kids!  It's the future!) and the all-too-familiar airport lounge (Kids!  Stop running around!**) the two separated by the humongous architect's windows.

They can make big windows in the airport, but the 'planes are still late.  What do you think space travel will become like?  Mundane, just like air travel did.

The facts are the image is Luke Pearson's 'Now Boarding', details and background on the New Yorker's website here.

James

*Latest here - that's two issues ago to New Yorkers.

**To be fair, while the kids are running in the pic, there's no conflict pictured in the lounge.  I just projected that.

Lancefield Show

Today was the Annual Lancefield Show, and we went along with Emma for a look around.  Much fun was had by all, and here are some highlights.  

Above, the aerial signal for all great oudoor events, the escaped helium balloon (crying child not pictured).

Bev and Emma discuss the finer points of sheep.

Fine cows, near and far.

Champion.  And don't you forget it.

'Snowball, The Killer' was his name.  (OK, I made that up.)

Much stunting on trailbikes.

Taking a moment from heading sheep.

Duck herding - apparently an effective way of training up sheepdogs, we've now been told.

Haircuts were available.

Though the tools and technique seemed based more on amount removed and speed, than the final 'look'.

 But the kids like to play with the wool.

Onto the crafts, not to be missed.  'Baby Jesus' & Team!  Rocking knitted beards, guys.

Under 5 vegitable monster contestant.  My 'simple, yet effective' awardee.

After a few too many of the wrong drinks, you've felt like that, right?

But don't worry, there's a cake from a young girl (12 and under) with a rainbow to make it all better!

"Look, mum, it's Teddybears on the beach!  And those Teddies are in the water!"  Ahhh.

Meanwhile, over on Easter Island, Maddyson (8) makes a break for freedom.

Now for the serious stuff.  The trees may be short, but the chopping was swift.

BIG chips flying...

Last blow.

Other boys (and girls) went over to the tractor pull...  Above is an Australian made Chamberlain Champion.  It were, too.

Everyone had a go.

The sliding water tank was a neat item.

Might need some work (or even paint).

Back to the woodchoppers, this was the start of the two-man relay.

And this was the second stage.  We had a great time, but tea was calling...

Pics by Bev & James, text by James.

The Museum Time Bomb

Musée des Arts et Metiers as a catalogue and encyclopaedia No.1. Photo: James.

Following on from the Icebergs of Art & Artefact post, I've recently been reading an interesting essay [here] on the role and challenges of the modern museum, by James M Bradburne:

On the one hand, museums that have pursued their traditional educational mission have found that the education they are now expected to provide is increasingly “remedial”—directed at filling gaps in the basic education of an increasingly broad spectrum of users. Increasingly, public funding for museums is tied to meeting specific targets aimed at addressing issues of social inclusion. At the same time, confronted by data that show how limited museums are in providing primary education, the public purse is questioning its return on investment—museums are just too expensive to operate for the relatively brief educational encounter enjoyed (or not) by most users. The cost per visitor of a four-hour visit per year (if the museum is lucky) is out of proportion to the results of a similar investment in the classroom or in the media.

Many questions, much to think about in the context of the museum in society.

Musée des Arts et Metiers as a catalogue and encyclopaedia No.2.  Photo: James.

James

More cars at the Rock

As I said this time last year, every year, on the Valentine's Day weekend, the Macedon Ranges & District Motor Club hosts the 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' car show. It's a great event with thousands of interesting cars in a unique venue and really is a giant picnic. Here's this year's selection, starting (above) with a Yank Tank in front of the Rock.

While there's a fair amount of repetition of popular classics, there's enough rare and odd stuff if you keep looking. There's a French bias in this list, just because the French built so much neat machinery. After all what car show would be complete without a DS Goddess?

The Nash above is the first of many contenders of why the American machines are bigger than the British; although a Mini on the wing's hardly fair!

Good to see an old friend from London.

That famous signature logo pops up all over.

Australian icon, the early Holden.

And of course a good representation from Germany. Beetles (or Bugs) are still popular worldwide, but Australia has a good representation of the other 60s types on the road as well.

However you don't see many of these here, however common they are in Europe. This one for Greg!

I'm not sure, but I think that may be Thunderbird 9. FAB!*

Neat logo, and an English reminder. Not so exotic in the local lingo, sadly.

Winner of Best Commercial and oldest driver (at 88, for the owner) this magnificent Thornycroft, with solid tyres.

And if your parents are dedicated, no need for the young ones to miss out. However the green machines 'off-driveway' capability seemed as limited as you'd expect. Think the motor got a bit grumpy.

Just in from the Sudan, or possibly a Victorian barn...

The locals were very patient with all the visitors. This guy seemed a lot more sensible than his many admirers (they are wild animals and they can kick hard, folks). The Moggies seemed almost as rare this year.

One of the overall views. It's a great venue.

And to finish, Austin corner. Didn't Noddy drive one of these?

More pictures, including the above, can be seen here in my photo account.

James

*Thanks to the various people who've kindly helped the idiot who tried to make a lame joke about how the car looks a bit like one of the Thunderbird Supermarionation machines, and was nothing to do with Ford Thunderbird cars, or the USAF Thunderbirds, or a drink or any stations west... It's actually a 1965 Buick Rivera. Please do not continue to write in.

Icebergs of art & artifact

This article in The Age is actually a good general introduction to the realities of museum and gallery storage and display issues. Like the famous example of the iceberg, most museums and galleries have only a small proportion on show; the rest often being out of view, and often (literally) underneath.

The picture above was taken from a staircase in the Louvre, Paris, while the statistics below relate to the National Gallery of Victoria:

"At last count, the collection contained about 67,000 works, of which only around 5 per cent can be on public display in the institution's two buildings in St Kilda Road and at Federation Square."

The majority of large, national or significant collection have the majority of their material in store. A global figure is hard to arrive at, but if we had only one fifth of the world's greatest museums artifacts on show we would be doing much better than the current reality. Some figures of major UK collections here show 90% or more in store - that's less than 10% on show.

Cataloguing is a lot harder than it looks. Some of these artifacts are labelled 'object' because we don't know what it is, while other equally obscure things are classified thanks to specialist knowledge. Consider the cost of this kind of core museum storage across thousands - sometimes millions of objects, and some of the remarkable costings become understandable.

What's immediately obvious from the figures above is the difference between the art galleries (good percentages on show) and museums - ranking in the ninety-percents in store. That has a lot to do with the nature of artworks vs artifacts. And then there are exceptions like the Wallace Collection, mandated to have it 'all out at all times'. (But the Wallace is an all-around exception, being also prevented from loaning anything out, either.)

Another set of figures here come from checking some of the hyperbolistic writings of a currently fashionable writer on the Smithsonian, in the USA. Though most of what the writer puts in his book is tall tales, here the reality exceeds even his grandiose claims.

Some thing are easier to conserve and store than others. Even so, something as solid as stone can suffer from continuing decay from nasties in the air and rainwater, lichens et al. And how many of these church carvings should be preserved? It's a harder call than it may seem.

It is not that there is 90% more 'cool stuff' socked away, but that most collections have huge volumes of middling interest items that are important in the mass, but generally not individually. There's a huge number of other reasons this stuff's in store - including the plain fact that it's embarrassing. Some items can't be on show much (light sensitive works) or for political reasons (a birds egg collection, once an acceptable country museum cornerstone is a hot topic on show in the 21st century).

A collection of Kestrel eggs in the Oxfordshire Museums store. Once not an uncommon collection, from a scientifically minded person, creating such collections nowadays is essentially illegal. Many museums have such collections, inherited or from confiscated by the police. For obvious reasons putting such collections on show needs to be carefully considered, while they also remain an important biological source.

National level collections like this don't store stuff in leaky sheds (or they're not supposed to, anyway) and while the higher levers of security, protection, climate control etcetera are laudable, the usually cost top dollar - for things that ultimately aren't even seen. A (small) percentage will eventually get shown, other items will find a role for research, and a few will be 'deacessioned' a clumsy term for a tricky, and risky, museum task.

What are museums and galleries for?

Andrew Sayers, director of the National Museum of Australia, wrote last year: ''We need to redefine museums as educational resources rather than as buildings where collections are held. In fact, it is probably true to say that collections are seen by governments as more of a problem - the source of demands for ever-increasing storage facilities - rather than the assets they are.''

Some artifacts are of unarguable permanent display status, a few others should be got rid of. It's the huge number in the area between the two poles that provide the museum and gallery challenge.

James

All images by & copyright the author.