WithDraw Exhibition at Imperial War Museum North

I visited the Imperial War Museum North recently, with the Art Galleries and Museums group from Henshaws, where the overall theme of this month's visit focused around the emotional aspect of 'the effects of conflict and war on people in their homes'.

The visit was split into three sections; first exploring the WithDraw exhibition by George Butler, before moving onto a touch and handling session of historical Blitz and Rationing items from the Second World War. Audio description was provided by Carisse Foster, Martin Skelton and Helen Grice who lead the sessions. The visit was arranged by Camilla Thomas and Rosemary Mawdsley.

Above is a selection of George Butler's works that I photographed

During the first session, in the Waterway exhibition, the group and I looked at journalist and leading reportage illustrator George Butler's works based on his time in war-torn Afghanistan. He visited last year, in 2014, in the weeks following the drawback of International combat troops after 13 years of conflict.

Butler's pen and ink drawings offer a compelling insight into a country living with high levels of tension. His style of art is very similar to that of an urban sketching technique, something I have been interested in experimenting with for a while, and all were created live, 'in-situ', on the streets of Afghanistan. Most of his pieces are accompanied with his own thoughts and memories printed underneath, revealing the impact of the past 13 years on people, communities and society.

There are twenty exhibits that make up WithDraw, with subjects ranging from people to prosthetics, hospitals and schools, countryside and market streets. All were created using a dip pen and ink on location, and later filled in with watercolours back in the studio.

From the exhibition: "George believes that reportage illustration is as valid, viable and as powerful as photography and film in recording today's news. As an artist and illustrator he is free to interpret the elements that inspire him and sees drawing as a way to offer the viewer a different angle. His drawing is an open process that anyone can view over his shoulder and, he finds, is a sensitive way of capturing very emotional subject matters."

The WithDraw film is available to watch at the exhibition providing a behind-the-scenes insight into how the series of drawings were created in Afghanistan, like a video diary and personal journey. The film is also featured on George Butler's official website landing page, here.

You can find out more about WithDraw, with an upcoming 'Meet the Artist' event with George Butler,  on Sunday 23rd August 2015, at the Imperial War Museum website here.

The next session in our visit focused around a touch and handling element of historical items from World War 2; particularly collections pertaining to the Blitz and Rationing. As I'm basing my A Level project on this visit I wanted to create Frottage impressions, using a pencil and paper, to get an idea of some of the different surface areas and textures of these items to incorporate into my own research.

We first looked at shrapnel and rubble collected by nine year old Roy Taylor, in his home area of Manchester during the Blitz. Items included brick, slate, shrapnel and cartridges that he found among the rubble and would have played with. These items were cold to the touch, some smooth and dull like the cartridge and others with sharp pointed edges. Also passed around was a metal Victory Bell moulded from fallen German aircraft, a wooden ratchet (or hand rattle) to alert communities of gas attacks, and a baby's gas mask that covered their entire body.

This was my favourite object in our touch and handling session and the sheer weight of the thing was astounding! The mask acted more like a casing, completely encompassing the baby when all of the covering straps and flaps were closed up. Fresh air was pumped in using a hand pump on the right-hand side, that filtered the air ensuring no gas was inhaled. A cage on the back was used to hook baby onto the wall and out of the way - though they would still need fresh air pumped in manually 24 hours a day! Many of these masks were made in Manchester by P. Frankenstein & Sons. 

To end the touch and handling session, and our visit, we looked at various items of Rationing belonging to a Manchester couple who married during the Second World War. The wife's wedding dress was passed around first, which incorporated beautiful lace detailing and a scalloped neckline with pointed V sleeves. This would have been passed down from bride-to-bride through the generations, just one example of rationing.

We also looked at the husband's heavyweight sock that he wore whilst in the Royal Navy. This seems to be a Government-made sock as the stitching is perfect, but many women across the country would have banded together to created garments for soldiers. A darning mushroom was used to repair socks seamlessly, so that nothing ever went to waste and was thrown away - another example of rationing.

Ration books of the married couple, example food portions, canned dried eggs, and a brooch made from a button and telephone wire were also among the collection of rationing items. These were truly frugal times, people had to be creative when restoring or creating items and this is something that has been lost over the generations as we now tend to throw things out and purchase new items.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and look forward to working on my A Level summer project with this research! I'd like to say a big thank you to Mary Gifford, Mary Tantrum, Carisse Foster, Martin Skelton, Helen Grice, Camilla Thomas and Rosemary Mawdsley for a well-organised and informative event!

Performance Capture at Manchester Art Gallery

Performance Capture, by digital artist Ed Atkins, was an exhibition coinciding with the Manchester International Festival 2015 demonstrating the performance aspect and rendering process of the computer-generated imagery we see in many Hollywood blockbusters today. As well as in films, it is also frequently used in the development of video games, robotics, sports, medical applications and in the military.

The exhibition offered a unique opportunity to go behind the scenes of the production of a computer-generated moving image work laid out across three rooms pertaining to the production process; from the early stages of capturing the actor, to the rendering 'farm', to the finalised product.

Neytiri from Avatar, Gollum of both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, and Dobby from the Harry Potter series are the most popular examples that come to mind when motion capture (or mo-cap) is mentioned to me. The complex procedure focuses around tracking the facial expressions and body movements of an actor, through the use of a specially-equipped suit, which feeds information to a computer that is then matched to a 3D avatar model to be edited and used in a variety of avenues such as those mentioned above.

The Art Galleries and Museums group, from Henshaws, went to visit the exhibition for an audio described talk and tour of what is possibly the most elaborate show we've had to date! Audio description was provided by the award-winning Anne Hornsby, who was recently the recipient of the International Achievement Award 2015, for her in audio description over the past 27 years, and she was joined by Curator Natasha Howes. As a big fan of fantasy and sci-fi movies, I was particularly excited by this month's visit to Manchester Art Gallery to learn more behind the ever-evolving art of motion capture!

The exhibition began in an open space studio comprised of various equipment including rigging, lighting and a stage; with television screens and early-concept illustrations adorning the walls, giving an interesting insight into the detailed planning work that takes place long before a motion capture session even hits the studio. Computer screens to the centre of the room presented the auto-cued script to the actor as well as a tracking screen showing the performer moving on the 3D model avatar in real-time as captured by their suit.

The group and I were present as a dancer suited up to take part in the tracking, and after she was fitted we then viewed her performance twice. The first performance focused entirely on her interpretation of Atkins' script and how she enunciated, even over-exaggerating, certain words and phrases. The second performance focused more on her highly emphasized movements. Different performances from various actors and dancers involved with the Manchester International Festival this year would make up the final rendered product.

After the dancer had finished, Ed Atkins joined us to read out a portion of his script and it was particularly interesting to hear how he told his verse as opposed to an actor or dancer reading from the auto-cue. His script was nonsensical, sometimes poetic, and represented the complex, confusing and often chaotic space in our minds. The interference of excessive information in everyday life was another big inspiration in his written piece for the exhibition.

The Rendering Farm was showcased in the second room, away from the studio space, and this was my favourite part of the exhibition - to have the opportunity to be right there and involved in the environment as the digital artists edited the content that was fed into the computer by the actor's performance. We were encouraged to speak with the digital artists and ask any questions. I really enjoyed being able to speak with quite a few of the animators - finding out about the software they use to track movement and create avatars, their previous experience in the field, and what interests them in animation.

The final portion of the exhibition was located in a dark curtained room, housing a large cinema screen, highlighting the finished work completed so far. Emblazoned on the monitor were the previous performances that had been edited within the Rendering Farm from the start of the exhibition. I was intrigued with the film hearing the various different performers read the script differently from one another, executing it individually with their use of body language matched with the 3D model, yet it flowing together seamlessly as it used the same avatar throughout. It was obvious that a lot of work had gone into the finished piece and that the performers themselves had had a lot of fun with the part of the script that was allocated to them.

As I mentioned, I am a big fan of the movies that tend to incorporate this capturing process so it was very special for me to be able to have that first-hand experience of seeing the medium in all of its wonderment from start to finish and having a sense of involvement. This was truly a notable exhibition and I wish Ed Atkins all the best with his future work.

As always I would like to say a big thank you to Mary Gifford, group leader of the Art Galleries and Museums group, for selecting yet another informative and engaging exhibition, to Anne Hornsby for her wonderful audio description and to my guide and volunteer driver, Mary Tantrum, for her continued support and companionship.

Season's Best at Gallery Oldham

In this month's visit with the Art Galleries and Museums group, comprised of service users within the community services and social groups from Henshaws, we visited Gallery Oldham for an audio described talk and tour of their Season's Best exhibition.

This charming collection combines elements of art, social history and natural history to tell the story of the seasons during the ever-turning wheel of the year. Curator Sean Baggeley presented our talk, detailing certain pieces from each season, with audio description provided by the wonderful Anne Hornsby of Mind's Eye Description Services.

All four seasons are depicted around the exhibition space, with a cross-shaped wall in the centre of the room helping to divide the seasons. This also creates a backdrop and splash of colour that gives a simple visual representation of that particular season; cream for Spring, yellow for Summer, orange for Autumn and silvery off-white for Winter. Explorer bags are hung at the entrance, for those wishing to partake in an interactive experience, complete with magnifiers and colouring books!

"March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb"

"April showers bring May flowers"


We start the journey at Spring, which incorporates a palette of earthy tones. A selection of flowers, including daffodils and daisies, leaves, bird nests, frogs and stuffed rabbits showcase the new growth and new beginnings of the natural world during this time. Whit Walk banners adorn the walls, one from Saint Ambrose School and the other of Failsworth Methodist Sunday School, and these were described to the group in great detail with a postcard of the Saint Ambrose banner being passed around for those with some remaining vision; helping us to appreciate just how intricate the stitching truly is. Various posters depict Springtime events, including brass band performances, and framed landscapes tell the story of blooming plants and an awakening scenery. The Dawn Chorus provides a multi-sensory element, with large Spring-related quotes emblazened between the framed pieces.

"A dripping June sets all in tune"

Summer provides a bright pop of yellow to the next exhibits; where Punch and Judy is the main attraction! Original puppets and written script directions are displayed, alongside a modern remake of the classic striped booth containing newer, softer puppets for visitors to create their own live-action show! Postcards that were sent to and from Blackpool to Oldham are presented in their own display case, and an enlarged photocopy was passed around the group of, one in particular, of a sunbathing lady declaring that you "daren't do this in Oldham!" For those using the explorer bags, a postbox can be spotted in this area presenting the opportunity to decorate and send off your own summer postcard - a really nice touch, I thought!

The paintings in this area mainly focus on people during summer, rather than the landscape itself as previously seen in the Spring area. Two Helen Bradley paintings in particular, "New Brighton" and "A Summer Afternoon on the Sands of Blackpool", were audio described detailing the colours, imagery and recurring characters often seen in Bradley's works - such as Miss Carter wearing pink, as always! Posters advertise discounted trips away, raft races, horse shows, circus events, and a flower and vegetable show with large, colourful lettering and lined illustrations.

"Autumn; the year's last, loveliest smile"
"A season of mists and mellow fruitfulness"


Autumn provides a more reddish burnt-orange tone on the feature wall, and a visual movie display captures falling Maple Seeds whirling like little helicopters! Stuffed Swans, Geese, Jays, Moths, Bees, Squirrels and Hedgehogs alongside a cornucopia of berries, leaves and mushrooms canvas nature's inhabitants during this season. "White Slave" by James Richardson was audio described to the group recounting a brown, muddy palette and market scene of a beautiful white horse being sold. A hand-stitched sampler by Harriet Smith, from 1840, integrates the themes of religious poetry and of harvest festival. Various framed artworks return to landscaped sceneries, depicting the turning of the leaves to the beautiful array of oranges, reds and browns we witness in the Autumn months.

"Frost on the shortest day bodes a bad winter"

"If February gives much snow a fine summer it doth foreshow"

The group reseated in the Winter area to end the exhibition and the annual year. In this area a selection of Christmas cards fill a glass display case, rather than holiday postcards, to reflect the history of wishing a happy holiday to friends and loved ones; with both vintage and modern designs. As the season of the Pantomime, varying posters of Cinderella productions were described to us. Stuffed animals such as Weasels and Hares, birds including Robins and Owls and Holly and Ivy paint the season of Winter perfectly. Information on bird migration and how to help feed birds effectively during the Winter months is also provided.

"The First Touch of Winter, Summer Fades Away", an oil on canvas by Valentine Prinsep, painted in 1897 in a Pre-Raphaelite style prevalent of that time, was the audio described art work from this area. Two women represent Summer and Winter, respectively, with Winter touching Summer resulting in her death as petals fall and the trees darken. Again, a postcard was provided and handed around to the group for those who could pick out the details to appreciate this beautiful piece.

After the audio described talk and tour had finished, there was a touch and handling element of Summer items to conclude our visit. Various shells that the Curator had collected, puppets from Punch and Judy complete with well-used sausages from the 1960's productions, and a horn from a 1920's ice cream truck that used to visit Oldham and the surrounding markets were passed around the group.

Season's Best has cemented its place as one of my favourite exhibitions, along with Something Blue: Wedding Fashions 1914 - 2014, that I've had the pleasure of exploring with the group so far. The aforementioned touching and handling session was something I thoroughly appreciated and enjoyed, and the added sensory element of the Dawn chorus was also a nice touch!

Thank you to Mary Gifford, Anne Hornsby, Sean Baggeley and Mary Tantrum for a truly enchanting and splendid visit to Gallery Oldham!

Eastern Exchanges Exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery

I recently visited Manchester Art Gallery, with the Art Galleries and Museums group from Henshaws, for an audio described talk and tour of the newly-opened Eastern Exchanges: East Asian Craft and Design exhibition. This show creates a fantastic platform in order to display Manchester's historic collection for the first time in over 30 years!

The exhibition boasts over 1,500 years of the rich craft heritage of China, Japan and Korea, including works of ceramics, metalwork, furniture, lacquer, textiles and sculpture. Exhibits range from historical court treasures to modern pieces by contemporary art makers. While there is some overlapping of styles each country developed its own distinctive forms and specialities. These national craft traditions are sources of pride and identity, with highly specialised skills being perfected and used over generations to create such luxury objects.

Audio description was provided by Anne Hornsby, of Mind's Eye Description Services, with additional detailed talks provided by curator Janet Boston. The collection is supported by The Korea Foundation and The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, and sponsored by Kuoni and Shangri-La. Our visit was arranged and organised by Meg Parnell, Lifelong Learning Manager.

Eastern Exchanges is divided into 3 sections; with the first area focusing around items that are 'Distinctively Asian'. The majority of pieces here belong to the aforementioned historical court treasures. The first item we were audio described was that of a Japanese Norimon (also known as a Sedan Chair) made from beautiful black lacquer and decorated with intricate gold patterned detailing of flowers and leaves. The Sedan Chair was exclusive to royalty as their way of transport, with 2 or 3 men at either side carrying it at arm's length. The Japanese borrowed the concept of lacquer-making from China, developing and perfecting it even further, eventually becoming the frontrunners of beautiful lacquer items sold worldwide.

The second items we were introduced to, still among the court treasures, were two exquisite embroidered Imperial robes; one of the garments belonging to the Chinese Emperor himself and the other to his son, the Prince. Despite being extremely expensive and taking over 2 years of strenuous embroidery work, focused on the intricate elements of flowers, waves and dragons, they weren't even cut out of their original material and sewn together to wear! This really highlights the extravagance and wealth of the Royal Family at that time.

The next area consisted of more modern contemporary pieces, mostly furniture and decorative items, aptly named 'East Meets West'. The pieces within this section are hugely influenced by conventional Asian design and incorporate traditional techniques. The main item of interest, towering high above visitors, is the gigantic contemporary piece known as 'Chinese Ladders' by Felicity Ayleiff. Ayleiff herself enlisted the help of the Jingdezhen Experimental Porcelain Factory Nº2, a site of Imperial kilns with centuries of experience in firing large-scale ceramics, to create her own series of enormous works.

'Chinese Ladders' was created by using a technique called luting. This is created by joining together hardened clay structures with liquid clay, more commonly referred to as slip. The stacked form took great inspiration from bamboo scaffolding seen in building sites across China and integrates heavy strokes of traditional Chinese brush painting.

'Weave Stool' by Fumio Enomoto, commissioned by the award-winning designer specially for the Eastern Exchanges exhibition, incorporates aspects of functional with comfortable whilst still being of modern design. It is made entirely from bamboo and is a direct replica of its original. Bamboo is a widespread popular material in East Asia that can be spun, heated, shaped and glazed easily. This particular stool was created by using 12 strips of bamboo, weaved from the centre extending outwards, and was inspired by traditional Japanese bamboo baskets. It won the 2011 Bronze Leaf Award at the International Furniture Design Fair.

During the audio described talk, a thick piece of bamboo was handed around the group to enable us to gain a better understanding of how lightweight and flexible the material truly was. It's a shame we couldn't touch the stool itself to feel the weaved design and its exact pliability, but I appreciated the example we did get to touch.

The final area comprised of modern sculptures, vases and other decorative objects; pulling away from the more-traditional crafting techniques displayed in the previous sections, but still making their mark as Asian masterpieces sitting nicely alongside the other exhibits.

My favourite item of the wntire exhibition was housed in this area - the incredible 'Super Jumbo Nigella Wave' by sculptor Junko Mori. This was truly impossible to audio describe! I did enjoy the different interpretations though, and each provided me with a unique mental image of what it could look like visually. Inspired by the growth of living things, particularly plants and sea creatures, Mori incorporated various metal forms and materials into her sculpture to develop individual petal or leaf shapes that give her work phenomenal character. Each leaf / petal was assembled and welded together to create something that can only be described as 'uncannily organic'. The piece was originally inspired by Nigella, a cottage garden flower, but her work took a different approach and was propelled forward after the Tsunami struck Japan in 2011 - taking it into a more powerful, cataclysmic direction.

'Orb' by Yasuko Sakurai closed the Eastern Exchanges exhibition visit for the group. This piece is an elegant coral-like ceramic form, created by hand using a newly-developed technique by the sculptor herself. It was created using Seto porcelain and, as with Junko Mori's work, gives the impression of something organic and life-like.

After studying in the French pottery town of Liomges, Sakurai discovered her fascination of porcelain and invented the idea of piercing holes into it by amassing tube shapes, building vessels around them and then removing the rubes to create elliptical and rotund gaps within the work. She particularly engages with the idea of using light and shade in her ceramics, so incorporates minimalistic colour and design to interpret this.

I want to say a big thank you, as always, to Mary Gifford of the Art Galleries & Museums group for arranging the visit; it is always a pleasure to attend, and the exhibitions inspire my illustration work massively. Also thanks to my sighted guide, Mary Tantrum, who helped me to take the photographs and for taking me to the exhibition, to Janet Boston for the informative talk and tour, to Meg Purnell for organising the visit and to Anne Hornsby for her captivating audio description.

Visit to Madame Tussauds in Blackpool

I was recently asked the question, "How would someone with a sight impairment enjoy visiting a venue that is completely visual, such as Madame Tussauds? How would that work?" As someone who frequently visits museums and art galleries that provide accessible tours, this intrigued me to find out more - so I planned a visit to the Blackpool venue earlier this month!

Upon my arrival, I was greeted by the staff members who helped to plan my visit and they lead me and my Guide Dog, Tami, into the main entrance, away from the busy crowd of tourists, for a specialised talk and tour of the wax figures and interactive sets on offer.

The attraction on the ground floor opened with various popular television stars and personalities, among whom included Simon Cowell, Jeremy Kyle, Bruce Forsyth, Keith Lemon, Gok Wan, Alan Carr, and Graham Norton. Each figure was audio described to me; detailing their pose, outfit and backdrop arrangements, as well as additional bits of information such as how the figures were made, how much time and money was spent to develop each one, what the real celebrities were like during the unveiling process at the venue itself!

I was invited to touch and explore the figures I was most interested in to get a better idea of what they look like visually, in terms of height and posture, and what they were wearing. I was eager to have as many photos as possible taken with my favourite waxworks to show my friends and family back home and each photo was very kindly taken by my guide.

My tour guide also frequently informed me, before entering each new section (or floor) of the venue, when the lighting was going to change and when the surface area of the flooring would differ in texture and direction. Lift access was available to me and my Guide Dog and staff were on hand to ensure that the lifts were always ready and waiting for me when I wanted to visit the next floor.

The floor above was the one I was most interested in visiting, as it was that of the famous cobbles belonging to Coronation Street! I was very enthusiastic to explore this area as someone who has grown up with the popular long-running soap.The Corrie section began at the Rovers Return Inn (of course!), where Hilda Ogden stood outside very proudly, and it is a fully-functioning and licensed pub for those who wish to buy a drink and something to eat. Ken Barlow and Bet Lynch were positioned alongside the bar and Deidre Barlow was sat at a nearby window-seat. Around the corner stood Jack and Vera Duckworth with Vera covered in bright, floaty fabrics with her trademark big, circular earrings – which were very tactile to touch!

This was certainly my favourite floor of the visit. Everything was so detailed and true to the show, and I felt like I really was inside the Rovers Return – with the atmosphere of the guests having a drink helping to complete it!

Famous musicians made up the next selection of figures I wanted to visit, including megastars such as Michael Jackson, Freddie Mercury, Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones and Leona Lewis. My absolute favourite, though, was the newly-installed Olly Murs wax figure – the pinnacle of my visit! – and I didn’t hesitate when I was invited to touch and explore his face to get a better understanding of what he looks like and the sheer amount of intricate detail crafted within the figure’s facial structure.

From his light feathery eyebrows and eyelashes,to the softness of his trademark quiff, and the coarse stubble running along his jawline, I had the unique opportunity to “meet” my favourite modern singer and experience something very personal and meaningful to me – to see Olly Murs for the first time – that I wouldn’t have been able to have had otherwise with my small amount of deteriorating vision.

My severe sight impairment meant that I got to have a unique, intimate experience that a lot of other people probably wouldn’t have had even with their fully-functioning sight. In front of the Olly Murs display was the opportunity for a professional photo with the star, where I happily posed for a snap, and I purchased my photo at the end of my visit cased inside a special Madame Tussauds frame!

The final crop of waxworks that I wanted to explore were the ‘Best of British’, including the Royal Family, The Beatles, the girls of Ab Fab and home-grown comedians such as the Two Ronnies, Tommy Cooper, Ken Dodd and Benny Hill. I now know that I am even smaller than the Queen, and her crown and other regalia felt absolutely majestic with the many encrusted jewels and pearls! Catherine’s dress was equally as stunning, draped in a textured sequined floor-length gown.

I had an absolutely wonderful time in Blackpool and would like to thank the Madame Tussauds staff, especially Trudie and Debbie, for such a memorable and special visit. I would love to visit again in the near future, perhaps to another venue to explore even more of the figures on display across the country – though none will top my favourite, Olly Murs!

So, in response to the original question that piqued my interest; “How would someone with a sight impairment enjoy visiting a venue that is completely visual, such as Madame Tussauds?” The answer is, quite simply, that the Madame Tussauds staff will ensure that any visually impaired or blind visitor coming to their attraction will have as equally as memorable a visit as a sighted person. They will be offered a guided tour, audio description and safe lift access, as well as the opportunity to have photos taken with each waxwork and a personalised, tactile approach to the figures on display.

I highly recommend the visit to those wanting to go! For more information visit Madame Tussauds Blackpool or call their bookings team on 0871 282 9200 for further information.

'Election! Britain Votes' Exhibition at the People's History Museum

Today I visited the 'Election! Britain Votes' exhibition at the People's History Museum in Manchester, as part of the Art Galleries & Museums group based at Henshaws. The exhibition highlights over 100 years of elections, from 1900 to 2010, with the exhibits evolving in the build-up to the 2015 campaign.

Audio description was provided by Anne Hornsby of Minds Eye Description Services, joined alongside Chris Burgess who shared vast knowledge of each object and poster from every election over the past 100 years. Josh Butt made the arrangements for the day with Mary Gifford, group leader, organising the event.

The exhibition space is divided into three areas; the history of previous elections containing various promotional campaign posters and objects (from 1900 with Lord Salisbury winning the election right up to 2010 with David Cameron), a collection of materials from the current 2015 campaign for each participating party, and information about voting; how to vote, who can vote, forms of government, our system, the counting process, the election night, and so on.

Our visit began in the first section of the exhibition focusing around a plethora of historic campaign posters, pamphlets, leaflets, comic strips, newspaper articles and other items of propaganda. A multi-coloured line chart featured across the walls, depicting the popularity of the parties that took part in each election, and it was interesting to see the rise of Labour and the fall of the Liberals - especially since they were so popular in the early 1900's. The display even included Harold Wilson's pipe and Michael Foot's glasses!

Another interesting aspect was observing how advertising in posters has evolved throughout the century, yet the marketing strategies and themes within them have remained very similar over time.

The next area we visited was the voting information area; complete with a voting booth and ballot box! The exhibits here were designed very much like a board game, with cartoonish graphics and bubbles of information generated into a colourful, educational flowchart. Topics covered the different forms of government, our government and system, the Lords and Peers, how elections are called, campaign spending and spending limits, who can vote, how to vote, what happens when the polls close, voting systems and election night.

I found this part especially interesting as I learned many new things. I had no idea that the Queen can vote (though she tends not to, choosing to remain neutral), MPs can vote (usually for themselves!) and homeless people can vote - even though they don't have a fixed address. I also found it fascinating to learn more about the counting process when polls close, how to run as a candidate and form a new government!

The third and final area housed various items pertaining to this year's election, divided into sections for each contending party; The Labour Party, The Conservative Party, Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party (SNP), United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), The Green Party, and Others (Sinn Fein, Alliance Party, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), and so on). It features a flat screen television playing news footage related to the upcoming election and a note board where visitors can write which qualities they would like in a Prime Minister, which areas they would like to see changed, etc. 

This section also houses a replica of the famous black door of Number 10, Downing Street, with a selection of props to use for a photo including hats, ties, tails and sashes! I had my photo taken with a St. Trinian's-style hat and a sash that read 'Votes for Women'. The area will continue to grow and expand as the election approaches. 

I had a wonderful time at the exhibition today and I would like to say thank you to Mary Gifford, Anne Hornsy, Chris Burgess and Josh Butt for a lovely outing! I would recommend that anyone visit who has an interest in the subject of the election; it's informative, educational and fun! You can find out more by visiting the People's History Museum website here.

Something Blue: Wedding Fashions 1914 - 2014

Vintage-inspired modern wedding dress,
made of panels of sheer fabric and white feathers (2010's)

The Art Galleries & Museums group, based at the Henshaws Resource Centre in Manchester, recently visited the Gallery of Costume at Platt Hall, in Rusholme, for the Something Blue: Wedding Fashions 1914 - 2014 exhibition.

It boasted a wide variety of different dresses spanning a century, each being a perfect representation of the bridal fashion during its associated time period, with a tour and talk provided by Andrew Hunt and with audio description provided by Anne Hornsby of Mind's Eye Description Services.

A touch and handling session followed the tour, led by Adam Quinn and Rosie Gnatiuk, with an interactive and intimate approach to certain dresses and accessories; including hats, fascinators, gloves, shoes, and even an enveloped personal invitation from the 1920's!

From the website: "Something Blue explores a hundred years of bridal fashion from the Gallery of Costume's collections. The show illustrates the changes in styles, materials and fashion trends in wedding dresses throughout the century. Many of the dresses in the exhibition have originated from Manchester and the surrounding area."

Thanks to all @gallofcostume for a great visit for @Henshaws pic.twitter.com/nYYvykj95N
— Mind's Eye (@MindsEyeArts) February 12, 2015

Gallery

Here are the photos I took during my tour of the exhibition:

Vivienne Westwood Floral Wedding Dress (2010's)

Sale rail black dress from River Island with Bow detail

and cropped cream beaded cardigan (2010's)

Spaghetti strapped floor-length dress with jewelled details

and knotted bow design (2000's)

Vintage-inspired sheer floaty full-length dress with

long, ruffled sleeves and silk bodice (2000's)

Long-sleeved dress with ruffled shoulders

and bow and button accent on back (1990's)

Floor-length sleeveless halter-neck style red dress (1990's)

Long-sleeved floor length dress with train and ribbons (1980's)

Long-sleeved floaty maxi dress with accented

collar, buttons and sleeves (1970's)

Crocheted floral babydoll dress (1960's)

(my personal favourite!)

This has been my favourite exhibition so far with the Art Galleries & Museums group, based at Henshaws. I thoroughly enjoyed the tour and especially loved the handling session, being able to feel how beautifully tactile some of the accessories were.

I also loved hearing of the personal wedding stories behind the bridal gowns and feel very privileged to have had a glimpse into the personal lives and special days of local ladies; both past and present. I'd like to say a big thank you to Mary Gifford, Anne Hornsby, Andrew Hunt, Adam Quinn, Rosie Gnatiuk and Kate Day.

You can find out more about the Art Galleries & Museums group, providing monthly audio-described tours and touch and handling sessions at Manchester's museums, galleries, heritage sites and places of interest, by clicking here.

Visit to One Man's Vision Exhibition

One Man's Vision exhibition

20th September 2014 - 18th January 2015

Earlier last week I visited the One Man's Vision exhibition, at Salford Museum and Art Gallery, for the first time since its opening to the public in late September. The exhibition celebrates the life of Thomas Henshaw, benefactor of Henshaws Society for Blind People, Manchester's oldest charity at 177 years old.

I visited with curator Laura Wigg-Bailey to help with evaluations which also presented the opportunity to experience all of the installed exhibits and the audio described tour.

Tour of the Exhibition

The tour begins on the right-hand side of the exhibition space where the MP3 players, housing the pre-installed audio tour, are located. A member of staff will be situated nearby to help, if needed, and the player itself provides all of the details of the buttons on the front of the device and their functions on the opening track. The audio tour is provided by Anne Hornsby, of Mind's Eye Description Services, enabling blind and visually impaired museum, art gallery and theatre-goers to have increased access to the arts and cultural events.

For the exhibition Anne goes into detail about each historical object, portrait and related item of interest, as well as telling the story of Thomas Henshaw and his Will; which helped to develop what is now known as Henshaws Society for Blind People. Also provided is the number of steps needed to enter the main exhibition space and instructions of how to use the red tactile marking to help guide visually impaired and blind visitors.

Bust of Thomas Henshaw (1860)

The audio tour begins at a marble bust of Thomas Henshaw, sculpted in 1860. It details the appearance of Henshaw, from his double-chin to his receding hairline, as well as a brief history of the sculpture itself including the story behind the crack in the neck of the bust.

Engraving of 'Manchester School for the Deaf and Dumb

with the Chapel and Blind Asylum' (1826)

Portrait of Thomas Henshaw

After hearing an introduction and overview to the life of Thomas Henshaw, we are then greeted by a table of items that are used on a day-to-day basis by blind and visually impaired people. Visitors are very welcome to handle and explore these fully-functional objects.

Items include a document reader containing the Will of Thomas Henshaw, Braille books with J.K.Rowling's 'Tales of Beedle the Bard' as the main example, a signature guide, a handwriting guide, pocket magnifiers, bolded pens, a symbol cane, talking scales and food control guides.

Document reader containing a printed copy of Henshaw's Will

Blindfolds and simulation specs are also housed on this table for those who want to experience the tour as a blind or visually impaired person would. These also help to showcase a better understanding of what people can and cannot see with their sight condition and the barriers that they face. The simulation specs come in many varieties, some of which include representations of; central vision, peripheral vision, scattered debris across vision and blurred vision.

The exhibition is divided into sensory tours

The exhibition can be experienced in a variety of sensory ways; seeing and touching, seeing only, touching and hearing, and hearing only. Each corresponding experience is accompanied by a coloured line:

Black Line: Seeing and Touching

Blue Line: Seeing

Red Line (Tactile): Touching and Hearing

Yellow Line: Hearing

Each coloured line will guide you around the exhibition space and objects safely, pertaining to the sense(s) you have selected. As a severely visually impaired person myself, I chose the red line of touching and hearing. The touching aspect is implemented by a tactile red line, made of felt, that is easy to follow around the exhibits and the hearing aspect is provided by the MP3 player's installed audio tour.

Information board about Thomas Henshaw's Will

The exhibition continues with a wicker crib presenting a tactile and visual representation of the ones that were made everyday at the Henshaws workshops during the early 1900's. The workshops provided employment to visually impaired and blind people of the time up until the 1980's when they were closed, due to health and safety and equal opportunities issues.

A large, black chest engraved with 'Henshaws Institution for the Blind' is presented next. This was owned by the Solicitors Slater and Heelis (now known as Slater Heelis LLP), who stored Henshaw's Will and other important documents inside the chest when working on his legal case of ensuring his £20,000 went to his charity supporting blind people.

Following on from the chest is a display case of important local items, including; a bell from the Henshaws Blind Asylum School (1920), a minutes book from the Manchester and Salford Blind Aid Society (1904), Henshaws Souvenir Book (1937), and Isabel M. Heywood's O.B.E (1930) for her services to the blind, creating the Manchester and Salford Blind Aid Society. A Manchester Picture Album (1895), Braille Writing Slate (1945), a Framed Picture of the Godfrey Ermen Home for the Blind (1920) and Ceremonial Trowel (1964) are also included in the display case.

Special artefacts relating to Henshaws

RNIB PENfriends are situated between each display case of special objects, housed on a plinth with corresponding stickers preloaded with information, allowing VI and blind visitors (or those choosing to be blindfolded for the exhibition's sensory tour) to read the information that is printed on the labels located next to each object in the display case.

A PENfriend is an electronic device, in the shape of a pen, that enables the sight-impaired to record their voice onto labels and identify different objects. The audio track on the MP3 player will mention when a plinth of PENfriends is nearby so that further information can be obtained from the stickers relating to the items in the corresponding display cases.

RNIB PENfriend housed in plinth

The next items in the exhibition are located on the wall, and feature photographs and a printed emblem. The photographs are of Miss Isabel M. Heywood, O.B.E. and the founding Trustees of the Manchester and Salford Blind Aid Society (with Miss Heywood in the centre). The society was founded in 1900 and opened a small home at The Crescent, Salford and developed by opening more homes and workshops over the years. They later merged with Henshaws in 1980.

The printed emblem is that of the Manchester and Salford Blind Aid Society, with the tagline "to lighten the world for the blind". Inside the emblem is an illustration of a winged angel holding a torch, comforting and helping a young woman who has fallen to her knees. Scrolls surround the top of the illustrations with the words 'friendship, instruction, recreation and help'.

Manchester & Salford Blind Aid Society emblem

The next display case contains various crockery from the Oldham Bluecoat School for the Blind, which was set up using funds bequeathed by Thomas Henshaw in his Will, as well as a selection of miniature hats that Thomas Henshaw used to showcase his designs; Henshaw was originally a Hatter businessman. Thomas Henshaw's wooden cane, and a child's bag made at the Oldham Workshop for the Blind are also displayed.

Above this display case is a bronze plaque from the 'Institution for the Blind' in Oldham, from 1933. The plaque was unveiled by Councillor Marjory Lees to commemorate the opening of extensions to the original building.

Child's bag made at Oldham Workshop for the Blind

The next section of the exhibition focuses on the development of adaptive writing styles for the blind; including Braille, Moon, New York Point, Boston Line Type and Fishburne.

Books containing different tactile writing styles

A display case houses different texts incorporating some of these adaptive writing styles, with more information provided by the PENfriends located on the adjacent plinths. The display case in this section contains tools that were used to create these writing styles, including; a Hughes Typograph, Klein Type Pin Brailler, and Braille Training Computer LED Visual Aids. Also included in this display case is a set of embossed dominoes adapted for blind players, and a Braille Micrometer used in machinery.

Braille training computer LED visual aids and Braille Micrometer

Displayed on the wall above this display case is an oil on canvas portrait of William Hughes, inventor of the Typograph for the blind. While he was the Director of Henshaws Blind Asylum in the mid-1800's, he invented a typewriter for the visually impaired and blind which won a gold medal at the 1851 Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace in London. It is arguably the first ever typewriting machine.

The audio tour brings us to the next section of the exhibition which is focused around the five most common eye conditions causing blindness in the UK, as well as showcasing treatments and tools used by Doctors of the past to treat these conditions.

Common Eye Conditions

The common eye conditions include Cataracts, Diabetic Retinopathy, Age-related Macular Degeneration, Retinitis Pigmentosa and Glaucoma. The PENfriends in this area describe the conditions in more detail and the problems that they cause.

The display cases in this section contain tools used by Doctors of the past to help treat these conditions. Items include model eye balls to study the anatomy of the eye, Optometry testing equipment, hand-painted prosthetic glass eyes, a glass eye bath, an eye scalpel set, Weiss cataract instruments, a Giles Archer colour unit, glasses with extra mounted lenses and horn-rimmed brass framed glasses; all by kind permission of the Thackray Medical Museum in Leeds and the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital.

Hand-painted prosthetic glass eyes

The final portion of the exhibition spotlights how blindness and visual impairment affects people; both those living with their sight condition and the people around them. Opening up this section is my illustration, Elephant in the Room, created specially for the exhibition. It incorporates the theme of how the public react to visual impairment. You can read more about my illustration and the meaning behind it here.

My illustration with Braille and print biography

and description of the piece

Standing proudly with my illustration

I especially loved Anne's audio description of my illustration. She goes into great detail about the colours and mediums I used and the symbols surrounding the piece. She also reads my biography and the meaning behind my artwork.

Next to my illustration is a display cabinet of items relating and belonging to Blind Joe; Oldham's town crier of the late 1800's, named as such because of his visual impairment. Joseph Howarth was so fondly remembered that he was immortalised in a statuette not long after his death.

Display case commemorating Blind Joe

The display case contains aforementioned statuette, as well as Joseph's bell that he used when employed as a town crier giving the news to those who could not afford a newspaper or could not read, as well as his favourite cup.

Model of the Henshaws Blind Asylum, 1857

A stone model, contained in a glass case, represents the Henshaws Blind Asylum previously located on Chester Road, in Old Trafford. It housed the blind as well as providing a school for the 'deaf and dumb'. It was demolished in 1971 when the college was relocated to Harrogate.

The model is followed by a timeline of the history of Henshaws and major events and achievements within the visually impaired world, such as; the invention of Braille shorthand in 1899, Henshaws Blind Asylum changing its name to Henshaws Institute for the Blind in 1921 and finally Henshaws Society for Blind People in 2000, showing the changing attitudes of the public, Germans training German Shepherds, Dobermans and Airedale Terriers to lead their war-blinded soldiers in 1921, the British Wireless for the Blind Fund being set up to provide a free radio to every blind person in the country in 1929, and Henshaws celebrating its 175th birthday in 2012.

Henshaws and visual impairment timeline

To the right-hand side of the timeline is a model representation of a Napoleonic Soldier. Many lost their sight during this War, and subsequent ones too, fighting for their country. They would return home to poverty with no help from the Welfare State and would be left begging for themselves and their families. They would continue to wear their uniforms out of respect for their country and as a badge of honour.

Concluding the exhibition is a separate audio section with interviews from four service users of Henshaws. They describe how their lives were previous to their visual impairment and how Henshaws has greatly benefitted their confidence, independence and skills through the various service, support and social groups that they provide.

I had a wonderful time visiting the One Man's Vision exhibition using the audio tour and tactile lines to make my way independently around all of the exhibits. I learned many new things that I didn't know before including some of the adaptive types of tactile writing for visually impaired and blind people, the story of Thomas Henshaw and his Will, and the history of blind societies in my local area.

It was extremely fascinating and I would urge anyone to visit this interesting and completely accessible exhibition.

Image Gallery

Here is a gallery of all the photos I took whilst visiting the One Man's Vision exhibition. Click on the thumbnails to enlarge.

Workshops

There are a number of workshops and talks planned in the near future relating to the One Man's Vision exhibition. Feel free to come along and enjoy artist-led sensory workshops, inviting you to be creative without vision!

Saturday, 18th October: Drawing Workshop
Saturday, 25th October: Mystery objects
Tuesday, 28th October - Friday, 31st October: Create tactile and sensory artworks with artist Hannah Cawthorne
Saturday, 1st November: Create tactile and sensory artworks with artist Hannah Cawthorne
Saturday, 22nd November: Special tour by the exhibition's curator Laura Wigg-Bailey

The One Man's Vision exhibition is open until January 18th, 2015. Visit the official website for further information, events and blog posts.

You can view all of my previous posts regarding my involvement with the installation of the exhibition, as well as creating a special illustration to be displayed alongside the items and objects of interest, by clicking here.