Monday, April 17, 2006

V&A Modernism

I went to this yesterday, with Z. We decided that we would go out on Easter Sunday.

It costs £9 per person, and for the cost, we both thought it was well worth it. It certainly gave me new information I didn’t know. I wasn’t aware that the some of the origins of modernism came from the Russians after their revolution in 1917. I had thought it had primarily come through the Germans and other countries in the central/Western European area, though not the UK, which did surprise me.

V&A Modernism Exhibition

The stuff on show was really interesting, they had an engine from WO Bentley, who went on to create Bentley cars. They showed the first all fitted kitchen done in Germany, and it is so like what many aspire to today. I hadn’t realised that a lot of it came from the ideas of constructivists who felt that there was no need to have individual items, that the area the person was in, would be their space. Modernists were very much into standardising everything, dreaming of a new utopia. Most of it came after the first world war, up until the second world war.

For anyone living in London who enjoys history, and seeing items that to a large extent are still with us today, and how this all started, it is well worth a visit. For those who like aerodynamic cars, and like the look of fancy cars, go along as well. They have on display a Tatra T87 saloon car. A Czechoslovakian car, which had a teardrop type styling and is very impressive in the way it looks.

Tatra T87

Worthwhile going, a very enjoyable show, and for those who are disabled, they can get in for free, if you show your disability card.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

When a man is tired of London.... is a quote by Dr Johnson not Samuel Pepys