The British Museum + London Transport Museum

 British Museum

Overview

The main hall is very spacious. It connects all the museum spaces and collection together by providing the access to all of the rooms. There is a library with special book collection in the middle of the hall. The ceiling is high, the hall is filled with the natural light coming from the top. 

The hall is big enough to contain an informational desk, 3 cafes, 2 shops. There are always contemporary art sculptures in the hall. It is often used for the educational purposes. There are lots of students and tourists. Personally, I find the main hall space very confusing. The construction in the middle does not allow to see the whole space, so, very often people are lost, being no able to understand where is the exit from the Museum.

Interviews

I found the room with clock mechanisms to be very fascinating. The display in the middle attracted my attention by its simplicity and functionality. It protects the mechanism, does not ruin the view. The structure is made of steel and glass. Everything is on the eye level, The screen and a table with drawings visually explain how the mechanism of the clock made and where it is used.

I decided to interview people who were in the "clock room". 

A young boy was attracted by the shadows and movements in the clock room. He told me that he lived very close to the museum and the last time he had been there was during his school years, approximately at the age of 10. This visit brought him a lot of childhood memories. 

Two young girls, were the students of UCL, they decided to go to the museum on their lunch break. They were not looking at something in particular, came by because of the general curiosity. 

A Brazilian man, came to the museum to see the egyptian mummies. He underlined that the"clock" room is his favourite so far, and that he is very happy that all the clocks are working.

Following people

An old Lady with red hair confidently entered the space of the main hall. She wanted to go to the informational desk but then she changed her mind and decided to leave the museum, but then she has changed her mind again and came back to the main hall. I was waiting for 10 minutes, the lady was just standing near the entrance, probably she was waiting for someone. After 10 minutes she walked into the shop, bought something and walked away.

A couple with big rucksacks confidently walked to the informational desk, then they walked out of the gallery with the same confidence. 

An old man with grey hair and  a suitcase approached the map. He spent 2 minutes looking at it, then he went to the right side of the building, near the entrance to the "library space" he changed his mind. He walked back, looked at the map again and went to the left, i lost him in a crowd. 

To ladies entered the main hall, talked to a member of staff, then they walked up the stairs and stayed in the restaurant for lunch. 

I was not very lucky with these people, they seem to be very undeceive, perpetually changed their mind. I wonder, if they were confused by the space of the main hall? 

A woman in her 30th in a green coat went to the second floor. Her destination was an Egyptian room, she spent a lot of time there, she looked at the artefacts and read the information carefully. She did not have a notebook, she did not take any photos. Then she went to the left, but majority of artefacts she stopped near by were on her right side. She skipped the Greek room. A composition of statues attracted her attention. Then she went downstairs, bought a muffin in a cafe and walked away.

I have underlined for myself, that the right side of the room and the first room of the exhibition are more likely to be examined carefully by visitors. 

The Museum of a Future

At 14:30 a group of dancers made a performance in the main hall. The dance performance was inspired by the space of British Museum and how people move through it. The dance was a part of the project. The aim of the project is to explore and propose ideas of how the future of the British Museum can look like. Museum of the future, icon dance. The project is supported by Arts Council of England. I think is it very related to our project. 

The Icon Dance

London Transport Museum.

I was not particularly exited about the museum at first, but when I entered a museum space it left a really good impression on me. The space was well organised, information was clear. The museum was refurbished about 5 years ago and it looks very modern, the newest technologies and ideas are used. 

The atrium with 25 meter high ceiling is a good place to decide where to go next. The atrium in London Transport Museum, just like the Imperial War Museum builds up its exhibition spaces around the main atrium. 

                           

The Museum allows people to touch all life-size models and real objects (real buses and cabs). It contains all different kinds of models, original drawings of a design. Projectors build a narration using the whole length of the room. 

                            

The museum thought of a trip around the building that will fully and chronologically reveal the information in front of the visitor. The exposition is supposed to be viewed from the top floor. Here is a map with a journey visitors are recommended to undertake. They added a game element to the journey, visitors should put a stamp on a special piece of paper in each room they visit. I think this game is very good for kids and young visitors. The last room of the exposition commemorated to the ideas of how the transport will operate and look like in the future. I noticed that the rooms with future projects and latest works are always in the end of the exhibition. I am always tired in the end, and the most interesting and exciting room (in the galleries the curators usually put the best works in the end) is half seen and half understood by me. I don't understand why do majority of the exhibitions should start in the chronological order, why not to start it from the end? Why not to go further into the past, rather then back into the future.?

I love the way the movement of transport in shown on the video. Moving lights show a very dynamic image of a city on the move. As you see, all the windows on the ceiling are closed, the light from the outside is completely blocked. The ceiling is lit with blue lights (filters). The blue light gives a futuristic touch to the museum's atmosphere.

The entrance to the Transport Museum

Interview with a manager of the Transport Museum

I was curious about the previous function of the museum building, it looked like a railway station to me. I asked the question to one of the people who work in the museum, and they called a manager who came to meet me in 5 minutes. He told me that the space was used as a flower market before. It was lit both sunlight and it was very spacious, and grand. ( In the same style King's Cross station and Brighton station were made)

He said that the building is protected by the English Heritage and they had lots of constrains while working with the gallery space. For example, the main atrium was not allowed to change or divide ob several floors. The building should have keep the face of the architecture. 

It is a very fascinating story, and it is very relative to the Design Museum project.