Atmospehric Blues

1. Atmospehric Blues Julia Rolczak Doaa Nair JaejunYu ChandniVaya

2. HISTORY OFMUSEUM The Cuming Museum, opened in 1906, and was the result of over 100 years of collecting artefacts from all over the world by father and son, Richard and Henry Cuming. The collections come from various sources such as; auctions, sales, neigbours and friends, as well as, some artefacts being donated by collectors, and the local people, to the museum throughout the years. It has been reported that Henry Cuming (who passed in 1902) stated in his will "My museum illustrative of natural history, archaeology and ethnology with my coins and medals and along with all other curios" be exhibited in "a suitable and spacious gallery or apartments in connection with Newington Public Library.“ Edward Lovett donated ‘The Lovett Collections of London Superstitions’ to the museum, which resulted in a huge press coverage and soon became a favourite part of the CumingMuseum displays. The museum was very popular until the outbreak of the war in 1939 which lead to its closure in 1941. The museum reopened in 1951 when it mainly focused on displaying Southwark’s history. Currently the museums collection gives a fascinating insight into the history of Southwark and of cultures around the world. Till this day, the museum continues to collect material relating to the people and history of Southwark. At the moment the museum is closed due to a fire that happened on the 25th of March 2013

3. CUMING MUSEUM

4. GALLERIES IN THE MUSEUM The museum is divided into three different sections; • The First Gallery focuses on displaying the history of the Cumingfamily and their collections. • The Second Gallery is divided into three different areas; setlling in the area, a place to visit and the final one being world connections. The gallery exhibits the history of Southwark and looks at people who have worked and lived in the area since the Roman times. • The Third Gallery is the temporary exhibition space, (exhibitions change every 4-6 months)

5. THE COLLECTIONS The Cuming museum houses a very diverse collection. It varies from archaeology and ethnography to social and natural history. • Ivory and Bone • Lost Southwark exhibition • Lovett Collection of Superstition s • Oceanic • Pictures, Places, People: Elephant to Camberwell paintings • Pictures, Places, People: Elephant to Camberwell photographs • Portraits • RCA Coronation Print Series • Roman Collection Londinium • Roman Southwark • Silk, Squalor and Scandal, Hogarth's London • The Americas • Victorian Fine Art • 20th Century Art • African collection • Ancient Egypt • Arctic Collection • Bears grease pommade pots • Chinese personal accessories • Coins and Medals from the Southwark Art Collection • Contemporary Print Collection • Costume • Cuming Ethnographic Collection • Cuming Footwear • Elephant and Castle historic images • Fact into Fiction Charles Dickens Bicentenary Exhibition • Fakes and Forgeries • From Fact to Fiction Images

6. THE FIRE The fire that began on an early afternoon, 25th of March 2013 at the Grade II listed Cuming Museum, is believed to have been an accident. The blaze required the service of almost 120 firefighters as well as 20 fire engines and took no longer than 6 hours to tackle. It caused great damage to the structure as it began at the roof and tore through the main building. A report into the incident revealed that the fire at the Cuming Museum started at the roof top where some construction work was taking place at the time and was caused by the roofers using a blow torch. It is believed that the fire itself destroyed two out of the three displays the museum had, there was further water damage created by the firefighters in order to contain the fire. Nonetheless due to the flames spreading quickly through the museum the water damage could have destroyed some of the artefacts that were kept in the storage.

7. SIGNIFCANCE OF THE MUSEUM “It is one of the oldest buildings in the area. It's a real shame as I think it will be very badly damaged.” (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-21928861 , 08/01/2014 13:48) “I think I was most surprised that the temporary exhibition space was still under rubble, it’s a space I know well as I helped create an exhibition that was on display there last year and saw their current exhibition recently. But opportunities will come through this setback and from the look of the support the museum has received so far from the community and beyond there is clearly a will to see a new an improved museum and civic centre to take its place.” (http://donttouchthedinosaurs.wordpress.com/2013/04/05/cuming-museum-fire-update/ , 08/01/2014 14:00) “We have a clear vision to create a civic centre in Walworth that sets a new standard as a world-class public space. We want a civic building that will be right at the heart of the community, an amazing public place that is open and accessible to all.” (http://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/news/24072013-southwark-unveils-plans-to-restore-cuming-museum , 08/01/2014, 14:07)

8. SPACES IN THE MUSEUM Some of the areas in the museum are restricted as they are historical and listed spaces. This means that this limits us as designers to explore this space freely to its full potential. LISTED Lobby Stairs Façade Roof

9. FLOOR PLANS

10. SECTIONS

11. ELEVATIONS

12. INTERESTING OBJECTS Tanzanian Hat Slippers Luck Charm Vase: Chrysanthemum Design Canadian Comb Syrian Bath Clog

13. CHOSEN OBJECTS "This mascot is, by far, the most powerful one that has ever been designed, consisting as it does of five of the most widely recognised types of amulet in existence, some of which have been in use for more than two thousand years." LUCKY CHARMS Lovett’s relationship with the objects he collected was not a simple one. Even though his house in Caterham in Surrey was filled with his hoard of amulets and charms, he was no archetypal obsessive collector. In fact, Lovett’s relationship with his collection has more the air of the bank clerk balancing the books, with surviving correspondence suggesting someone skilled in selling items on in order to get the money to buy more, even keeping museums interested by passing selected items on to them over time. To Lovett, a belief in the powers of amulets and charms would grow in times of crisis. Magic in Modern London includes numerous examples from the First World War, with British soldiers travelling to the Western Front with an array of good luck mascots and totems, including brooches in the shape of black cats and four-leaf clovers, and dominoes with ten dots.

14. CHOSEN OBJECTS When kept as a talisman, a horseshoe is said to bring good luck. Some believe that to hang it with the ends pointing upwards is good luck as it acts as a storage container of sorts for any good luck that happens to be floating by, whereas to hang it with the ends pointing down, is bad luck as all the good luck will fall out. Others believe that the horseshoe should be hung the other way (with the ends pointing down), as it will then release its luck to the people around. The crucifixis one of the key sacramentals used by Catholics and has been used to ward off evil for centuries.  The imperial cross of Conrad II referred to the power of the cross against evil 'The "Lovett" Motor Mascot', a horse brass of silver coloured metal, designed by Edward Lovett. Shaped as a horseshoe with three symbols in the centre - a crescent (the crescent of Diana), a crescent with a cross in the centre (the Byzantine crescent with a star), and a circle with a cross (wheel of the sun chariot), and a swastika on top. These symbols represent the sun and the moon. Horse brasses were worn on the martingales of heavy cart horses and were collected as an example of sun and moon worship. The Mascot was designed to be a powerful amulet.

15. FORMS OF THE OBJECTS

16. CHOSEN OBJECTS Bath Clog Syrian This is a Syrian inspired sandal that is raised so can also be compared to the modern day high heel shoe that the average woman would wear. It is made with inlaid ivory or bone decoration that is handmade and oven specifically to the owners’ custom preference and satisfaction. It was made with a silk strap across the top so that it could hold the sandal in place on the foot and had a metal embroidery mainly for decoration. The sandal was mainly word by woman in bath houses so as to protect their feet from heated tiled floors as well as the wet tiled floors. This was an ingeniously designed idea as the wood would not conduct or transport the heat of the floor and neither would it be as slippery as metal if the floor was wet. This clothing item originated from the late 1800’s, around 1880-1890 and has inspired modern day sandals and high heal designs, particularly in the Middle Eastern region of the world. Canadian Comb This is a Canadian comb that was created, out of the now almost instinct animal Bison’s horn and oak wood, in the late 1800’s by native Canadian tribesmen known as Aboriginals. Aboriginal Peoples in Canada are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of present-day Canada. They comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have largely fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative. The characteristics of Canadian Aboriginal civilizations included permanent settlements, agriculture, civic and ceremonial architecture, complex societal hierarchies and trading networks. This comb has a fascinating shape that is not matched by any other modern comb, unlike its predecessors whose features are apparent in the modern day combs. This comb was mainly used by people with very long hair and was used to straighten as well as hold the hair in an upright position. This top of this comb is shaped as a man's head, wearing a headdress decorated with spots and the bottom is shaped like an animal walking on two legs. This is because only people that were known and established hunters would have the privilege to use or display this comb in public; so it can be compared to the modern day, ‘medal of honour’ among the aboriginal tribesmen. The colour would be inspired by the owners hair colour.

17. FORMS OF THE OBJECTS

18. INSPIRATIONS ANISH KAPOOR NAUM GABO SANTIAGO CALATRAVA

19. NEXT STEP? We will exploring our possibilities with both Plan A and Plan B. As a group we want to experiment with various design methods and theories. We also feel more confident to experiment with different materials which we believe could develop a number of design strategies. We will be visiting an exhibition which will be held at the Tate Britain by Richard Deacon - a turner prize winner, so we can have a better understanding of an installation.