Thursday, December 29, 2005
Mind your…Mannequins!
Mannequin at the WA Medical Musuem displayed in the iron lung.
Ever get the feeling you’re being watched? Every Wednesday at the Western Australian Medical Museum at closing time, there’s a moment when we turn off all the lights and I turn around and catch a glimpse of figures in the dark – after all this time the museum’s mannequins still manage to make me jump!
While their quirkiness is quite appealing, in a sort of retro way, they also help to tell a story, give a sense of scale to objects and sometimes help to demonstrate an object’s function. On the other hand, with many of the museum’s mannequins looking as antiquated as some of the collection, they tend to detract from the objects on display, some often fascinating many visitors with their, now out–dated, blue eye–shadow.
Love them or loathe them, I don’t think the mannequins at the WA Medical Museum will be going anywhere soon. They’re now part of the family – nicknames and all!
Post your comment – love ’em or loathe ’em? |
Posted by Lisa at 2:56 PM
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Update on Cossack
Following on from the last post, Gaye Norton has provided MODE with the following information on the future of Cossack and how you can get involved:
‘The minister has appointed Palassis Architects to put together a master plan to implement the re-development of Cossack as suggested by the Farr report (which was basically sell off for housing all the land which does not have a standing building on it). They are to consult with relevant stakeholders so it is important that they, and the minister, realise that the heritage minded community are very much stakeholders in the future of Cossack’
Gaye recommends writing to Francis Logan, Minister for Housing and Works, Heritage, as well as Palassis Architects (contact details located here) to make your opinions heard. |
Posted by Lisa at 3:13 PM
Friday, December 16, 2005
Housing or Heritage? The Future of Cossack
Today I received an email from Museums Australia regarding the future of the heritage listed town of Cossack, a former port on Western Australia’s Pilbarra coast. The town is earmarked for development, with new housing planned. However, the Australian Association of Consulting Archaeologists of Western Australia is concerned about this development and would prefer to see ‘an archaeological research and interpretation centre’ created, building upon the sites potential as a heritage tourist destination. According to Gaye Nayton’s report on the issue:
‘If a viable alternative is not put forward and debated in the community soon the main heritage value of Cossack, the archaeology of the early pioneers, pearlers and their Aboriginal and Asian workforce, will be destroyed for a gain to the area of only 70 more homes’
This is clearly an issue that requires attention. The AACA (WA) is proposing that an Archaeological Trust for Cossack be established, arguing that this type of management structure has been successful in establishing many British heritage tourism destinations.
I’ll be emailing Gaye to see how people can get involved – so check by later for more information. |
Posted by Lisa at 12:39 PM
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Short and Snappy (No. 4)
The Powerhouse Museum’s Electronic Swatchbook displays swatches from their collection from the 1890s to 1920s – the flip-book format of the site is a pleasure to use.
The Potted Meat Museum - Don’t you just love the way anyone can be a Curator these days?!
(via Happy Palace)
Librarians Trading Cards at Flickr – reminds me of school holidays spent playing Magic with the kids in my street – happy days!
(Via Hanging Together)
Marian contemplates the aesthetics of ‘cute’ over at Speak Up.
Bridge Girl is crowned Australia’s best blogger – the blog documents Artist Jodie Rose’s attempt to capture sounds of bridge cables around the world. Congratulations!
Maybe I’m just not sensitive enough, but I’ve never gone this crazy over art.
Museum Photographers appears to have received a snazzy new redesign – yet another reason to visit this impressive blog on museum photography.
Gamelan Playtime – an interactive sound installation displayed over a 30 metre wall on London’s Southbank – Cool.
(Via Pixel Sumo)
Circus Musuem – ‘Welkom bij circusmuseum.nl, dé beeldbank met posters, foto’s en prenten uit de verzameling van Jaap Best, de grootste circuscollectie van Nederland’.
The online catalogue for The University of Melbourne’s Medical Museum is comprehensive and inspiring – especially for my colleague Megan and I as we attempt to digitise the WA Medical Museum’s collection.
And finally, a new competition from Designboom – Shelter in a Cart.
Don't forget to send your tips to MODE for the next installment of Short and Snappy. We're also on the lookout for short articles on anything to do with museums or design. Email us for more info. |
Posted by Lisa at 12:01 PM
Monday, December 05, 2005
The 12 Days of (a MODE) Christmas
On the twelfth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to MODE,
Twelve designers designing,
Eleven curators complaining,
Ten conservators conserving,
Nine visitors visiting,
Eight acid free boxes,
Seven comments posted,
Six Guggenheims,
Five mouldy parchments,
Four sheets of Mylar,
Three Eames chairs,
Two links from Design Observer,
And an interview with Dawn Casey
The silly season has struck! Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas! |
Posted by Lisa at 9:35 PM
Friday, December 02, 2005
Hunting for Penguins
 I’ve been on a Penguin hunting frenzy. Not the black and white variety, but the black and green variety – the 1960s green crime series Penguin paperbacks.
My earliest glimpse of a green penguin was in an article in Eye Magazine that detailed the designer Romek Marber’s contribution to Penguin in the 1960s. Marber redesigned the Penguin grid for the series, as well as designing numerous covers featuring highly stylised, graphic illustrations that summed up the sentiment of the book in striking, often symbolic, imagery.
This was later followed by a timely trip to the Victoria and Albert to see the Penguin covers exhibition celebrating their 70th anniversary. After buying a set of Penguin mugs a few days later at the Design Museum, clearly, I was on my way to becoming a collector.
It came unexpectedly one lazy Saturday morning in Fremantle when my mum took me to one of her favourite haunts – the second storey of Elizabeth’s Bookshop. A flash of green and black caught my eye and pleasant memories of my trip came flooding back. And then I saw another. Each one only a dollar!
Eleven green penguins later, as well as buying the comprehensive book Penguin by Design and I am itching to hit the second-hand books stores again.
So, there it is – a story of how one collector came into being. If there are any collectors out there, we would love to know what you collect and why? |
Posted by Lisa at 11:21 AM
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