Author: Jupiter and Dann

Glass blowing is something that I have always found beautiful in a lot of ways. Dann says it’s because we see nature in glass as it almost shows movement and shaping in a way that we, as humans, compare to the world around us. When I was younger, my parents use to take us to a glass blowing studio, where a family friend would blow glass into bubbles and shape them or make stained glass windows. It was always so interesting to watch. When I saw that Kew Gardens was having a Chihuly collection, full of beautiful glass work which mimics nature, I just had to go along.

With Dann and my brother in tow, we went to their last night session, exploring the gardens completely light up, showcasing the glass work on a cool autumn evening. Arriving at Kew Gardens, which we’d never been to before, was a simple task. There was a short queue into the exhibition, which is nearly entirely outside. Once our tickets were checked, we were face to face with the first piece; a giant blue, spiky glass orb-type thing, that we had seen on all the advertisement, especially the images on the London underground.

Continue reading “Night out at Chihuly: Reflections on Nature at Kew Gardens” →

My brother really does enjoy museums. After taking a look at the Science Museum, he wanted to see a more war focused museum. A friend suggested the Imperial War Museum, which really hit the spot when it came to exactly what he wanted to check out. With Dann in tow, we went off into London to explore this museum.

Lots to see and read

It’s worth noting that the Imperial War Museum takes more time to make it through, as the museum has a lot more reading to do than other museums we’ve been too. The well laid out areas showcase different time periods in war, walking you through what happened, different major points and explaining different sides. Dann mentioned a lot of this was what he learned in school here in England, while we didn’t go this much into depth of wars in America. Following through the first wing, there was so much to see; interactive points like an old football-inspired game that taught children what trenches were, jackets and hats that were warn in war, showing how heavy these objects where and even some physical trenches you could walk through, with shadows of others on it. There was even a simulation game that allowed you to pick strategies to fight off submarines getting sunk. Everyday objects used around the time of the war like gas masks and different guns were on display, as were posters and advertisements that encouraged women to help in the workforce or men from different countries to join the war. We walked quite slowly around these areas, sucking everything in. You could learn basically everything about World War I and World War II in this museum.

Continue reading “A Day Out at the Imperial War Museum London” →