london2010 British Museum
by furtech
Tuesday I met up with Karen, whom I was seeing "Warhorse" with later. Since the British Museum was just a few blocks away, we headed out there to get lunch and see some history.
Though I generally prefer the Natural History Museum (it has the Archaeopteryx Lithographica fossil), the British Museum is always fun. They are good about rotating out their exhibits so that there is generally something new every time you go there.
The two most interesting exhibits this time were a display on coffins from a tribe in Ghana and one on the medicines we take over our lifetime. The former was a display of the elaborate coffins that are made for the deceased based on their interests or wishes. It took us a while to figure that out (we had to resort to reading the card). These containers look nothing like coffins. Given such a tradition, what would -your- coffin look like?
The medicine exhibit was fascinating. An artist (scientist? Not sure who was behind this) gathered information on a man and a woman and figured out exactly what medications and supplements they took over their entire life. Then they got those medicines and sewed them into a massive mesh grid, arranged chronilogically. Just an amazing and eye-opening exhibit: as a viewer you mentally compare what they took to what you have and are taking. That's a lot of pills...
Something for my friend, Jon Singer: in the general displays (of the objects in their collection), there was a beautiful set of glazed bowls. I thought you'd be interested in seeing the effect.
For Eric: they had gorgeous orreries and compasses on display.
