The World of Stonehenge at the British Museum- Exhibition Review

Being British, Stonehenge has always been a huge part of our collective consciousness. When I studied Anthropology at university over 20 years ago, I did a semester on Stonehenge and dove deep into its various symbolism and meanings with one of the leading lecturers from the time, Lionel Sims. I had never seen the stone circle until I drove past it for the first time in 2009, off to meet the prospective in-laws. It didn't look that awe inspiring from the A303 on the grey winters day but I knew that there was power in those stones and this exhibition wanted to show this. The achievement of these Neolithic ancients is often overlooked in favour of the Egyptian pyramids or Mesopotamian state building and mathematics but Stonehenge and other such monuments in the British vista were cleverly conceived and executed. Stonehenge aligns to sunrise on the winter solstice, showcasing the mathematical prowess of these peoples but that seems to be forgotten in light of other achievements across the world.

The exhibition, which runs at the British Museum from 17 Feb 2022 - 17 Jul 2022, seeks to rehabilitate the opinion of these 'primitive' people but that is quite the achievement without the stones of the hour being present. The megalithic structures are obviously still in residence in Wiltshire but what we get instead is a smorgasbord of 430 artefacts in their stead. The items are not just from Britain but cover Neolithic life across Europe as there is evidence of trade and cooperation. Through a chronological process we learn of the hunter-gatherer communities in Europe using hewn stone hand axes to chop down trees and start to gain a mastery over the land. The communal meals and collaboration feeding their spiritual need to connect with each other and nature. This commune created a solid and strong sense of belonging and connection.

Stonehenge Exhibition at the British Museum

The sunstone is a stunning piece of carved artwork from Italy and is thought to be around 4500 years old!

We see the elaborate carvings and grave goods that shaped their spiritual outlook of the world and the belief in spirits in nature, and, of course, their deep veneration of the Sun and Moon. The 2500 BC carved sunstone from Italy is a true highlight showing the people and animals having a procession around the sun. Having it near the beginning of the exhibition shows the true value the peoples placed upon community and kinship. In fact, the whole first part of the exhibition showed the power of kinship and the power of shamanism connected this to the natural world.

The 4000 year old remnants of a meal, which showed the cooperation between hunter-gatherer communities and the first farmers, is a powerful touch that showed shifting communities. It was also at this time that we saw more ornate burials as individualism and power of the individual came to the fore.

The most impressive moment for me was Seahenge, a monument made of wood that had to be removed from its Norfolk seashore home to preserve it. It was discovered in 1998 and returns here like a phoenix, the aged wooden columns standing in the perfectly lit twilight be-lying its 4000 year vintage. This curious creation brings the outside in in a stroke of powerful liminality.

The next part of the exhibition looks at the origin of metal working in Britain and the profound change it brought about, from creating tools to jewelry. There was a profound shift in developing a more complex model of the cosmos and the new artistic flourishes, patterns and designs shows this. In this part of the exhibition we have one of the most beautiful artefacts of note, the controversial Nebra Disc from Germany. It was found by illegal treasure hunters and was taken by the authorities and examined. Its provenance is questioned, with some stating it to be Iron Age but others claiming it is older, but the piece itself is stunning. It offers a map of the night sky with the Pleiades (Seven Sisters) twinkling between the sun and a crescent moon. The turquoise green background is vividly set against the golden embellishments. It is stunning and shows the sheer craftsmanship at work and appreciation and understanding of the solar cycle.

The final section looks at how the influence of Europe affected the culture in England as the Beaker People from the Netherlands brought along their own values, such as burials with goods and burials within Stonehenge. The trading of goods and the exchanging of ideas and values led to conflict and the beginning of empires in Europe but the shared legacy remained.

I walked away from the exhibition profoundly moved and touched by the humanity in what I had seen. The sense of connection of people making their way in the hostile world through community, understanding and love was inspiring and still resonated over the millennia.

The World of Stonehenge at the British Museum

As the sun set at the end of the exhibition I felt enlightened and heightened.

Manga Exhibition at the British Museum: Review

In Japan, manga has been a part of the culture for a long time. The origins of manga are debated and The Handscroll of Frolicking Animals by Kitazawa Rakuten is considered a major influence, but generally it gained prominence in the post World War 2 era where artists such as Osamu Tezuka brought some levity and lightness to proceedings with Mighty Atom or Astro Boy as he's known in the West. Tezuka was to manga what Will Eisner was to American comics; the medium existed before their arrival but they brought it to the fore and forever changed it.

Astro Boy is iconic and will feature heavily in the 2020 Olympics, which will be held in Japan.

As a young boy growing up in east London, England, I didn't know anything about manga or anime but I was consuming it unknowingly through shows such as The Mysterious Cities of Gold and Ulysses 31.
One Saturday I went into my local WH Smith and saw issue 22 of a magazine called Manga Mania and was taken by the big eyes, spiky hair style and tiny mouth and nose of the cover star that reminded me so much of the animation style I liked. When I picked it up, from the top shelf next to the more salacious magazines, I felt a bit of a rebel but upon opening it the kinetic imagery and artistry blew me away. Flicking through it I saw a mention of The Mysterious Cities of Gold in the letter pages and knew I had found something special. From then on I would buy Manga Mania monthly and purchased graphic novels, VHS films, soundtracks and even anime cels. The shop Forbidden Planet became nerd nirvana for me and I'd visit it monthly. Manga was one of my first true loves and one that has survived to this day, at least to some lesser extent. Manga is in my lifeblood and even though it doesn't feature as prominently in my daily life as it once did for me, it was formative in my youth and for that I am still grateful.

I loved getting my monthly Manga Mania fix.

I loved getting my monthly Manga Mania fix.

Since those heady underground days in the early 90s, manga has grown and thrived and its influence is spreading across the world. So, when I heard that the British Museum was hosting the largest manga exhibition outside of Japan I wasn't surprised and knew that I had to go. The British Museum has dipped its toes into the manga and anime pool before over the years but these have been smaller, more focused exhibition. This promised to be a much larger, grander affair as manga is still developing and evolving, the form has and is still contributed rather uniquely to modern culture and I'm glad that a venerable institution as the British Museum is recognising this. I visited the Kyoto International Manga Museum several years ago, which is the largest repository of manga in the world, and wanted to see how this exhibition would compare.

So the question is, is the exhibition worth visiting? In a word, yes.... but this comes heavily loaded with a proviso, which I'll go into later.

The whole show feels less like a staid exhibition but more like something you'd see at more immersive and engaging galleries, no surprise as manga means 'irresponsible pictures' and what is on show is a riotous walk-through of the medium. Being a family oriented exhibition the more controversial elements have been excised but that doesn't diminish what's on show, rather it still offers a smorgasbord of artists and genres that covers the art-form well without excluding younger generations or upsetting some sensibilities.

The exhibition starts with an introduction about the origins of manga and provides a guide on how to read it, from left to right. Then there is a section on the manga-ka, the artists who produce the manga, and the tools of their trade.

On an impressive display of collected comics are a few televisions with the chiefs and editors of the weekly manga collections which are published weekly and sell in the millions. They offer their insight into the creative, production and distribution process.

Around the corner, there is a brief look at the influence of woodblock and scroll works on the medium. There are a few stunning pieces on show but a couple stood out to me, the one where a recent piece of work by artist Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira, Domu and Memories) was compared to his woodblock forebear. The current breed of artists have built on the shoulders of giants and their influence is appreciated here.

After that, the bulk of the exhibition is split into little islands where different themes of manga and artists are explored like Love, Sports, Horror etc. This is all quite dynamic and exciting as there are banners and posters hanging from the ceiling and giant murals and original art pieces stuck on the gallery walls.

In the middle of the exhibition, there is an impressive library of manga on offer and many soft seats in which to read at your own pace.

Manga Exhibition at the British Museum

The last section of the exhibition has a couple of art installations. Kawanabe Kyosai’s theatre curtain from 1880 was painted in just four hours after the artist had imbibed several bottles of rice wine. He painted the 17 metres by five metres high piece using a huge brush and it was done in such a rush of inspiration that you can still see his footmarks on it!. It really is an impressive achievement and whilst not manga, it shows the kinetic frenetic art style that would feature in so much manga years down the line.

Kawanabe Kyosai’s theatre curtain certainly is an impressive piece of work.

Kawanabe Kyosai’s theatre curtain certainly is an impressive piece of work.

Near the exit, a large projected montage of Studio Ghibli films at the end is a fitting bookend to an impressive exhibition.

The exhibition is a great primer for the common manga fan or someone with a cursory interest in the medium but someone looking for a deeper look into the minutiae of manga, this is not that. In my opinion the exhibition, whilst well organised and curated, had some glaring omissions in manga-ka such as Rumiko Takahashi (Mermaid Saga, Urusei Yatsura and Inuyasha) and Masamune Shirow (Ghost in the Shell, Aplleseed and Dominion Tank Police),  but on a personal level I'd have loved to have seen some works by Yoshitoshi Abe (Serial Experiment Lain, Haibane Renmei) and Yukito Kishiro (Battle Angel Alita). I understand that with such a large number of artists it is not possible to get everything in the exhibition but Takahashi and Shirow are titans of the medium and needed some mention or recognition. It’s like having an exhibition on Italian masters and forgetting to mention any of the Turtles; Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo, it just wouldn’t seem complete. However, as the first real look at manga outside of Japan this is an excellent exhibition and well worth the 90 or so minutes of your time. It is an amuse-bouche to the promise of something more and for that I’m excited.

LINK: Japan: My Journey to the East

LINK- Battle Angel Alita: And So It Ends

LINK- The Moomins 80's Soundtrack Vinyl Review

LINK- Inspector Gadget Retro Soundtrack Review

LINK- Ulysses 31 Retro Soundtrack Review

LINK- The Mysterious Cities of Gold Retro Soundtrack Review

LINK- Sonic Mania Video Game Vinyl Soundtrack

LINK- Thomas Was Alone Video Game Vinyl Soundtrack Review

LINK- Akira Soundtrack Vinyl Review

Huge Manga Exhibition Starts This Weekend at British Museum

The British Museum is one of my favourite places in the world; not only is it a magnificent building but it houses some of the worlds greatest treasures. I go there every month at least for a couple of hours to take in the wonders of the ancient world.

On another note, I’ve been a HUGE manga fan for about 30 years now. Back when I got into it in the late 80s, manga and anime were not as prevalent as it is now in the West, so to see its emergence and cultural impact has been fascinating for me. When I started this blog wayyy back in 2013 my very first post was an influence map and manga features quite heavily.

The influence map I created way back in 2013.

The influence map I created way back in 2013.

The British Museum is about to run the biggest manga exhibition in the world, outisde of Japanand I am so there for it! The exhibition runs from 23rd May to 26th August 2019. In their own words:

Immersive and playful, the exhibition will explore manga’s global appeal and cultural crossover, showcasing original Japanese manga and its influence across the globe, from anime to ‘cosplay’ dressing up. This influential art form entertains, inspires and challenges – and is brought to life like never before in this ground-breaking exhibition.

I hope to be going this weekend and will provide all the photos, details and review. I can’t wait!

LINK- British Museum Manga Exhibition Tickets

LINK- Good Grief, Charlie Brown Exhibition Review

Scythians: Warriors of Ancient Siberia- British Museum Exhibition Review

The British Museum is one of my favourite places in the world. I visit the museum every couple of months and always find something new or interesting that I have missed previously due to the sheer number of objects on show (about 80,000, which is about 1% of its catalogue of 8 million)
The museum runs some pretty amazing exhibitions but occasionally something extra special comes along, something that blows your mind and the current Scythians: Warriors of Ancient Siberia, is one such exhibition.

The British Museum is a stunning building which houses the spoils of Britain's colonial past and its interest in antiquities.

For those not in the know the Scythians were fierce tattooed horse riding nomadic tribes, who at their peak controlled territory that stretched from the Black Sea to the north border of China. They didn't leave behind any writing behind but various historians from the time, including Herodotus, left detailed descriptions about them. Much of the primary evidence has been gathered from preserved burial mounds which were often left untouched in the Siberian permafrost for centuries.

Peter the Great, Tsar of Russia from 1682 to 1725, organised expeditions in the 18th century that retrieved many objects, and also handsomely rewarded the Russian people who brought forth items they may have found.

I have to be honest and admit that I went in knowing next to nothing about the Scythians. The only experience I had had with them was through the lens of the video game Superbrothers: Swords and Sworcery, a stunning surreal action adventure game in which you play as a young female Scythian hoping to end the evil she unwittingly brought onto the world by acquiring an ancient yet forbidden tome. So far so video game trope-y but it must have had an influence on  me as when I heard this exhibition was on I knew I had to go!

Swords and Sworcery had a beautiful art style and it was the inpiration for the background of this very website.

Swords and Sworcery had a beautiful art style and it was the inpiration for the background of this very website.

In the Sainsbury's wing of the museum the Scythian exhibition is on show until mid-January 2018. It is a large dimly lit place with ominous soundscape music playing.
The first section of the exhibition contains the famous gold plaque of the mounted Scythian which has graced the promotional covers and posters. The detail of the piece are stunning and considering that it is over 2000 years old, all the more amazing.
As you enter the main hall the remainder of the stunningly worked golden belt buckles are here. The level of detail and their impressive state of preservation show a people who were skilled artisans in the most challenging of environments.
Moving onto the next section, we get a further insight into everyday life. There are markings and artwork etched onto stone, many showing animals such as horses and camels.
There is the head of a Scythian in extraordinary condition on show with his accoutrements. It is all a bit macabre but fascinating nonetheless, like the fact that they liked to dress up warmly with squirrel and stable lined clothes. The men wore large pointed hats which gave them a very distinctive look, it belies the fact that the repertoire of weapons they carried was fearsome including aerodynamic poison dipped arrows, short swords and battle axes which looked more like picks.
The Scythians also may have used fake beards for ceremonial reasons and one is in a good state of repair here. It's all a bit puzzling as accounts from the time say they liked to have long hair and beards and only shaved for death rites but this piece shows that there must have been a need for it somewhere in their life.
There are also signs that they liked to get high and drunk with accounts of the time saying they were fearsome drinkers of Greek wine. They also liked to get high by throwing hemp seeds into a fire in sweat lodges to bond. I have to say that they sound positively delightful and it makes a change from the typical polite dinner parties I occasionally go to now.
The highlight here though is the saddlebag which contains 2 small lumps of cheese which are 2500 years old! That's mind blowing for someone who only likes Cheddar, Baby Bell, Dairylee Triangles or Cheese Strings when he's feeling a little adventurous.

The rest of the exhibition shows the influence of other people who they either traded or fought with the Scythians, and with this interaction came an intermingling of ideas and beliefs. There is a cauldron with a distinctively Chinese styling and as the Scythians did get as far east as China this seems perfectly likely.
Over time the Scythians were overtaken by other groups and their life and their history was forgotten for a time. However through Peter the Great's endeavours and various expeditions into the inhospitable Siberian landscape we are lucky enough to have some their finest works at the British Museum.
The exhibition is only until January and is one loan from the Hermitage in Russia, so this may be the only chance to see it. If you have even a vague interest make sure you do pay a visit.

Manga Now Exhibition at British Museum is Great

I was lucky enough to go to the British Museum to see the Manga Now exhibition today and it was a wonderfully short but sweet experience. Manga has a long history and so a small room in the museum does not do it justice but it is a welcome exhibition that hopefully will continue to spread the popularity of this art form. As I entered the room I was pleasantly surprised to see so many people walking around and appreciating the art on display. Also there were many people reading a wide variety of manga which the British Museum had laid out for people. All in all I was only there for about 20 minutes but it was good to see 3 distinct manga artists covered. If you're in London it's well worth a look!