Now I'll admit it, many of my nights I spend alone, exploring the city or picking new places to grab a bite and try a new food or beer (although less beer as I have really not been that impressed). But, my friend Teena and I have become quite close and for the past 2 1/2 weeks she and I are usually together evenings, either eating at her place or going out to do something fun. Last night she took me out with a few of her friends from uni... everyone was very nice, and I enjoyed myself very much. I am posting this though, to explain a very interesting realization I had while standing outside of the Victoria and Albert Museum with them around 8pm last night. 
Being as I am here to do research and volunteer at the British Museum, I feel quite comfortable with the expectations of museums in general. As most of you would know, food and drink are not allowed in 99.99% of exhibits, most short-term exhibits require the purchase of tickets for entrance, and most of the time loud music is not played in foyers. These are just simple common-sense type details that come along with touring museums. Now, I do not claim to be the most experienced museum-goer, but being in the city, and having an intense interest in art history, I have visited almost 60 museums and galleries now, so going out with this group of Teena's friends to an exhibit opening wasn't too intimidating. We arrived to the blarring noise of techno music flowing from the interior of the Victoria and Albert, and as we entered there was a small bar to the side where you could get a Pimms or water or coke. Everyone rushed to the bar. Buying drinks, and offerring me multiple, I kindly turned them down, recognizing that we were only in the foyer of the museum, had not had our bags checked yet, and would need to move along as the exhibit started in less than 10 minutes. Apparently the group thought that they would be allowed to poke around with the pitcher of Pimms for the evening, as they enjoyed the new China exhibit. I giggled a bit to myself when they realized that this was not the case.
As we walked up to the ticket counter, I asked how many tickets we needed for the exhibit, as I have a pass now that allows me to get very cheap entrance fees (one of the curators I am working for got it as a Welcome to London gift for me). They all looked at me like I had five heads... tickets? I explained that to go to the particular exhibit they were interested in, we would need tickets, but that if we just wanted to poke around the other rooms of the museum that are opened (and available for viewing on any given day of the week) we would not have to pay a cent. They wanted to get the tickets... so we did.
Manuvering our way through a few small crowds, our group of 20 or so entered the exhibit, and I have never IN MY ENTIRE LIFE, see a group of 20+ year olds looked so dazed and confused. I explained to Teena, who then passed the info down the line, that we just poke around, read the text panels, and enjoy the exhibit... we did not have to stand in line or wait for a tour... it was essentially a free for all. Everyone chuckled a bit, and we began through the exhibit.
I should also mention here that, an exhibit on modern day China would not have been my first choice of entertainment for the evening, but everyone else seemed excited, so I thought, hey, maybe they knew something I didn't. The exhibit was beautifully done, covering the major growing cities of Shanghai and Bejing in an enormous space... everything from koala bear statues, to architectural models, to acupuncture Nikes. It seemed a bit incohesive, but the aesthetic layout was great, and it was really nice to see an exhibit at the V&A that was a bit more modern. The group found it a bit strange really, and I think I heard someone say that they felt as though they might get beamed up to Mars with the bright neon lights that were flashing, and the tall white and black wall panels that separated each space. It was a little bizarre, I will admit, but I think that it was laos unique, and that's what interested me about it.
You can imagine that the group was quick to pass through the rooms, as finsihing the exhibit meant a rewarding trip to the pubs. We hopped the tube back to Camden and found a relaly cute little place with music and PHENOMINAL cocktails! Not to expensive, and really fun music, everyone loosened up, danced around, and had a good time.
Wanting to catch the tube to head back, Teena and I left Fiver Five at 1:30ish, ran into an old man who asked me if I was from Toronto and wanted to move in with him and get married... ??? We made it back to the tube just in time to catch the last ride back. I was tired, but smiled to myself on the ride home as I realized that even in a city where I may feel very out of place at times, there are moments like that for everyone... even the friends I had met that night who have been living in the city their whole lives who had no clue what to expect entering a major museum in their own neighborhood :)
No comments:
Post a Comment