These photos are the final collection that I picked for my Collection Taxonomies project, it shows the theme of History and all the photos are taken by me while I visited the place.
Mummies
This is a picture of mummies exhibited in the British Museum of London. I started to get interested in Ancient Egypt culture because of a Japanese comic and a Taiwanese novel that both have the background in ancient Egypt. Although both of them are no true historical background, but I quickly wanted to know more about this unique culture. I find the idea of how people can tell a history through an object, especially those objects were used in the past. Therefore, this picture plays a really important role in my collection because of it I decided to work towards the direction of finding objects or artwork that contains some personal or historical stories
Rosetta Stone
This photo is the Rosetta Stone displayed at the British Museum. I thought it was just a piece of stone from ancient Egypt until I asked my dad if we are able to understand the ancient Egyptian script . He immediately told me how researchers had been able to read this script that had been lost for a long through this piece of stone. It was very interesting and surprising for me to learn this. Through more detail research, I fount out that this stone was found in 1799, a group of French architects found this stone with parallel inscriptions of Greek and Egyptian, also three scripts, Greek, Egyptian and This stone helped the British and French scholars Thomas Young and Jean-Francois Champollion to complete the human decipherment of the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics (object.https://www.britannica.com/story/what-does-the-rosetta-stone-say) It is a very interesting feeling that we can learn about the writing used by the people of the past through a stone.
Lord John Stuart and his Brother (Van Dyck, 1638)
This picture is a painting created by Anthony Van Dyck named Lord John Stuart and his Brother, Lord Bernard Stuart, it is exhibited in National Gallery of London. I choose this painting to be part of my collection is because I was impressed by the skills and texture of this painting when I first sees it.
According to the research, Van Dyck was one of the most important artist during 17th century (https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/anthony-van-dyck), he was a He was a royal painter, and he painted for a lot of royal member in 17th century. That’s why he and my collection are connected. Through this work, the viewer can see this era that is totally different compared to our modern life.
The Death of Major Peirson (John Singleton Copley, 1781)
This artwork is display at the Tate Britain museum, is The Death of Major Peirson, 6 January 1781, painted by John Singleton Copley. It records the French invasion of Jersey on 5 January 1781, and on 6 January Major Peirson led a successful counter-attack but was also killed in the battle. This work depicts his sacrifice in the moment of victory, with the black man recorded on the side representing the loyalty of the British colonies to England. This work has a strong connection with my collection because it is a very straightforward painting of a historical scene, through which the audience can feel as if they are in the scene, and through the vivid expressions of the characters and the bright colours of the painting, the audience can experience the feelings and scenes of the war.
Portrait of Sir Francis Ford’s Children Giving a Coin to a Beggar Boy (William Beechey, 1793)
I saw this work in the Tate Britain museum and was immediately attracted by the life like expressions of the characters and the elaborate clothes. This work is the Portrait of Sir Francis Ford’s Children Giving a Coin to a Beggar Boy painted by William Beechey in 1793, which shows the gap between the rich and the poor and compassion through only three characters. This type of work is a hallmark of British art from the late 18th century, and there are many works that relate to poverty and support. I think it is interesting because through this work the viewer can understand the context of the time, when poverty reduction was a big issue, and so it created the idea for the artists to work on this theme.
Jade Cabbage (翠玉白菜）
This sculpture is from my grandmother’s collection. It is a replica of the Jade Cabbage that has been in my grandmother’s house for about forty years, since my mother was a child, and I have seen it many times. The original work is exibited in National Palace Museum in Taiwan. The original fully utilise the natural color of jade to create the lifelike appearance of the Chinese cabbage, and the exquisite workmanship makes me marvel every time I visit. Whenever I look at it, I not only think of my grandmother, but also of the National Palace Museum in Taiwan, which shows a strong personal connection with me.
My Father’s books
These books belongs to my dad, and the biggest thing I’ve know about my dad since I was a kid is that he loved to read, and he especially loved history. Wherever our family moved to, there was always a big room for his books, so every time I see these books I think of my dad, and a big part of this collection is inspired by his interest, because he likes to take my sister and I to museum every time when we are on a trip. These books are special not only because they are almost forty years old, but my dad told me that they also experienced the great flood in Taiwan in 1959, it was one of the biggest flood in Taiwan’s history. The water makes the books wet, but my dad still persistently to keep them, this is the reason why these books look so worn out.
Babel 2001 (Cildo Meireles, 2001)
This artwork is call Babel 2001 by Cildo Meireles in Tate Modern museum. This is my favourite piece from the Tate Modern museum. It shows a combination of sounds and art in it which reminds me of the project that we are currently doing which is the soundscape. It looks like a building at night but is build from a bunch of radio, such a visual impact and sound fusion together to make the overall picture appears more impressive.
The research shows that this artwork was inspired from a story in the bible, he refers to it as a :tower of incomprehension”. This is an interesting idea to me because he include the element from different culture and religion. The research also highlight the idea that this artwork is suggesting the idea of “for the intricate relations between distinct nations and communities’” which shows a deeper meaning for the artwork.
British Museum
This is a picture of the building of British Museum. I myself am very fond of Western sculptures and architecture, such as those from the Roman or Greek periods, and of course the mythology behind them. I am always amazed at the level of detail and authenticity of these sculptures and the iconic architectural styles that are instantly recognizable as belonging to any culture or era. The exterior of the British Museum was designed by architect Sir Robert Smirke (http://architectuul.com/architecture/british-museum), and the ancient Greek temple style architecture is unforgettable.
Houses of Parliament/Palace of Westminster
This is the Houses of Parliament, also known as the Palace of Westminster. This is the corner that represents my most basic impression of England. Before I came here, my impression of England was limited to this Big Ben and these exquisite buildings. Palace of Westminster is on the bus route that I take the most, therefore I pass it quite often. No matter how many times I pass it, I always marvel at the appearance of the building, no matter what equipment is used to photograph it, it always looks details and beautiful. Through research, I learned that this building was built in the eleventh century for Edward the Confessor, this building witnessed ten centuries of British history, so it is a very important cultural heritage for Britain itself, but also a contemporary tourist attraction. Therefore, even after this long period of time, it still influences people in different ways.