Society of Antiquaries of London - Magna Carta Through the Ages

Magna Carta Through the Ages is an exhibition at the Society of Antiquaries of London held on 26 May to 31 July 2015. Conservations work were done on the 1215 draft and 1225 reissue of the Magna Carta by the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Art Conservation Project, which is shown in this exhibition. The exhibition showcases three lots of Magna Carta and its reiterations, giving the history behind them.

Magna Carta Through the Ages

In January 1215, key members of the Baronial Elites demanded the reissue of the Coronation Charter that was created by Henry I which aimed to “abolish evil customs by which the kingdom of England has been unjustly oppressed”. King John at the time tried to find a leeway so said to them that he would make a decision on “Law Sunday” on 26 April (first Monday after Easter). King John and those that opposed him approached Pope Innocent to seek support from the Pope. The Pope, however, got behind King John which caused a rift between the King and Barons.

On 5 May 1215, the Barons performed the ceremony of diffidatio thus cutting ties with the king. A siege of sorts occurred when the citizens of London open the gates to the Barons with the latter declaring that they will not make peace until both parties came to an agreement. King John finding no way out agreed to the reissue of the charter.

In May 1215, the Barons were no longer happy with the reissue as well as growing demands wanted charters to be created for the Barons. Their demands were recorded first in the Unknown Charter (mid-late May) and the Articles of the Barons (10 June). In them, further changes were made with particular grievances addressed such as service in the King’s army in Poitou and raising of the war tax (also known as scutage). They Barons wanted to limit the King’s power so that he can rule accordingly to the law so the security clause was introduced (C. 49 in Articles of the Barons and C. 61 in the Magna Carta). The clause states that the King must follow the terms of the agreement even if he is reluctant to do so. Final terms of agreement were done during, what was known as Runnymede, which ran from 15 to 19 June.

The Black Book of Peterborough

A discarded draft of the Magna Carta was sent to Peterborough Abbey. The text was reproduced to become the Cartulary, which also contained information relating to the Abbey’s land. Upon the dissolution of the monasteries in 1538, a lot of the land was seized by ther King. Some of the land was given to William Cecil, who also obtained the Black Book of Peterborough, and some others were given to Baron Burley, who established the fist most famous and politically influential dynasty.

In 1778, Brownlow Cecil, ninth Earl of Exeter, donated the Black Book of Peterborough to the Society of Antiquaries of London as well as the English translation of the book. The Black Book has remained with the society ever since then. The society expressed the gratitude for his generosity saying Cecil “expressed their most respectful acknowledgements and thanks to his Lordship for his very curious and valuable present.

The Great Seal of the Magna Carta

King John did not sign any of the Charters, instead authrorised his Chancellor to mark it with the Great Seal so as to officiate the documents. 1 of 4 1215 Magna Carta with the Great Seal survived but was horrendously damaged in a fire in 1731.

In 1733, John Pine engraved the writing of the original Magna Carta in a readable format so that the text itself was preserved. He created a depiction of the seal and recreated the 25 coats of arms of King John’s Batons which encased the text. This was obtained by the Society of Antiquaries of London in 1842. The exhibition only contained later copies so they would not have been stamped.

Halesowen Abbey Scroll

The 1215 Magna Carta was almost annulled by the Pope but a reissue by the minority government of King John’s son Henry III in 1216 and 1217. In 1225, Henry III come of age and was able to issue a definitive Magna Carta. He issued a contemporary which is believed to have come from the Halesowen Abbey. It became a companion to the 1217 Magna Carta which included the Charter of the Forest which included the government of royal forests. The Halesowen Abbey was founded by Peter des Roches, Bishop of Winchester, who formed the early foundation for the basis of Henry III. The monks created their own Magna Carta which could be somehow connected to Henry III’s connection to the Bishop.

In 1558, the scroll was acquired by the Lyttelton family. Bishop Charles Lyttelton was elected as a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London and became president in 1765 until death. He left the scroll to the society upon his death.

A Debate between Fellows

William Blackstone, who was a lawyer, wrote The Great Charter and Charter of the Forest which differentiated all the different Magna Cartas. This eventually led to his recommendation for election as a Fellow of the Society and his recommendation said that he was “particularly skilful in the legal and historical Antiquaries of our country”.

Bishop Lyttelton allowed Blackstone to view the Halesowen Abbey Scroll and then his private collection. Their relationship was not always rosy as Blackstone accused the scroll as not of the original. In January 1761, he wrote a paper defending his decision.

In 1762, he was elected as a Fellow of the society and yet again presented a paper that the scroll was not the original saying he had “decisive proof, or at least a violent presumption, that this Roll never passed the Great Seal”.

The Hart Book of Statutes

The 14th century volume is a collection of statutes of written laws brought together by the country’s legislative body but it is not known who commissioned this piece. It was compiled for use by the lawyers and administrator. Henry III’s 1225 Magna Carta and Charter of the Forest is incorporated in the Hart Book of Statutes showing the importance and how accepted the Charter was. It was exhibited and presented by Wulliam Henry Hart to the Society on 6 March 1862.

Presented on the side of the book are two examples of 16th Century printed editions of the Magna Carta. One from 1508, which is the first printed edition of the Magna Carta created by Richard Pynson and is possibly donated by John Bruce. The other is of Richard Pynson’s rival Robert Redman who created the first English translated edition of the Magna Carta with the copy in the exhibition possibly donated by Dr Edwin Freshfield.

#MagnaCarta

Lonely Planet - World Landmark Sand Sculptures

To celebrate the launch of Lonely Planet's Ultimate Travels, 3 sculptors take to Peter's Hill between the St. Paul's Cathedral and the Millennium Bridge to create 5 sand sculptures of world landmarks over a course of 5 days from the 18 August 2015.

Lonely Planet's Ultimate Travels ranks 500 places to visit in a lifetime for avid travellers, so what would be more fitting for 5 world landmarks to be created from sand. Competitions ran daily as to what landmark was being created for a chance to win a copy of the book.

The landmarks are as follow:


1. The Great Pyramid of Giza

2. Sydney Opera House

3. Temples of Angkor

4. Leaning Tower of Pisa

5. Taj Mahal

#SandyPlanet

Barbican Centre - Aaron Koblin and Ben Tricklebank: Light Echoes

Light Echoes is shown in the Curve gallery in the Barbican Centre between 27 June to 6 September 2015. The installation is created by Aaron Koblin and Ben Tricklebank. The installation creates an environment that “plays with time, space and sensory perception”.

Employing laser projections, the installation sends out intervals and a wall of light as it slowly shifts through the Curve. The piece itself feels like a pilgrimage as you slowly follow the light as you pace the sands under you with ominous music playing in the foreground. The installation finishes with a still video of what was captured during the journey.

 

#LightEchoes

Royal Academy of Arts - Summer Exhibition 2015

The Royal Academy of Art’s Summer Exhibition was held this year from 8 June to 16 August 2015 and was curated by Michael Craig-Martin. From 12,000 submissions, it was whittled down to 1,100 showcasing a spectrum of artwork ranging from prints, paintings photography to installations, showing off a summer worth of vibrant art. Some of the artworks will be sold off to fund for RA’s free tuitions which has been offered for nearly 250 years.
The artworks able to viewed and admired in person, but the artworks are available online which can be viewed individually or done as a digital tour of the gallery. Not only that, this exhibition is has a sense of inclusiveness where visitors can immediately experience the exhibition even without a ticket to the event such as Conrad Shawcross’s The Dappled Light of the Sun which was situated on the outside in the courtyard of RA. Visitors are then dazzled and enticed by the colours of Jim Lambie’s Kaleidoscope Staircase as it leads up to the exhibition’s main doors.

The exhibition as a whole as it plays every detail of placements and colours combined with different art that plays on the tip of the tongue. This is apparent in the vision of Michael Craig-Martin as he has complete visuals and control as he plays on the use of space through different mediums. An example is of the Lecture Room, where I find that too much sculptures in one room can power over each other sometimes, but the use of sky blue-coated rooms in the room create space for each sculpture to breath and truly be appreciated individually.

Below are some works that were featured in the exhibition:

Matthew Darby Shire - Captcha No. 11 (Doryphoros)

Nigel O'Neill - 5 Colour Painting 4 and 5

Michael Craig-Martin - Untitled (Watch)

Gumuchdjian Architects - Lake Spa & Garden Pool

Liam Gillick - Applied Projection Rig

 #SummerExhibition

 

DNA Trail

Cancer Research have come up with 21 giant DNA sculptures inspired by the DNA double helix form, which are designed by artists, designers and sculptors around the world. They form a trail around London to raise aware and funds to put forwards in constructing the Francis Crick Institute in King’s Cross to carry out research and make breakthroughs. The trail is being held from 29 June to 6 September 2015 (10 weeks) with the Auction taking place in September.

I found that it was much more preferable to go during the weekday when the offices and galleries are open, which I found the hard way when I approached some complexes to only find out that it was closed. If you want to get up close and see the sculptures directly in front of you, then the best shot would be the weekdays. Even more to the fact I mainly chose the wrong times to go searching for these sculptures (peak lunchtime!) and having to tell a lot of people to hop off so I can point my camera and snap. It’s also a far-reaching opportunity to visit sites such as the Royal Opera House, head down to South Kensington for a trio of museums or even do some shopping in the West End. Along the trail, there are facts about the DNA found on each sculpture plaque.

Changes were made to Ted's Helix of Haberdashery by Ted Baker, which had a cat and mouse pieces affixed on it, but were sadly removed until they are replaced on auction due to the mouse sustaining damage (I suspect foul play).

1. The Journey by Guy Portelli - Royal Albert Hall, South Steps, SW7 2AP

2. Untitled 1 by Ai Weiwei - Christie’s window, 85 Old Brompton Rd, SW7 3LD

3. Colours Through Speed by Ian Callum, Director of Design, Jaguar - South Kensington Station, Pelham Street, SW7 2NB

4. Growing Stem by Orla Kiely - Dovehouse Green, King's Road, SW3 5UF

5. Double Helix Noir by Thierry Noir - Duke of York Square, King's Road, SW3 4LY

6. Double Dutch Delft Blue DNA by Chris & Xand van Tulleken - Victoria Station, near WH Smith, SW1E 5ND

7. Soul by Aston Martin - Cardinal Place window, 80 Victoria Street, SW1E 5JL

8. Mayoral Helix by Mayor of Westminster - Great George Street, outside No. 10, SW1P 3AE

9. Ted's Helix of Haberdashery by Ted Baker - Broadwick Street near Carnaby Street, W1F 9PE

10. Silver by Michael Howells - Top of South Molton Street, Bond Street, W1K 5RG

11. Untitled 2 by Ai Weiwei - Darren Baker Gallery window, 81 Charlotte Street, W1T 4PP

12. Life by Darren Baker - Trafalgar Square, WC2H 0HE

13. Creativity for Survival by Pilar Enrich - Trafalgar Square, WC2H 0HE

14. Enigma by Jane Morgan - Coutts window, The Strand, WC2R 0Q

15. Helix by Zaha Hadid - Stamp Staircase Basement, South Wing, Somerset House, WC2R 1LA

16. Chromo by Tim Ashley - Waterloo Station, outside M&S, SE1 8SW

17. Birth of the Universe by Andrew Logan - Festival Gardens, St Paul's, EC4M 8AD

18. After The Race by Ross Brawn - Peter's Hill, St Paul's, EC4V 5EY

19. Bios by Nick Gentry - Barbican Centre, Foyer of Cinema 2 & 3, Beech Street, EC2Y 8AE

20. Orange Tree by Leyla Aliyeva - King's Cross Station, near Leon, N1C 4T

21. Ascension - Twisted Ladder in Wood by Benjamin Shine - St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, Euston 

#DNAtrail

Hans Haacke - Gift Horse

A bronze sculpture can be found on the Fourth Plinth of Trafalgar Square. It comes in a form of a skeletal horse that is Hans Haacke’s Gift Horse. It was unveiled on 5 March 2015, becoming the 10^th commissioned art installation for the Fourth Plinth. It’ll be taken down on 6 March 2016.

Strangely enough, the Fourth Plinth was originally intended to have a statue of William IV on horseback but due to lack of funds, it did not materialise.

The sculpture was inspired by a painting of Inspired by a painting of George Stubbs (The Anatomy of the Horse, 1766), which can be found in the National Gallery. The sculpture is done as a tribute to George Stubbs and economist Adam Smith. Haacke describes it as “an invitation to think about whether the invisible hand of the market does promote general welfare or whether there's a misunderstanding, or whether it is totally wrong."

With the apparent skeletal features of the horse, a LED live FSTE 100 ticker of London’s Stock Exchange in a form of a bow/ribbon is attached a leg of the Gift Horse. This of course beings about the intended notion for “experimentation and debate” looking at money and power through an art form. The sculpture weighs at 1,700kg and is 4.57m tall.

#FourthPlinth