Days Five and Six: Sound, Tea, Gossip and Fabrics

Apologies for the lack of blog yesterday, I planned a very full programme for the week and just didn't get a chance to write.
Yesterday was my penultimate day here at the museum, and it began with my third year tutor Tom Hall paying me a visit. It was great to be able to discuss the intricacies of the project in situ and thrash out ideas of where I go from here, Tom is fantastically enthusiastic and always full of suggestions and advice and an incredibly busy man, so I appreciated him taking the time out to come and see me.
The morning saw me install a sound piece in to the space, based on what doesn't occur in the room now. Three artefacts had repeatedly caught my attention: the long case clock, the square piano and the fireplace, all of which were designed for a specific purpose and all were no longer used in that way, whether for reasons of conservation or health and safety. So it occurred to me that it would be interesting for the public to experience them again through sound, so I amalgamated the sounds of a fire burning, a clock ticking and authentic music of the time being played on the correct kind of instrument. It's amazing what you can find on iTunes!

The afternoon was an incredible amount of fun and although I am a twenty first century kind of girl, I actually felt transported back to the time period. I hosted a tea party, with all the trimmings including biscuits made from the book by Elizabeth Raffald, a Georgian housekeeper. Myself, visitors and friends sat around our elaborate table, played Cribbage and gossiped until late into the afternoon. I am sure Mrs. King would have enjoyed it too.

The evening was the Private View and the room was lit as it would have been in the Georgian period, to allow the guests to appreciate the architecture in a different light. The wonderful De returned to sing and it was a great opportunity to be able to thank everyone for putting their trust in me.

So, on to today and it is going to be a day of fabrics. The King family were Mercers, traders in cloth and records have been found to show their dealings with all the local estates for furnishings and material for staff. I have placed a display of my interpretation of the fabrics they may have dealt with and this afternoon I will be conducting a fabric printing workshop, so if you are around, call in to see me and have a go!

Thanks for following this blog over the last week, and please keep checking in as the end of my degree is in sight and there will be many more projects to follow in future.