Week 3, part six, the National Museum of Natural History

The saddest-looking stuffed animal I have ever seen...

I've finally visited the National museum of Natural History! I have to say, one of the things that impressed me the most was that I left my sun cream and insect spray on a pillar outside the building (to comply with security regulations) and came back to get them 2 1/2 hours later, and they were still there! Ok, I had found a pretty stealthy place for them, but even so, that made me happy. I did enjoy the museum too, by the way.

However, a couple of things were noticeable;

1. Some adults with children were unable to recognise even (what I'd always thought) some of the world's most well-known animals. For example, I watched a woman tell her children that a ring-tailed lemur was "a big squirrel"
2. Some people, of all ages, but especially young people, simply took photos of things on display, without even reading any of the surrounding information. They then went on to photograph other things. That made me sad.
3. The most popular exhibit was a gallery of diamonds and gemstones, "all that glistens..." (saying that, I did get to see some of Marie Antoinette's earring, though it's the Diamond Necklace Affair that really went down in history)
4. The way to avoid crowds was to take the stairs. There were no Americans on the stairs, only non-English speaking tourists. So that was stereotypical.

From the 2nd floor balcony...reminds me of the film "Night at the Museum"!

As well as the objects on display, there was also a wildlife photography exhibition. The winning photo was of a gorilla with her baby, reading a book with a photo of a gorilla in it. Meta. I think the reason it may have won may be that to us as humans, the gorilla "reading" and appreciating its own image, with its baby by its side, just seems so human and therefore familiar.

Smithsonian castle building from the National Mall

Most interesting facts learnt;

• distinctive earbones are what set mammals apart from other animal kingdoms, as well as being covered in fur, giving birth to live young, and being fed by a mother that produces milk
• (especially for my sister's interest, this is for you Georgia!) - the most common species of wild rabbit was introduced into Australia, from Europe, in 1858
• 50 million years ago, the Artic was not cold, but forestland. Admittedly, 50 million years is a long time, but I guess I've never really thought about either of the polar regions just not being cold...
• Corundum (a crystalline form of Aluminium Oxide) forms gems, which are known as rubies if they are red in colour - but all other colours are known as sapphires!
• Polar bears evolved from brown bears who became stranded on a glacier off the coast of Alaska. Their fur had to change to match their new surroundings.
• After a meteorite slammed into Earth and killed the dinosaurs, 70% of all animal species died. Mammals now had the advantage as they were smaller, and had primarily lived underground. Being warm blooded, mammals could survive the fluctuations in climate which occurred immediately after the meteor and subsequent dusty darkness. Gradually mammals evolved to become bigger, and more dominant.

Week 3, part one

Yet another view of the Capitol

This week's "field trip" for us British interns of the Navy museum was the United States Botanic Garden on Capitol Hill.

It was like Kew gardens, but in Washington D.C. So basically, Kew gardens, with a view of the Capitol Building in the background, and no temperature or humidity difference between the green houses and the outside. In fact, I’m pretty sure we discovered that some of the greenhouses were actually less sticky than walking around outside…

Botanical Gardens

Washington D.C: where greenhouses are less humid than your own office/ apartment.

Titan Arum, one of the largest flower species in the world, over 6 foot

This flower blooms very rarely, it even has a webcam on it constantly, to monitor its progress. Anyway, the day after we go to the gardens, it begins to blossom. Typical. Although, it is nicknamed the "corpse" plant, and it is supposed to smell "like roadkill on a hot day" so missing that may have been a blessing in disguise!

Tropical!

 

See, just like Kew Gardens/ a greenhouse, with the Capitol in the background

After the Botanic gardens we were going to go to get a tour around the Capitol, but they wanted to throw away my bag. More specifically, their security arrangements demanded that all food, drink, bug spray, sun tan lotion etc. be discarded, and as that was practically everything I had on me, I decided it wasn't worth it and went to the Air & Space museum instead.  

 

Planes!

The Air & Space museum is one of the biggest in the world. Walking past security, and into the museum itself, felt like walking into an airport terminal, a feeling magnified by the height of the ceiling and glass walls.

 

How hot air balloons should be...

 

Although the Air & Space museum is one of the most popular attractions under the Smithsonian banner, I have to admit that I'm not that mad on air and space travel. 4 well-spent hours later though, I have been somehwhat converted. Ok, so 1/2 an hour of the total time was spent going through security (a school of Chinese children arrived just prior to me...) but the rest of the time I was busy admiring aerial exhibits and poking bits of rock, supposedly from the moon (I mean, it could have been fake, and I wouldn't have be able to tell - who would?)

Most fascinating things learnt;

• The Aral sea is shrinking
• "Planet" comes from the Greek word "planetes", meaning "wanderer"
• Io (a moon of Jupiter's) is the only object in this solar system, other than Earth, that shows signs of current volcanic activity
• Telescopes are actually time machines, because we are seeing things that happened days/ months ago by the time light reaches us on Earth
• The "Big Bang" was an explosion OF the universe, as it expanded, not an explosion into some finite "space"
• If cars could drive straight up, vertically, "space" is only 1 hour away
• The distance, by car, between Washington D.C and New York City is how high above Earth the International Space Station is
• Barrage Balloons were hung over Buckingham palace during WW2 to prevent German bombers from getting too close

Seeing the drawings of the Wright brothers reminded me of the sketches from Da Vinci's notebook, which I studied last term. Perhaps the most arresting thing I saw was a display screen of the U.S air control, with the pathways of different flights, and their directions, appearing as coloured lines which zig-zag across the States. In the bottom left-hand corner was a timer, with the hour and date. The footage for 9/11, after about 10am, shows an ominously dark screen, as the lights representing flights, the colours and the lines, disappear one by one.

Week 2, part four

I've visited some amazing places over the last couple of days. Me and the other interns at the Navy musuem are lucky in the fact that we are genuinely finished by 4pm everyday and so can spend the evenings in town, enjoying the weather (which has improved dramatically in the last few days, and today hit 100 F/ 38 degrees Celsius.) In addition, the British interns spend Mondays doing fieldtrips around D.C, organised by the museum. Quite a few of the American interns also come with us, because they don't necessarily live near D.C, and to be honest, even if I was at home, and in London, there's always something to be seen!

One of my favourite parts of the American National history museum was the exhibitions on the Civil Right movement, from the Emancipation Proclaimation (1863) until the Civil Rights Act (1964). I studied the U.S Civil Rights movement at school (from the 1950s) and so it's great to be able to come here and see some phyiscal items of Martin Luther King Jr.'s, e.g a pocket watch he had engraved for a friend, frozen in time.  There are also highly sensitive items too, like shards of stained glass from the bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church (Birmingham, Alabama, 1963) which killed four African American girls whilst they were in Sunday school.

On a more light-hearted note, there was also a cabinet full of contemporary objects, titled The Making of Modern America which contained items such as Elphaba's costume (2003) from the Broadway musical Wicked. I know my sister at least will appreciate this!

The exhibit on "The First Lady" was also interesting, because the concept of the First Lady/ Family etc. is not hereditary, nor is it an official position, yet it still has an incredible impact on the American mindset. A dress of Michelle Obama's was on display in the centre of the exhibit alongside 18th C. Chinaware belonging to Abigail Adams (wife of the 2nd President), it's like a celebrity cult, continuing to the modern day. Before the title "First Lady" was settled on, the juxtaposition "republican queen" was considered!

National museum of the American Indian

Another fanatastic museum is that of the American Indian. I think part of the reason I enjoyed it so much was because I knew so little to begin with, shamefully my knowledge of Native Americans was formerly limited to information gleamed from Disney's Pocahontas. Now however I feel much better informed having read about initial interaction between English colonists and Native Americans in Jamestown (Virginia) 1607, all the way up to the present-day customs of American Indians, like the "Day of the Dead"(1st-2nd November) which became All Saints'/ Souls' day under Christianity.

3 things that stood out to me from this museum;

1. The museum itself was established in a 1989 Act of Congress, to promote awareness of the history of American Indians, and their place in modern American society
2. Everything in the Quecha (an American Indian tribe) is divided into Paña and Iloq'e. Paña is dark, masculine and present, where as Iloq'e is light, feminine and associated with the things of the past. Neither concept much concerns the future, as time was seen very differently (see below).
3. From the Maidu Creation story, notice the blurring and continuity between the past and present which makes their perception of their own history so intriguing;

"Turtle dove down, was gone for;
 four days,
four years,
four hundred years.
Time isn't that important."

// "over-time chaos returned,
Returns.
And the lessons proved true,
Are true."

Week 2, part two

 

So after work one day I decided to go straight into town to see some art galleries that were supposed to be especially interesting, or at least, they seemed that way to me. Something I'm really liking about working in D.C is that as soon as work ends I can get to the Metro and be on the other side of town in a matter of minutes.

 

After spending most of the day inside there is nothing better than coming across a garden like this;

 

 

 

This was a courtyard in the middle of the Freer Gallery, and it impressed me as much as the art itself.

That being said, the art was well worth seeing, especially as entry is free (another amazing thing about D.C!) because the Freer Gallery (like the Sackler and National Gallery of African art) is part of the Smithsonian institution.

 

It's fantastic to be able to go from staring at paperwork in an office, to staring at an 8th century tomb-guardian statue (Chinese, Tang dynasty) in less than an hour. I also discovered that several Buddha statues were found to have originally had haloes, which were later removed. Interesting.

 

There was also contemporary Oriental art, like Xu Bing's Phoenix exhibit, linking Chinese folklore with modern socio-political issues (according to the description...) but I'm always more inclined to appreciate ancient manuscripts over contemporary art of any kind. I wonder if people throughout history have always preferred historic art to that of the present? Or if the majority of people have always liked older styles, and only a small minority looked beyond this to initiate some kind of artistic change.

 

I like looking at art that depicts something I already know the context of. The African art gallery had a great painting of the Battle of Adwa (in which the native Ethiopians defended themselves against the Italians, 1896) painted by an African artist. The great thing about that painting was the sense of nationalism - ironically a European idea exported via the colonies - that whilst the Italian soldiers all had the same faces and expressions, the Africans were portrayed as individuals. However, after writing this I think that perhaps as a European it might just be my own world-view (Weber's weltanschauung) that made me see the painting like that.

 

Smithsonian Castle Building (the main information centre for the museums & galleries)

Front garden

African National Gallery skylight
 

 Art is kind of like a visual display of history (among other things). One of my favourite things that I learnt from these galleries was the influence of the Graeco-Roman world on ancient Oriental art. Buddhist art was particularly influenced by Western style, depictions of the Buddha develop symmetrical features (a Western ideal, apparently), the robes of monks start to look more naturalistic and flowing, and even the portrayal of hair becomes more textured!

National sculpture garden (archives in background), note the shiny silver tree!

There was a room in one of the galleries called the Peacock Room. It was a display of a collection of Oriental objects, deliberately set up as it had been in Victorian London. The collection included a painting of a Western, English-looking woman in Oriental clothing, a kimono perhaps. The juxtaposition of East vs. West in that one painting, and the whole collection, mirrored the fact that the entire ensemble of objects had been translocated from London to Washington D.C. It reminded me of myself, and of this blog, and of my blog compared to my sister's.

I like this clock tower, looks European. I wonder if that's why I like it. Incongruous in central D.C.

 After walking around the galleries for a bit I went along the National Mall. What suprised me was the number of ordinary people doing ordinary things there. People walking dogs, families playing catch (with American-style baseball gloves) and whole teams training for various sports. It's weird to think of life going on as normal with the historic backdrop of the Capitol.

Chinatown entrance

 

Another part of the courtyard in the Freer gallery.

Vocabulary learnt;

"aluminum" - tinfoil. Learnt this after someone in the house came knocking to our kitchen, and unfortunately I answered the door, leading to 5 minutes of gesturing, confusion and eventual realisation. Didn't help that the person had a really deep, Southern accent (they're from Arkansas, I asked them).

Week 1, part five

 

The Eastern market is a giant "flea" (antique & second hand) and fresh produce market. The original structure is nineteenth century, although a lot of the market was devastated in 2007, due to a massive fire. It's been re-built and is bustling on the weekends here. It sells everything from fruit and vegetables to textiles, prints and jewellery. Me and my friends were extremely taken with the vintage postcards!

 

The market really is the centre of life in this part of town, and despite competition from bigger and more famous shops and department stores in the centre of D.C, it has its own character that draws tourists and regulars alike in from all corners of the district. I've really like discovering interesting things on my "doorstep" as well as going to some of the really famous sights.

 

Later, me, some other interns and their roomates headed to the National Zoo, which was a bit of a walk from the nearest Metro station, but we were told that it was definitely worth it! A woman sitting in Starbucks whilst we made arrangements for the day said that the zoo was one of the best attractions in D.C, and also usefully pointed out some slightly obscure local shops. It's amazing how much interest you get just by sitting somewhere public and speaking with a different accent.

 

The Smithsonians are incredible, as well as the museums and art gallery the national zoo is also part of the same institution, and therefore it's completely free! I'd never seen a red panda before, so getting to see Rusty, the red panda at the national zoo, was a highlight. Apparently he recently escaped and managed to get quite far away from the zoo until he was re-captured!

 

I have to admit, I find it weird that the National zoo is free, yet healthcare isn't.

 

Interesting note - using the Metro I've noticed that people naturally flock to the escalator that already has people on it, despite the fact that right next to it there will be an empty escalator, going in the same direction. Must be instinct, but it's extremely illogical!

Week 1, part four

 

I think that I should end the whole Nikita-misses-her-fieldtrip story. I did get to visit the Smithsonian National Art Gallery, a few days later. I genuinely enjoyed the architecture as much as the art contained in the building. There was this courtyard with a glass ceiling, and trees inside. There was running water along the floor, which was great for cooling off our feet!

 

The building of the gallery itself was all white and marble, neo-classical style, like Union Station, but more art noveau. There were paintings of Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, some abstract stuff involving television screens hidden amongst shrubs, and neon lighting, and the obligatory collection of Presidential portraits. There was also this painting;

 

 

It's called Among the Sierra Nevada (mountains in California) and it's by Albert Bierstadt. The contradiction in this image is between realism and idealism, something I studied last term. The reflection of the mountains on the surface if the lake is so undisturbed it borders on surreal. Equally, the harmony and beauty of the scene, reproduced with such detail to light and composition, is false. That is to say, it was not produced from a true image, not painted from a single scene, but designed with the most beautiful elements of several scenes, combined to make the overall image. The fact that this painting is supposed to represent the perfect landscape, and yet is completely unattainable in reality, represents for me the enduring appeal of the American dream, a mentality that seems to surive until the present day.  

 

 

A fellow intern described how she sees the architecture of Washington D.C; "when in doubt, go Grecian". Although she meant it as a joke, there's some truth in that statement. Here is the national archive building as visible from the National Gallery of Art's Sculpture garden. As we were trying to find the gardens, we came across a long queue and wondered if it was for the gardens. After a confused 5 minute conversation with a security guard we realised that the word "queue" was throwing everyone off, and once replaced with the word "line", everyone was on the same page, and soon we were able to enter the gardens without having to wait in either a queue or a line, because it turns out that the people we saw were actually waiting to go into the National Archives. I used this opportunity to photograph the building regardless.

Detail of the National Archives

 

Inside the gardens we sat around the edge of a large pool, which everyone was sitting with their feet in on account of the heat, which was considerable despite the fact that it was about 6pm! There was a free jazz concert, and some steel drums playing and everything. Live jazz music, especially outside, is quite unusual in the UK, so we were very happy to get a chance to here it. I think jazz is one of the only types of music to have originated in North America. Listening to jazz music on a warm evening, with a slight breeze, the setting sun and dragonflies casually flitting in and out of the water has got to be one of my favourite moments in D.C so far.

 

After the concert we walked around that part of the city (Gallery Place) for a bit, and came to a strange area in which the pavement had been decorated as a map of the world. It's just another example of the weird things you can find here if you know where to look, or if you're paying attention.

 

Vocabulary learnt;

 

"Natitude" - the campaign launched by the Washington Nats, a professional baseball team, to encourage, seemingly, more enthusiasm from their home fans and more confidencce for their players

 

"jay-walking" - walking across the road or onto a pedestrian crossing despite the fact that the lights are still red/ you aren't supposed to walk yet

 

"red neck" - ok, I knew that a "red neck" was used to describe uneducated farmers who worked in the fields all day and got burnt on their neck from bending over, but I didn't realise how much that this word had spread into common usage as a description for anyone who is supposedly lower working-class (well, what we would think of as lower working class in Britain) and completely uneducated to the point of total ignorance. So it's an insult with historical origins, much like the contemporary debate in England surrounding the short hand for "Plebian", meaning someone who was not a Roman citizen, and did not have the right to vote.