We popped along to The Burrell Collection in Pollok Park yesterday with a view to seeing The Emperor’s Terrapin.
I have to confess I was rather disappointed. This exhibition has been advertised around Pollok park quite extensively. Somehow, I’d imagined that it was a collection of exhibits. So when we turned up and found out that the exhibit was very much in the singular, I had one of those moments where you have to adjust your expectations quite dramatically.
Don’t get me wrong: the terrapin in itself was remarkable. Really a beautiful piece of work, but I really thought the Burrell and British Museum could have done better. It was in the open seating area just past the shop - we almost missed it but for two ladies who walked over to it as we walked passed - and the explanation next to the terrapin struck me as rather hurried (a bending, laminated printout), and was not written particularly clearly: Both Frances and I didn’t really leave much the wiser for why this particular terrapin was so revered (other than it’s size and beauty, which anybody could tell you). In fact, there’s more detail on the Burrell and British Museum exhibition website than next to the terrapin!
The Burrell collection is remarkable, and I was really excited that the British Museum (which is probably my favourite museum) was going to be exhibiting something up here close to home. Unfortunately, it was a tiny exhibition, not put together particularly clearly, that didn’t quite live up to my (admittedly incorrect) expectations.
We took a walk through the rest of the collection (not having been in for a while), and I left feeling a bit frustrated that such a beautiful setting doesn’t make more of it and show more items from outside the main Burrell collection: Which doesn’t really have the breadth for repeated regular visits. There are thousands of exhibits gathering dust in museums all around the country. It’s a real shame more tours aren’t organised, where (of course) it’s safe to do, to encourage repeated visitors to one of this countries most impressive Museum buildings.
February 12th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
Move items around from their dusty storage and left them see the light of day in another museum, and, in particular, one outside of London, you must be joking.
That is not what museums are for - museums are to hide objects within and discourage rag tag and bobtails from visiting. It might just disturb the dust.
Ok - so I am a grumpy old woman.
February 13th, 2007 at 4:03 pm
I sympathise with you on this Richard. I had a similar experience some years back when with much fanfare an exhibition of Monet and Seurat came to Worcester. Much to my disappointment there was just one painting by each artist. I seem to recall that the descriptions and history were quite good in this case, but it was frustrating to have made a special journey all the same.
March 12th, 2007 at 11:10 pm
I went for a walk through Pollok Park just this morning and the banners on the fences led me to pop in to have a look as well.
The description of your experience matched mine precisely. There was more zoological information than anything.
Disappointing.