logy and was an avid collector. The Wellcome Trust is a medical research charity set up in his will. The museum deals with health and the body. 
One exhibition, Medicine Now, was divided into sections: The Body, Genomes, Malaria and Obesity, and Medicine Now. It was very interactive and interspersed with art. One was a map of the world outlined with sewn-on mosquitoes called Mosquito Coast, 2002, by Alastair Mackie. Twenty Three Pairs, 2002, by Andrea Duncan, is a digital print of 23 pairs of socks laid out as chromosomes. I can't help the way I feel, 2003, by John Isaacs, is a grotesque, not-quite-human form. Eat 22, 11 March 2001 - 11 March 2002 was a stream of digital photos of Ellie Harrison with everything she ate during a span of one year and one day. Every bite she took was photographed. There was a display with fleece and droppings from Dolly the sheep, and a bookcase filled with different diet books in our quest to lose weight. This is only a sampling of the displays. There was an interactive exhibit in which you were photographed and the photo was altered to give you the same proportions as an average face. You answer a few questions (drinker, smoker, over 40, etc.) and the computer then merges your face with those of people like you. There was another one that was supposed to do something with your fingerprints, but it was not working. (I wo
nder where this dat
a is being stored!) A video by Chris Dorley-Brown, 15 Seconds (parts 1 and 2) 1994-2004, shows children who were photographed for 15-seconds in 1994, side-by-side with the same children ten years later, moments after they had watched their earlier video.
The other exhibition, Medicine Man, was a sampling of some of Wellcome's objects from his collection, "ranging from diagnostic dolls, Japanese sex aids, and from Napolean's toothbrush to George III's hair." The Plexy cases were divided into topics: Metal Instruments (mostly amputation saws and countless forceps), Artificial Limbs, Votive Offerings, Understanding the Body, Seeking Help, Beginning of Life, Treating Yourself, End of Life. There were also chairs, and masks, and paintings (with terrible lighting). But the prints were the best--drawers that you slide open to reveal surprises, including a Rembrandt etching and two Goya etchings.
We then walked down to the British Museum for a couple of hours. This is my fourth or maybe fifth visit this trip, but at the British Museum this is not a problem. There are always new rooms to discover. Rick went off on his own and Gord and I went up to see Faith Narrative & Desire: Masterpieces of Indian Painting in the British Museum - Celebrating 60 Years of Indian Independence. I had been wanting to see it and it's a good thing we stopped by because today was the last day. It, too, was divided into topics: Northern Courts, Barahmasa Paintings, Ragamala Paintings (our personal favourite because they are based on the ragas of Indian classical music), Paithan Paintings, and Company Painting (as in East India Company). We then wandered up a flight of stairs and found an exhibition on Japan that was also interesting, especially the netsukes. And then Gord discovered on the museum map a set of rooms in the basement that we think are the rooms containing the Roman sculptures that we had seen in 1996. We were just talking about them with Katie when she was here. So we scrambled down only to discover that the access to that level was blocked. The museum was going to close in thirty minutes and I find that they often start closing galleries early and some galleries remain closed all day if there is a staffing shortage. So, Katie, w
e'll check it out another time and let you know what we find.When we left our house this morning there was a memorial service by the church for Remembrance Day and, Katie, the band was playing Elgar's Enigma Variations. Love that piece. Especially when you played it.
Favourite plaque of the day: Charles Darwin
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