THURSDAY, JULY 25
INTERNATIONAL SLAVERY MUSEUM
Since England played a huge role in the slave trade from West Africa to it’s colonies, we were quite interested in visiting the International Slavery Museum on Liverpool’s Royal Albert Docks. This was the first museum of its kind we’d seen in Europe. Sadly, the presentations were a bit chaotic and scattered. It felt like infomercials with videos, diagrams, and images plastered on the walls, and at times was disturbingly sensational. A museum about slavery has to be doubly careful not to reinforce stereotypes, and I’m not sure this museum was entirely successful. Still, the exhibition was drawing a crowd, and exposure to this sad history may enlighten people who otherwise might not be aware of it and persistent racism.
We walked around to Revolution, a restaurant on the other side of the square, where the weather presented it’s own dramatic show. Rain gushed from the sky, coming at unexpected times, and then stopping as abruptly as it started. All very exciting.
LIVERPOOL TATE
To stay dry, and…well more than that, to enjoy ourselves, we visited the Liverpool Tate. We have become somewhat weary of visiting museums, as strange as they seems. I think our brains may be fully stuffed. Also the day before had been tiring so we weren’t as engaged as usual. But this museum had a great collection. Chloe said, “Well, what do you expect? It’s the Tate.” She has come a long way since our travels began…to make such a comment.
At one point, we found ourselves standing beside a few other people, a Mondrian behind us, as we looked out the window at the mighty storm, dark waters and a deep grey horizon. Someone commented that the best art might just be outside.
THE MUSEUM OF LIVERPOOL
Maybe because it asks for little of us (or nothing), shopping seems our preoccupation, more than art, right now. We bumped around in the tiny Tate shop for quite a while waiting for the rain broke to break. When it did, we dashed across a bridge to The Museum of Liverpool, the city museum with a show of about Yoko Ono and John Lennon. Unfortunately we arrived with only 20 minutes until the museum closed. It was a great show, with lots of videos of interviews with Yoko and John, and traced their personal history and work together. In the background was the song, “Imagine.”
IMAGINE
As a total aside, that song triggered a memory for me. When I was 21 and still new to NYC, I dated a guy who I met when I was working at the Whitney. We both sold entrance tickets to the museum. Imagine this… for our first date, he had me meet him at Yoko’s Imagine mosaic in Central Park. Shouldn’t have let that one slip away.
Whisked from the museum as the last to leave, we returned to the dock, taking in this beautiful city with it’s unusual combination of architecture. A quick bite at a Mexican restaurant and more shopping…at Zara. We shop when we feel confused. So funny. Then back to the apartment to pack and clean again.
Long ferry ride up next.
