Pilgrimage to the British Musuem

Alan Measles' stunt double who greeted visitors to the exhibition

We recently took one of our regular trips to the British Museum (perhaps more loved by my 8 year old for it's retro hot dog van than any exhibit...). The Hajj exhibition is on at the moment and the museum is heaving with people visiting that but not us because I forgot my ticket!


A few weeks ago we just schnuck into the last day of Grayson Perry's Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman. That also toyed with the idea of pilgrimage and I've been inspired by Perry's drawing 'Pilgrimage to the British Museum' - I'm now working on something that will appear here soon.

My son particularly loved Perry's bear Alan Measles, especially after seeing the 'Here comes Alan Measles' song on Harry Hill's TV Burp. I think it just proves what a clever construct Measles is - an old bear who is as at home loftily gazing down at the great courtyard of the British Museum as appearing on a Saturday night television round-up show. Loved by everyone from art world insiders to children to the great Harry Hill.

But on this visit we went to the Japan galleries on the top floor (excellent and underused ladies loo nearby, by the way...)  A couple of pieces really impressed us. 'Dawn' (1992) is an exquisite ceramic dish by Tokuda Yasokichi. From a distance is appeared to be glowing sphere suspended in mid air. In fact it's a dish on a stand but it's beauty transcends that to become something you simply want to stare at for ages.

Another piece we loved were the prints by Onchi Konshiro,

In the Africa gallery there was an impressive textile piece called 'Man's Cloth' by El Anatsui. This isn't made from fabric but from the plastic labels that stick to necks of drinks bottles - close up it's an amazing patchwork.

Finally for something completely different - I also loved the beautiful prints by Karl Wilhelm Kolbe, including this one 'Fantastical Tree'.