So i walked by the ROM yesterday and noticed what appears to be chunks ripped out of the roof.. like it looks like big pieces got torn off with the wind or snow or something. Did anybody else see that?
 
ok anyways i took some photos.. i hope they fix it... it looked really terrible in person. like someone had smashed it with a sledgehammer or something. By the way i took the photos from too close to really illustrate it. From further away it looks a lot worse.

img2956zq5.jpg


img2955lw3.jpg
 
Maybe it was leaking there? Emergency repairs for the April showers' season?

Or did some kids climb up Toronto's fossil mountain intending to capitalize on the high cost of aluminum?

A weird thought I just had: you know that fake (shingle-like) brick like cladding popular in days past on cheap housing renos? That would look kinda cool on the ROMbarn.:)
 
Didn't notice the cladding, but the new gallery of Africa, the Americas and Asia-Pacific has some wonderful things. There's a collection of South African Ndabele beadwork, and rare Phillipine artifacts - textiles, baskets, headwear and pottery bought at the 1904 world Fair, that haven't been on display before, and African wood carvings, shields and weapons and masks and Nigerian headdresses that are breathtaking. There is a display case with bark paintings by important Australian Aboriginal artist Narritjim; fine Maori hardwood carvings on decorative wall panels and boxes; feathered headdresses from the Amazon; Japanese Ainu robes that remind me of our West Coast Indian art; Andean figural pottery that ties in nicely with the Gardiner's collection across the street; masks and totems from New Guinea; geometric pottery from Mexico and the American south west; Hupa basketry from California ... all of it very strong graphically. A gallery to revisit many times, my favourite in the Crystal so far. And there's an entire Vietnam collection that isn't on display, which the curator said may be rotated through the space in the future.

Some of the labels are obviously temporary, as they rushed to open on time to the public, and there are more labels and graphics to come.
 
The Textiles and Costume Gallery talk, in the Eaton theatre in the basement, drew an audience of almost 300 people. There hasn't been a ROM gallery devoted to the subject for over 30 years. The things they'll be displaying look quite stunning.
 
Urban Shocker said:
The Textiles and Costume Gallery talk, in the Eaton theatre in the basement, drew an audience of almost 300 people. There hasn't been a ROM gallery devoted to the subject for over 30 years. The things they'll be displaying look quite stunning.
Click to expand...

I found Alexandra Palmer's talk very interesting, especially when she alluded to the conflicts that the curators had with the gallery designers, the designers seeing the textiles as two dimensional objects and the curators seeing them as 3 dimensional. In an aside, she mentioned that, due to the fragile nature of some of the textiles, they may be rotated on exhibit once every fifty to one hundred years! That sure put a perspective on things. I've missed seeing the costume and textiles; with the dramatic, subdued lighting, it may turn out to be me my favourite of the new galleries.
 
Yes, light-sensitive materials should be rested for a very long time. I think she said that, once put away, "luxury items may not be put on display again for another 100 years." In other words, catch them while we can. The Museum has already begun rotating the large Japanese painted screens, and one of the Chinese paintings, in the main floor galleries.

Loved her quote "lace was the crack of the 17th century".
 
Had a quick look around the new gallery this morning. Some lovely Chinese embroidery, modern haute couture, elaborately embroidered eighteenth century European clothes for men and women, loomed fabrics, a display on men's tailoring, needlework, ancient textiles etc. Lots of enthusiastic elderly women buzzing around eager to explain it all. Must go back when there's more time - the exhibition on disability also opened today. Sensibly, the slitty little windows are screened off to keep light out - though there's a small one with a great view down over Bloor Street.

The new galleries and displays - especially dinosaurs and mammals, apparently - have had a dramatic effect on the number of weekend visits, and the weekday visits have approximately doubled - according to the person I spoke to at the entrance desk.
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top