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Culture vultures

Get tips on theatre and art from other Mumsnetters on our Culture forum.

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Original poster

So I took the DSes to Tate Britain today ...

22 replies

NotQuiteCockney · 10/02/2007 16:54

On the boat. It was good fun, on the boat, but their reaction to the art was ... interesting.

DS1 wanted me to read the descriptions of all the paintings and explain them, particularly anything with guns, war, death or whatever in it.

DS2 had a 'me no like' opinion of the paintings. But he was mad for the Chapman bros exhibition, which is just one room of khaki 'machines' with brains, rubber chickens, and penises. Each had to be discussed at great length. DS1 wanted to plug them in (they did have plugs ).

OP posts:

turquoise · 10/02/2007 17:06

Good on yer! I didn't take mine to any galleries etc till they were much older, and I regret it. Dd has a bit of a thing now for Ron Mueck, which is good.
Chapman twins though - that's pretty radical What did you think of it?
Did you see the video installation of 4 screens of music, clips from films etc all running together? Can't remember what it's called but I love it.

Original poster

NotQuiteCockney · 10/02/2007 17:13

I liked the Chapman thing, it was interesting. Ok, I didn't get much time to really look at it - keeping a two-year-old and a five-year-old from touching the art was hard work!

I quite like Ron Mueck myself.

We really just saw some rooms full of old paintings, um, some 20th century stuff (Henry Moore and similar) and a bit of modern stuff about the body. And the Chapman bros.

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gingermonkey · 10/02/2007 17:33

My DD used to love the Saatchi (SP?) gallery at county hall before it closed down. Her fave was tinker bell end which was a fairy with a penis nose - she didn't realise, just thought she'd been telling fibs!!! And she loved Tracy Emin's bed. She said really loudly, 'mummy the lady that lives here is really messy - look!!!!' She's 7 now and still loves going to galleries, but was a bit scared of the slides at Tate modern and refused to go on (they are quite scarey tho, IMO!). She has decided she wants to be a photographer and artist when she grows up (a life of poverty awaits her!) The chapman bros are very cool for little boys, I can't wait to take ds to see some, but he's only 16 mths and would just eat them...not good as mummy doesn't have enough pennies to pay for breakages!

Freckle · 10/02/2007 17:37

Took mine to the Tate Britain exhibition early last year. They were very interested in why some paintings had penises on display and why others had them covered up. Nice to see they enjoyed the aesthetics .

Original poster

NotQuiteCockney · 10/02/2007 17:42

DS2 was pretty good about not touching, for a two-year-old.

There weren't many penises in the Chapman exhibition, and the DSes didn't spot them. I guess because they're used to their willies, and these looked circumcised to me, or very very erect? At any rate, not like any willy the DSes have seen, afaik.

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NotAnOtter · 10/02/2007 17:46

took mine to the Tate Modern in October - they are normally great in galleries but thanks to he slides i was one of te worst days of my parenting life.
my kids sulked queued sulked did not queue cried etc etc - well there are 5 of them

It was torture

Original poster

NotQuiteCockney · 10/02/2007 17:49

Oh, yes, I tried to take DS1 on the slides before Xmas. He's only 5, so only allowed on the shortest slide, and then chickened out. I went down on my own, left him on his own with my bag while I went down the slide.

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gingermonkey · 10/02/2007 17:49

That's the problem with Northerners, no culture {grin} (she says sat in the rain in West Yorks)

gingermonkey · 10/02/2007 17:51

OOOPS I can't even use the smileys properly (that's better!!)

Skribble · 10/02/2007 18:02

My two love the modern art gallery in Glasgow, they particularly liked a certain exhibition with evil bears with drills. Another good one was a car shell and piles and piles of beautifully arranged newspapers.

DD loves to get a clip board and a pile of crayons and do the kids activity sheets sprawled out on the floor. The curators all happy to help and get extra paper, boards and point out new sheets, but some visitors like to tut FGS.

Great fun and it is free!!! So perfect for a rainy afternoon.

Marina · 10/02/2007 20:13

Ds adored the Ofili room when we were at the Tate Britain last year - we spent a good 20 mins in there. I am a bit freaked by the Chapmans (more of a Stanley Spencer girl I think NQC!) so would have trouble explaining them to my two, although the prospect of penises and tanks in the same room would certainly appeal to ds.

singersgirl · 10/02/2007 20:16

We had a good time with my 2 at the Tate Modern last year (then 7 and 4). We did one of the art activities and DS2 enjoyed a room with lots of matchboxes in. And we played the live board game. Are the slides still there? Can you find your children at the bottom?

Marina · 10/02/2007 20:19

We have skipped the slides as I have an unfortunate combo of one who is big enough but a chicken about these things and one who is far too small but fearless and likely to kick off badly if thwarted.
I think we will go to Sir John Soane's this half-term. No slides...

yoyo · 10/02/2007 20:23

Thinking of taking mine to the Hogarth this week. Might lead to some interesting discussions. We are aiming to do the slides too.

singersgirl · 10/02/2007 20:24

We went to the Science of Spying at the Science Museum today, which was really well done.

Marina · 10/02/2007 20:25

How old are yours Yoyo? I think ds (7 and very inquisitive) would love Hogarth but dd is much too young and a Bit of a Trial if not catered for...
That must have just opened singersgirl. Some friends were there with preschoolers midweek and claimed it had not opened yet.

singersgirl · 10/02/2007 20:43

Yes, it opened today. DH and I want to go to Hogarth, but I don't think the presence of the DSs would enhance our trip.

yoyo · 11/02/2007 00:13

Marina - mine are 10 , 8 and 4 so quite a challenge. They are usually very interested though so am not anticipating a problem. My eldest has been boring us with info about the spying exhibition so cannot imagine that we will get through the week without a visit.

Bink · 11/02/2007 23:38

science of spying - that sounds ideal. Ds has just spent his book token on something called S.T.O.R.M. which is apparently about a boy-spy-gadget-inventor [impressive market-gap spotting there] but it has the tag "Psychopathic Scientists!" on the front so we have removed it pro tem until it has been scrutinised as Suitable For Sevenyearolds

Otherwise he is rather earnestly keen to see the Islamic Art thing at the V&A. Which is sweet.

(Here is the S.T.O.R.M. thing )

Marina · 12/02/2007 21:20

Sigh, I had better haul the pair of them over there this week then I guess
Bink, you could argue that Artemis Fowl has psychopathic tendencies, so the book may not be as unsuitable as it seems.
Ds brought home one of those Chris Ryans from the School book fair (he is also only seven )

Bink · 13/02/2007 00:05

We do get a bit of balance in the reading matter - found ds this morning snuggled under dd's bed, with a torch & her entire collection of Rainbow Fairy franchise.

controlfreakyandroses · 13/02/2007 00:08

will anyone else be taking their dc's to see the gilbert and george exhibition?

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