Once more unto the breach... Gareth Bonello, 21 August 2007 By now I've started to do a bit of fieldwork. I started by recording Sirajul Islam, Bengali by birth, but now studying for a degree through the medium of Welsh. He has a fascinating story, and this will be in our archive for future generations to peruse and study. Another project that I've started is trying to beef up the Youth corner of Oriel 1. The screen which is currently showing stills of Maes B events from the past will soon have a lively video of the events from 2007. The Meic Stevens guitar case will hopefully be clearly signed and will contain records and pictures to complement the story. With the imminent launch of the Virtual Museum, there are a few projects to prepare for that, namely the Community Dresser objects, and interviews held with young people during Eisteddfod week. I'm also involved in an exciting new project to build a turf round house at the Celtic Village, a radical new design that will turn archaeological theory on its head! Other than that, I'm visiting Newport Museum this week to discuss their Pop exhibition plans, and have been on Welsh television and radio to promote Oriel 1 and the work that I'm doing. Things are beginning to move quite swiftly!
Drawn from nature: Botanical illustrations 20 August 2007 Throughout the Dark Ages, disease and poor hygiene were rife and people relied on herbalists and their remedies. Cure for deafness: take rat's urine, the oil of eels, the house leek, the juice of travellers' joy and a boiled egg. Plant collectors travelled to remote parts of the world. Finding new plants meant exploring new lands - often without accurate maps, through country without roads, and with few settlements. In the 17th century, travel and trade brought many new exotic plants to Europe. So-called 'Tulipomania' rose from the passionate desire of the wealthy to own the rarest plants. In Holland, a single tulip bulb was bought for 4,600 florins, plus a coach and a pair of dappled greys. Many of the exotic fruits such as the Paw-paw and Pineapple discovered on the voyages of discovery quickly became fashionable in Europe. The Paw-paw (papaya) is a native of tropical America. Mankind has always been fascinated by flowers, by their beauty, and by their possibilities for healing and knowledge. Amgueddfa Cymru holds a unique collection of more than 9,000 botanical illustrations spanning five centuries. After a small exhibition at National Museum, Cardiff in 1942, the illustrations were put into store. Fifty years later the breadth and significance of the collection was rediscovered and their exquisite draughtsmanship fully appreciated. The collection comprises work ranging from professional engravings to amateur watercolours, and includes several items by acknowledged masters such as Georg Dionysius Ehret and Pierre Joseph Redouté. 500 years of botanical illustrations The collection traces the development of botanical illustration and its relationship between art and science from the medieval herbals of the Dark Ages, when man feared nature, through the Enlightenment and the great voyages of discovery to the contemporary illustrations of the 21st century. Floras By 1600, after the early woodblocked herbals, the process of engraving on metal allowed a finer delineation of every minute detail, revolutionising botanical illustration. Flora Londinensis (1777-87) by William Curtis is one of the most famous British floras listing all the plants within a ten-mile radius of London. An important early 19th century European flora is the Flora Danica (1763-1885), which took almost a hundred years to complete. In the 17th century, plants were grown for their beauty as well as practical and scientific use. The wealthy produced 'florilegias' illustrating the rare and beautiful plants on their estates, while scientific guides were full of precise illustrations from a whole range of plants. The collection contains many original prints from the 17th century, including work by Redoute, Sowerby, Fitch and the Welsh-born Sydenham Edwards. The introduction of taxonomy In 1753 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus developed a new system of naming and classifying all living things. Everything was given two names in Latin: a genus name and a species name. This had a profound impact on the style of botanical illustration. Emphasis was now on the plant's sexual organs — much to the alarm of polite society. The acceptance of the new Linnaean system was helped, in part, by the high quality of illustrations produced by G. D. Ehret at that time. The Museum holds illustrations by Ehret from Plantae Selectae (1750-73) and also a collection by J. S. Miller from Bute's Botanical Tables (1785), commissioned by John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute. The collection also includes works by Redouté, Kirchner and Elizabeth Blackwell. Backwell illustrated a herbal entitled A Curious Herbal to free her husband from incarceration in a debtor's prison. Voyages of discovery Botanists accompanying the epic voyages of discovery in the 18th and 19th centuries were the first to record and collect the exotic plants encountered in the remote uncharted lands. For the first time Europeans saw pictures of exotic fruits such as pineapples, paw-paws and pomegranates. Examples in the collections include Banks' Florilegium and works from Curtis's Botanical Magazine. Victorian enthusiasm The Victorians brought about an immense enthusiasm for science. Engravings of newly introduced plants became widely available through journals and popular magazines, such as Carter's Floral Illustrations and Paxton's Floral Garden. With the discovery of Victoria regia, the giant water lily from the Amazon, there was much rivalry between the gardeners of the stately houses of England as to who would be first to induce it to flower in Britain. Joseph Paxton, the gardener at Chatsworth, won the race. It is said that the structure of the huge leaf inspired his design for the Crystal Palace.
The largest turtle in the world 15 August 2007 The leatherback turtle on display at National Museum Cardiff was washed ashore on Harlech beach, Gwynedd in September 1988. Sadly, the turtle had drowned after being trapped by fishing lines. It was approximately 100 years old when it died. The turtle attracted worldwide attention as it was the largest and heaviest turtle ever recorded, measuring almost 3m (9ft) in length and weighing 914 kilos (2,016 pounds).The turtle's arrival on the beach saw a flurry of activity by Museum staff who were keen to exhibit the turtle. However, preparing such a specimen for display was not straightforward. The turtle had to be flipped upside down before repairing cracks on the underside. Displaying the world's largest turtleAfter undergoing an autopsy for scientific information, the skin was removed and preserved and a mould of the body shape was made. The preserved skin was stretched over the mould to produce a lifelike pose.The skeleton was also removed and prepared for display alongside the body. The taxidermy mount and associated skeleton were then put on display in their own gallery, with linking displays on the leatherback's history, threats, ecology and conservation. The Leatherback being cleaned and repaired Sixteen years onAfter 16 years on display, significant cracks had started to appear on the specimen. There had long been problems with cracking, and it had been patched up over the years. Low humidity was identified as a cause, so there was no choice but to close the gallery and conserve this popular specimen properly.The first stage was to clean the turtle of its layer of dust and oily grime. A non-ionic detergent removed the worst of the dirt.Once reasonably clean the next stage was to return the distorted parts of the specimen back to the correct shape. This involved soaking the exterior with a solution of deionised water, salt and detergent, enabling it to be moved back into position.Removing old repairsOnce the specimen was dry, the old repairs were removed. This was a long and slow process requiring care so as not to damage the turtle's skin any further. A large amount of the skin had been painted black some years before, so this also had to be removed. This was achieved with acetone and a mobile fume extraction system.Once the previous repairs and paint were removed, the turtle's original patterns and skin texture could be seen once more. Gaps and splits in the specimen were then filled in and painted over to blend with the turtle's original skin colour and texture. The Turtle after conservation The leatherback turtle in its new display at the National Museum, Cardiff RedisplayingThe skeleton was also carefully cleaned before the finished turtle was re-hung as before. After 4 months of work, the turtle gallery could finally be re-opened to the public.Another journey for the turtleConditions in the turtle gallery were continuing to cause conservation problems. As a result, during 2006 the turtle was moved to a new location in the adjoining 'Man and the Environment' gallery, next to the humpbacked whale. The new space has better environmental conditions, allowing the turtle to remain on open display. In addition, the information panels have been renewed with up-to-date information. The turtle now sits as a fine addition to this gallery space.
Up close with nature 3 August 2007 Witness the bizarre structures and patterns of nature close up. These amazing images have been created by the scientists at Amgueddfa Cymru using highly magnified photography. From butterflies to microscopic plankton - remarkable details are revealed in a whole new light in these breathtaking pictures, which are to be admired for their striking beauty as well as the scientific value they hold. At this level of magnification, reality becomes quite surprising, click on the images below to discover more... Up Close with Nature Radula, or mouthpiece, from a carnivorous land snail from East Africa.A radula is a rough tongue or band of horny teeth used by snails to rasp at its food, whether its plant or animal matter. As a snails radula can differ between different species, Amgueddfa Cymru examines these images carefully in order to identify one species from another. Cymbelloid diatom, genera unidentified. Diatoms are a type of microscopic algae that consist of one cell or a group of cells; Diatoms produce a hard silica shell that is often preserved after the animal dies and sinks to the sea floor. Scientists are able to extract diatom shells and use them to investigate past climates. Foraminifera: Halkyardia minimaThese shells pictured here belonged to pin-head sized animals called 'foraminifera', or formas. These ones lived about 35 million years ago, but similar kinds live in today's oceans.Find out how these tiny specimens are helping scientists at Amgueddfa Cymru research climate change that took place 34 million years ago in When Antarctica went into the deep freeze Image: Ian McMillan, Cardiff University. Foraminifera: Cribrohantkenina inflata.The chemistry of these foram shells can tell us how ocean temperatures changed through time by measuring the amount of magnesium in the shells - Forams take elements from the ocean into their shells, using more magnesium at warmer temperatures. Find out how these tiny specimens are helping scientists at Amgueddfa Cymru research climate change that took place 34 million years ago in When Antarctica went into the deep freeze Image: Paul Pearson, Cardiff University. Foraminifera: NodogenerinaDead forams fall to the sea floor and build up in layers of mud over millions of years. The foram shells are like time capsules, with their chemical information locked inside.Find out how these tiny specimens are helping scientists at Amgueddfa Cymru research climate change that took place 34 million years ago in When Antarctica went into the deep freeze Image: Ian McMillan, Cardiff University. Foraminifera: Hantkenina alabemensisBy measuring the magnesium content of forams, it gives us a record of how ocean temperature has changed through time: more magnesium present in the shells the warmer the ocean was when the foram died. Find out how these tiny specimens are helping scientists at Amgueddfa Cymru research climate change that took place 34 million years ago in When Antarctica went into the deep freeze Image: Paul Pearson, Cardiff University. Foraminifera: Subbotina.Find out how these tiny specimens are helping scientists at Amgueddfa Cymru research climate change that took place 34 million years ago in When Antarctica went into the deep freeze Image: Paul Pearson, Cardiff University. Foraminifera: Tubulogenerina narghilella.Find out how these tiny specimens are helping scientists at Amgueddfa Cymru research climate change that took place 34 million years ago in When Antarctica went into the deep freeze Image: Ian McMillan, Cardiff University. Hinge teeth and sockets of Yoldiella lata, a Protobranch Bivalve shell.These join to opposing teeth and sockets in the opposite valve. The teeth are one of many characters which help scientists to identify different bivalve species. Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. An extreme magnification of the exterior shell covering of Spinaxinus sentosus, recovered from the organic cargo of the sunken ship Francois Vieljeux. The spines witnessed at this magnification lead scientists at Amgueddfa Cymru to name the new genus 'Spinaxinus' For more information see: Gas Guzzling Clams . The carnivorous Ghost Slug's blade-like teeth, each about half a millimetre long. These are much longer and sharper than those of herbivorous species. Help us find out more about the mysterious alien "Ghost Slug" BeetleImage: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru Magnified image showing detail of beetle shell.Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru Common Brittle star, Ophiothrix fragilis.Closely related to starfish, brittle stars crawl across the sea-floor using their flexible arms as "legs" for locomotion. There are some 1,500 species of brittle stars living today, and they are largely found in deep waters more than 500 metres (1,650 feet) down. Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. Magnified section of the common brittle star showing spine structure.Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru Thumbnail Crab, Thia scutella.The Thumbnail crab gets its name from its shell resembling a thumbnail. It is found in the North Sea, north-east Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. Magnified image of mouthparts of the Thumbnail crab.Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. Hornwrack coral, Flustra foliacea, from The Gower, South Wales.Hornwracks are small aquatic animals known as bryozonas that reproduce by budding and form branching colonies attached to stones or seaweed. Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. Detail of Hornwrack coral from South Wales.Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. Image of a marine bristle worm, Lagis koreni, otherwise known as the 'Ice Cream Cone Worm' along with its cast.This worm builds its delicate tube home out of a thin layer of sand grains cemented by secretions of the worm's body The tube is just one sand grain thick with the individual sand grains positioned tight up against each other, forming a beautiful mosaic. Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. Close up of the head of the Ice Cream Cone worm, along with detail of cast. Ice Cream Cone worms actually live upside down on the sea floor. The head of the worm possesses comb-like structures that rake through the sand as other feeding tentacles pick out food. The tube can be up to 3 inches long and protect the soft parts of the animal. It is also commonly referred to as a tusk worm. Note the mosaic like pattern of sand grains. Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru Extreme close up of the feeding filaments of the Ice Cream Cone Worm.The head of this worm bears two groups of large, slightly curved, golden bristles. The bristles are used to loosen and turn over the sand, and the tentacles collect particles for food and for tube building. Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru Silkmoth.Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. Magnified image of Silkmoth wing section showing scales and structure.Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. Garden Tiger Moth.Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. Magnified image of wing section of the Garden Tiger Moth.Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. The Birdwing butterfly Troides minos.This specimen, from India, is housed in the Rippon collection of Amgueddfa Cymru. Rippon was the first to monograph this group of Butterflies. Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. Head on view of the beetle Chlorophorus varius.Even small beetles can have frightening characteristics when viewed up close and head on! This specimen is only a few centimetres in body length. Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. Magnified image of wing section of Birdwing butterfly, Troides minos.Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. Close up image of the Peppered Moth Biston betularia Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru Abstract image of a beetle's head, Chlorophorus varius.Click on the next image along to reveal its face... Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. Close up of the fly Stygeromyia maculosa.Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. Stygeromyia maculosa.This specimen was collected in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. Megaselia scalaris.This specimen was collected in Izmir, Turkey. Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. Hind leg detail of Megaselia scalaris.Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. Magnification of head and eyes of Atherigona bimaculata.Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. Atherigona bimaculata.This specimen was collected at Maraba, Aseer, Saudi Arabia. Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. Lamprolonchaea metatarsata.This specimen was collected in Al-Ajban, United Arab Emirates. Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. Lamprolonchaea metatarsata.This image illustrates the intricate detail of the wing veination. Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. Sharpshooter Leafhopper: Zyzzogeton quadrimaculata.Adult sharpshooters lay eggs into the plant and these hatch into nymphs. In most species it takes about a month for the nymph to become an adult. The adult may then live for a further month or two before dying. Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. Sharpshooter Leafhopper: Zyzzogeton quadrimaculata.All species have long thin mouthparts, like hypodermic needles, which they use to pierce and suck sap from plants. Some true bugs, such as bed bugs, feed from animals. Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. Sharpshooter Leafhopper: Zyzzogeton quadrimaculata.Scientists at Amgueddfa Cymru have been photographed as many species of sharpshooter leafhoppers as possible to create identification guides so that farmers will be able to identify the bugs for themselves. To do this we have used new photographic techniques to produce the detailed images you see here. Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. Sharpshooter Leafhopper.Sharpshooter leafhoppers are the largest and most colourful of all leafhoppers. They are so named as some squirt sap after feeding. Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. Sharpshooter Leafhopper.Sharpshooter leafhoppers belong to the insect group Hemiptera, which also contains aphids, scale insects, spittlebugs, cicadas, treehoppers and true bugs. Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. Sharpshooter Leafhopper: Cicadella viridis.There are about 200 leafhoppers species in Britain. Around 19,000 species have been described in the world but many more remain to be discovered. Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. A nymph and adult of the species Paraquichira costaricensis.The nymphs of leafhoppers shed their skin several times as they grow. Their wings develop as they grow, the wing pads getting a little larger with the shedding of each skin. The wings expand when the nymph becomes an adult. This is very different to insects such as butterflies where the caterpillar changes straight into an adult in a process called metamorphosis. Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru. Sharpshooter Leafhopper: Homalodisca vitripennis.There are over 2,300 known species of Sharpshooters, some of which spread disease in fruit trees. Grape vines in California have been hit very hard by Homalodisca vitripennis, as have Citrus trees in Brazil by other species of sharpshooter leafhoppers - so it is very important that we can identify those that spread disease from those that don't. Image: James Turner, Amgueddfa Cymru.
Oriel 1 Anna Gruffudd, 2 August 2007 Iawn te! Bywyd yn Oriel 1!Dyma fi yn fy swydd newydd fel dehonglydd Oriel 1, oriel newydd Sain Ffagan yn sgwennu blog am y tro cynta! Fe fydd, fel yr Oriel yn un arbrofol felly! (Ac fel Owain...nes i sgwennu hwn unwaith a cholli'r cwbl...ti'n meddwl sa'n well i ni gael gwersi?!!) Yn anffodus, ar hyn o bryd rwy'n eistedd wrth ddesg yn syllu ar olygfa ddigon llwyd drwy'r ffenest.Mae ambell sied wedi eu ffensio ag arwydd 'keep out' a 'Site Canteen' i'w gweld ac adeilad mawr siedaidd yn gefndir. O wel, er mwyn cyfleu ychydig o naws y lle bydd rhaid i fi ddychmygu felly fy mod i'n eistedd yng nghanol yr Oriel. O fy mlaen i, mae superted a'i gefn tuag ata i a'i ben e'n pwyso ar hen arwydd y pentref a fu unwaith, 'CAPEL CELYN'.Uwch ei ben, mae Sgrabble yn Gymraeg a rhes o oleuade bach gwyn yn goleuo'r casyn gwydr y mae'n eistedd ynddo.Yn nes ata i mae dros gant o recordie saith modfedd o'r 60au a'r 70au yn garped lliwgar lliwgar ar y wal, ac yn treiddio drwy'r awyr mae cerddoriaeth hudolus hamddenol.Ar y wal y tu ol i mi mae lluniau gan blant yn dawnsio ar y wal ar ffilm. O gyfeiriad arall mae swn gwahanol, clychau a baban yn crio, ac yn y pellder swn torf yn dathlu ym mharc yr arfau. Wrth droi o gwmpas rwy'n gweld drychau mawr ar y wal ac yn hongian o'u hamgylch mae dillad sy'n eich gwahodd i'w teimlo a'u gwisgo.Ddoe, roedd criw o blant yn dawnsio o amgylch y 'juke box' ac ymwelwyr yn rhyfeddu ar wydr lliw a wnaed gan SMYLe, grwp o fwslemiaid ifanc o Abertawe. Roedd plant bach yn gwneud llwyau caru papur gydag un o'r artisiaid fydd yn gweithio yn yr Oriel bob dydd ym mis Awst gyda'r Cert Celf. Roedd merched yn eu harddegau yn gigls i gyd yn cael tro'n cario'r ddol mewn siol yn y dull Cymreig a thatcu yn rhyfeddu ar ei wyrion bach yn gwrando'n astud ar glustffonau arbennig ar straeon ac atgofion o gasgliadau'r archif. Mae cymaint wedi digwydd yn yr Oriel, dawnsio o dros y byd, artistiaid yn perfformio a darlithiau a sgyrsiau o bob math.Ond well i fi fynd nawr i wneud ychydig o waith paratoi ar gyfer y gweithdau a'r gweithgareddau fydd yn yr Oriel. Mwy o hanesion am gymeriadau a bywyd Oriel 1 i ddod!
