User:Mbpatel - Revision history

Mbpatel: /* Activity #1 Westminster Abbey and Tower of London (5/8) */

2017-06-23T02:27:55Z

‎Activity #1 Westminster Abbey and Tower of London (5/8)

Mbpatel: /* Activity #2 The National Gallery (5/9) */

2017-06-23T02:27:22Z

‎Activity #2 The National Gallery (5/9)

Mbpatel: /* Activity #3 Evensong (5/9) */

2017-06-23T02:26:02Z

‎Activity #3 Evensong (5/9)

Mbpatel: /* Activity #4 British Museum (5/10) */

2017-06-23T02:25:37Z

‎Activity #4 British Museum (5/10)

Mbpatel: /* Activity #4 British Museum (5/10) */

2017-06-23T02:25:04Z

‎Activity #4 British Museum (5/10)

Mbpatel: /* Activity #5 St. Paul's Cathedral (5/11) */

2017-06-23T02:24:21Z

‎Activity #5 St. Paul's Cathedral (5/11)

Mbpatel: /* Activity #6 Natural History Museum (5/12) */

2017-06-23T02:22:51Z

‎Activity #6 Natural History Museum (5/12)

Mbpatel: /* Activity #7 Victoria and Albert Museum (5/15) */

2017-06-23T02:21:52Z

‎Activity #7 Victoria and Albert Museum (5/15)

Mbpatel: /* Activity #8 Tate Modern (5/16) */

2017-06-23T02:21:08Z

‎Activity #8 Tate Modern (5/16)

Mbpatel: /* Activity #9 Museum of London (5/17) */

2017-06-23T02:20:39Z

‎Activity #9 Museum of London (5/17)

@@ Line 58: / Line 58: @@
 Westminster Abbey was our first stop. In Westminster Abbey, I toured the cathedral and learned about its history. I learned that it was originally founded by an early British king who wanted a private church for him and his royal family. The church, to this day, is still under the direct authority of the leading royal family, the queen, as a result. Because of the establishment and royal ties to this church, the royal family usually gets married in this church along with being buried here after death. This church also houses the grave sites for many well achieved people such as Albert Einstein. The first unknown soldier grave is located in this church which honored the unknown soldiers who died in world war one.
 <br>
-Tower of London is the next place I went to. Here we toured the royal jewels building, the tower, and the castle walls. The royal jewels building displayed the jewels that were created for the royal families over the centuries. It also displayed their decorations and clothing. I particularly remember all the golden utensils and the 530 karat diamond that were on display. The tower, on the other hand, exhibited the aspects of war such as displaying weapons and armor used by the royal family and soldiers.<br />
+Tower of London is the next place I went to. Here we toured the royal jewels building, the tower, and the castle walls. The royal jewels building displayed the jewels that were created for the royal families over the centuries. It also displayed their decorations and clothing. I particularly remember all the golden utensils and the 530-karat diamond that were on display. The tower, on the other hand, exhibited the aspects of war such as displaying weapons and armor used by the royal family and soldiers.<br />
 Overall, today's sites were enjoyable to visit but they were irritant to my milestone.
 <br>

@@ Line 64: / Line 64: @@
 ==Activity #2 [[The National Gallery]] (5/9)==
-The British National Gallery was the first art gallery that I toured. I was astonished at the fact that admission was free to the public. I was also amazed at the size of the gallery with rooms after rooms cascading back to infinity. My initial tour started with viewing 13th to 14th century paintings. These paintings mostly showed scenes of mythical Greek mythology or depicted aspects of Christ's divinity. The Greek style painting seem to have a central theme of nudity, angel, love and divinity. The "Immortality" was one of the paintings that I found particularly interesting where it depicted a child being carried by angels to his mother so he can drink her milk to become an immortal. That theme seem to repeat in multiple painting with different backgrounds and intentions. Another major trend I saw during that time period was the virgin mother and child that also seemed to show divinity. This type of paintings were not as mythical as Greek style but still had the aspect of divinity among it. Portraits were another style of painting that were displayed in that time period. There were only a few of these types of painting but they all seemed to be common with a serious face, or if women, with some nudity. Moving towards the modern era, the paintings started to blend in common day to day life of average citizens, depicting landscapes, and more focus on detailed objects and portraits. The modern paintings showed barely any divinity unless it was related to religion. This tour helped me realize that there is a direct relationship between religious philosophical mindset and early art that can still be seen today.
+The British National Gallery was the first art gallery that I toured. I was astonished at the fact that admission was free to the public. I was also amazed at the size of the gallery with rooms after rooms cascading back to infinity. My initial tour started with viewing 13th to 14th century paintings. These paintings mostly showed scenes of mythical Greek mythology or depicted aspects of Christ's divinity. The Greek style painting seem to have a central theme of nudity, angel, love and divinity. The "Immortality" was one of the paintings that I found particularly interesting where it depicted a child being carried by angels to his mother so he can drink her milk to become an immortal. That theme seems to repeat in multiple painting with different backgrounds and intentions. Another major trend I saw during that time period was the virgin mother and child that also seemed to show divinity. This type of paintings were not as mythical as Greek style but still had the aspect of divinity among it. Portraits were another style of painting that were displayed in that time period. There were only a few of these types of painting but they all seemed to be common with a serious face, or if women, with some nudity. Moving towards the modern era, the paintings started to blend in common day to day life of average citizens, depicting landscapes, and more focus on detailed objects and portraits. The modern paintings showed barely any divinity unless it was related to religion. This tour helped me realize that there is a direct relationship between religious philosophical mindset and early art that can still be seen today.
 <br>
 <br>

@@ Line 69: / Line 69: @@
 ==Activity #3 [[Evensong]] (5/9)==
-In the evening, I went to the Westminster Abbey with my scavenger group to attend the Evensong. It was my first experience attending a formal service at a cathedral. For the most part, I had no idea what was going on, but I enjoyed listening to the choir accompanied by organs. The choir itself was impressive with its amazing singing, something I have never heard before. Overall, the 45 minute experience was interesting and enjoyable however it had nothing to do with my milestones.
+In the evening, I went to the Westminster Abbey with my scavenger group to attend the Evensong. It was my first experience attending a formal service at a cathedral. For the most part, I had no idea what was going on, but I enjoyed listening to the choir accompanied by organs. The choir itself was impressive with its amazing singing, something I have never heard before. Overall, the 45-minute experience was interesting and enjoyable however it had nothing to do with my milestones.
 <br>
 <br>

@@ Line 74: / Line 74: @@
 ==Activity #4 [[British Museum]] (5/10)==
-British museum's glass roof was the first aspect of the museum that caught my eye. Warm morning light bleeding through the roof made me feel welcome into the main white marble hall. The hall's dome shaped architecture was another aspect that woke me up for the adventure that awaited. I still remember my initial pause as I entered the museum. All white marble walls and floor with a massive column in the middle gave me a sense of power emanating from this place and it forced me to acknowledge its beauty. This column, marble,  dome and glass roof architecture aroused a question about whether it represent's Greek, Roman and modern styles.<br />
+British museum's glass roof was the first aspect of the museum that caught my eye. Warm morning light bleeding through the roof made me feel welcome into the main white marble hall. The hall's dome shaped architecture was another aspect that woke me up for the adventure that awaited. I still remember my initial pause as I entered the museum. All white marble walls and floor with a massive column in the middle gave me a sense of power emanating from this place and it forced me to acknowledge its beauty. This column, marble,  dome and glass roof architecture aroused a question about whether it represents Greek, Roman and modern styles.<br />
 Moving on, I begin my journey in the history of Africa section. The first piece I saw, centered at the entrance, was a chair crafted from pieces of guns used in world war two. This chair was called "the thrown of guns". It gave me a sense of violence in African history which the Africans are trying to rebuild from. This theme of violence continued to be seen throughout the African exhibit, where it showcased weapons and war tactics used by the people throughout the history of Africa. Clock room was another exhibit I enjoyed exploring. In the center of the initial room displayed one of the first advanced clock created with weights that drove mechanical gears used to keep time. I was intrigued by how heavy the hanging weights seemed which drove the second's gear. Surrounding the main mechanical clock, there were series of clocks that showed the progression of clock over time. The clock exhibit ended with a visually pleasing mechanical clock that kept time by having a metal ball roll from one side to the other every thirty seconds. Currency room was another exhibit that intrigued me. The money printing machine was the first thing that caught my eye. It was a large steel machine that had a long bar attached to a screw. The screw would twist and press down, printing the coins with correct features according to the printing plate attached. Moving on, the currency showcase of coins used in Europe over time was another feature that caught my eye. Examining the coins up close, I saw a common resemblance between most of the coins where they all had a face printed on it. Remembering the miniature portraits on half dollar sized platform made me question if that is why the currency had a face on it.  <br />
 Other notable exhibits that I explored were the Egyptian exhibit, Greek exhibit, and Roman exhibit. I didn't find much interest in the Egyptian exhibit where the Rosetta Stone was the highlight of this exhibit with ten different languages engraved into a stone. The Roman and Greek exhibit, on the other hand, was quite fascinating. The Roman sculptures, war gear and currency showed prosperity and rich culture with Greek theme. This may help prove the theory of Greek culture and philosophy having an influence on historical Europe.

@@ Line 75: / Line 75: @@
 ==Activity #4 [[British Museum]] (5/10)==
 British museum's glass roof was the first aspect of the museum that caught my eye. Warm morning light bleeding through the roof made me feel welcome into the main white marble hall. The hall's dome shaped architecture was another aspect that woke me up for the adventure that awaited. I still remember my initial pause as I entered the museum. All white marble walls and floor with a massive column in the middle gave me a sense of power emanating from this place and it forced me to acknowledge its beauty. This column, marble,  dome and glass roof architecture aroused a question about whether it represent's Greek, Roman and modern styles.<br />
-Moving on, I begin my journey in the history of Africa section. The first piece I saw, centered at the entrance, was a chair crafted from pieces of guns used in world war two. This chair was called "the thrown of guns". It gave me a sense of violence in African history which the Africans are trying to rebuild from. This theme of violence continued to be seen throughout the African exhibit, where it showcased weapons and war tactics used by the people throughout the history of Africa. Clock room was another exhibit I enjoyed exploring. In the center of the initial room displayed one of the first advanced clock created with weights that drove mechanical gears used to keep time. I was intrigued by how heavy the hanging weights seemed which drove the second's gear. Surrounding the main mechanical clock, there were series of clocks that showed the progression of clock over time. The clock exhibit ended with an visually pleasing mechanical clock that kept time by having a metal ball roll from one side to the other every thirty seconds. Currency room was another exhibit that intrigued me. The money printing machine was the first thing that caught my eye. It was a large steel machine that had a long bar attached to a screw. The screw would twist and press down, printing the coins with correct features according to the printing plate attached. Moving on, the currency showcase of coins used in Europe over time was another feature that caught my eye. Examining the coins up close, I saw a common resemblance between most of the coins where they all had a face printed on it. Remembering the miniature portraits on half dollar sized platform made me question if that is why the currency had a face on it.  <br />
+Moving on, I begin my journey in the history of Africa section. The first piece I saw, centered at the entrance, was a chair crafted from pieces of guns used in world war two. This chair was called "the thrown of guns". It gave me a sense of violence in African history which the Africans are trying to rebuild from. This theme of violence continued to be seen throughout the African exhibit, where it showcased weapons and war tactics used by the people throughout the history of Africa. Clock room was another exhibit I enjoyed exploring. In the center of the initial room displayed one of the first advanced clock created with weights that drove mechanical gears used to keep time. I was intrigued by how heavy the hanging weights seemed which drove the second's gear. Surrounding the main mechanical clock, there were series of clocks that showed the progression of clock over time. The clock exhibit ended with a visually pleasing mechanical clock that kept time by having a metal ball roll from one side to the other every thirty seconds. Currency room was another exhibit that intrigued me. The money printing machine was the first thing that caught my eye. It was a large steel machine that had a long bar attached to a screw. The screw would twist and press down, printing the coins with correct features according to the printing plate attached. Moving on, the currency showcase of coins used in Europe over time was another feature that caught my eye. Examining the coins up close, I saw a common resemblance between most of the coins where they all had a face printed on it. Remembering the miniature portraits on half dollar sized platform made me question if that is why the currency had a face on it.  <br />
 Other notable exhibits that I explored were the Egyptian exhibit, Greek exhibit, and Roman exhibit. I didn't find much interest in the Egyptian exhibit where the Rosetta Stone was the highlight of this exhibit with ten different languages engraved into a stone. The Roman and Greek exhibit, on the other hand, was quite fascinating. The Roman sculptures, war gear and currency showed prosperity and rich culture with Greek theme. This may help prove the theory of Greek culture and philosophy having an influence on historical Europe.
 <br>

@@ Line 82: / Line 82: @@
 ==Activity #5 [[St. Paul's Cathedral]] (5/11)==
 I found the dome roofs and the quire of the Cathedral to be the most interesting. The main dome roof had eight black and white paintings of Saint Paul created by James Thornhill. These paintings dictated Saint Paul's major accomplishments such as his explanation of Christian religion to the roman emperor. There were three other smaller domes located above the Quire. These domes also had paintings engraved on them. These paintings, however, were made from different colored rocks aligned at different angles. The setup of these paintings caused them to shimmer as light hit it. Directly below the domes, there were more paintings in color and statues that had a Greek cultural feel to them. <br />
-The quire was the area where the songs are sung and where the organ pipes are located. Originally, this area was concealed by a wall of organ pipes located in the middle between the nave and the quire, but in the recent years, the organ was cut symmetrically in half and placed on either sides of the quire entrance. The intent of this was to open of the quire to the public as they came in to the nave for service. I found it quite interesting that the organ itself can remotely be played from a different location. It also has enough organ pipes to imitate a full orchestra. <br />
+The quire was the area where the songs are sung and where the organ pipes are located. Originally, this area was concealed by a wall of organ pipes located in the middle between the nave and the quire, but in the recent years, the organ was cut symmetrically in half and placed on either side of the quire entrance. The intent of this was to open of the quire to the public as they came in to the nave for service. I found it quite interesting that the organ itself can remotely be played from a different location. It also has enough organ pipes to imitate a full orchestra. <br />
 The last place I found interesting was the whisper gallery. This was located along the walls of the main dome far above the ground floor. I was able to see each of Saint Paul's paintings up close and study the statues directly below them from this location. I also found it interesting to see how the windows, located along the main dome, made the dome itself feel divine looking up at it from the ground. <br />
-This Cathedral also housed modern arts for the first time. I distinctly remember the plasma TV's that depicted four people being mutilated by the four classical elements. It was said that it may represent how people were crucified in the past. There was also a modern art statue of Virgin Mary and Child that had no distinctive features. It was a carving of basic shapes so it could represent Virgin Mary and Child for Christians and the intimate relationship mother and child for other beliefs. These displays of modern art are great examples of evolving philosophical mind set of modern era that shows the change, acceptance, and tolerance of other religions along with a changed style of art.
+This Cathedral also housed modern arts for the first time. I distinctly remember the plasma TV's that depicted four people being mutilated by the four classical elements. It was said that it may represent how people were crucified in the past. There was also a modern art statue of Virgin Mary and Child that had no distinctive features. It was a carving of basic shapes so it could represent Virgin Mary and Child for Christians and the intimate relationship mother and child for other beliefs. These displays of modern art are great examples of evolving philosophical mind set of modern eras that shows the change, acceptance, and tolerance of other religions along with a changed style of art.
 <br>
 <br>

@@ Line 89: / Line 89: @@
 ==Activity #6 [[Natural History Museum]] (5/12)==
-[[Natural History Museum]] housed mostly geological and biological exhibits of Earth. The entering exhibit was a volcanic rock and earthquake exhibit. In this exhibit I found the rock formation machine to be interesting. This machine showed the type of rock formed based on the choice selected, between pressure or heat,  at different stages of the formation. The earthquake room and earthquake resistant building models were fascinating as well. The earthquake room simulates an earthquake in a department store while having spectators located in it. This allowed me to feel a notable earthquake for the first time. To counter the destruction of earthquakes, building are built with pistons in the wall that absorb vibrations. This technology reduce's violent shaking, as showed by the models, that can stop buildings from collapsing at lower magnitude earthquakes. I also learned that the density of Earth and composition of it was determined by recording vibrations of earthquakes at different location on Earth.<br />
+[[Natural History Museum]] housed mostly geological and biological exhibits of Earth. The entering exhibit was a volcanic rock and earthquake exhibit. In this exhibit I found the rock formation machine to be interesting. This machine showed the type of rock formed based on the choice selected, between pressure or heat,  at different stages of the formation. The earthquake room and earthquake resistant building models were fascinating as well. The earthquake room simulates an earthquake in a department store while having spectators located in it. This allowed me to feel a notable earthquake for the first time. To counter the destruction of earthquakes, building is built with pistons in the wall that absorb vibrations. This technology reduces violent shaking, as showed by the models, that can stop buildings from collapsing at lower magnitude earthquakes. I also learned that the density of Earth and composition of it was determined by recording vibrations of earthquakes at different location on Earth.<br />
 Moving on, I entered the history of Earth, solar system, and earth's weather exhibit. Here I found the erosion and sand machine to be fascinating. The erosion machine showed how rivers are carved by moving water. The sand machine showed how fluctuating water, known as ocean waves, causes displacement of minerals and ripples along the ground. These discoveries changed my perception of water from being gentle to something more. This theory was further reinforced after viewing spectacular rock structures formed by eroding water. The weather wheel was another machine I enjoyed viewing. The wheel was filled with water that rotated along with the direction of spin. This dictated how weather moves along with the spinning of Earth. Lastly, I enjoyed viewing the planetary display wall in this exhibit. The wall showed all the planets in our galaxy along with their related gravity and temperature compared to Earth.<br />
 The last few exhibits were Earth's resources and biology on Earth. I found Pyrite, also known as fool's gold, to be the most interesting to look at. Pyrite had cubic perfect structures growing on top of each other at different angles. I found this to be fascinating as it made me ponder and appreciate the power of nature. <br />

@@ Line 97: / Line 97: @@
 ==Activity #7 [[Victoria and Albert Museum]] (5/15)==
-Today's museum tour was quite interesting. There were exhibits that showcased regional cultural objects, aside from just displaying sculptures and arts. Of these kind, I found the Asian exhibit to be the most interesting. Asian exhibit started in Korean gallery where decorative pottery from that region dominated the displays. Among them, I found the hanji paper collage to be the most interesting piece. It was a collage of paper twisted together in 3D. Another gallery I enjoyed in the Asian exhibit was the Pre-Mughal India gallery. In this gallery there were ancient Indian architectures on display along with furnishing and daily necessities. I found the decorative window screens to be the most fascinating. I also found the carpets and instruments to be interesting as well. Looking at the instruments, I wonder if modern western instruments are related to them.<br />
+Today's museum tour was quite interesting. There were exhibits that showcased regional cultural objects, aside from just displaying sculptures and arts. Of these kind, I found the Asian exhibit to be the most interesting. Asian exhibit started in Korean gallery where decorative pottery from that region dominated the displays. Among them, I found the hanji paper collage to be the most interesting piece. It was a collage of paper twisted together in 3D. Another gallery I enjoyed in the Asian exhibit was the Pre-Mughal India gallery. In this gallery, there were ancient Indian architectures on display along with furnishing and daily necessities. I found the decorative window screens to be the most fascinating. I also found the carpets and instruments to be interesting as well. Looking at the instruments, I wonder if modern western instruments are related to them.<br />
 Rest of the tour was kind of boring with viewing repetitive western sculptures, arts, and architecture. I, however, did enjoy viewing historical furnished rooms such as bedrooms from England. This activity could give me background on early of philosophy seen in various parts of the world.
 <br>

@@ Line 104: / Line 104: @@
 ==Activity #8 [[Tate Modern]] (5/16)==
 I found this activity to be boring. Aside from a few exceptions, most of the modern art I saw seemed too random for me to enjoy. Among those exceptions, I loved viewing 2D and 3D allusion paintings. My favorite was a 2D allusion painting with different colored horizontal lines. The longer I looked at that painting, the more I seemed to get sucked into it with the lines moving and changing colors. There were other similar paintings that I appreciated in 3D as well. <br />
-Aside from looking at the art, my most fond memory from this site was viewing London from the tenth floor. From that level I was able to see most of London. I particularly remember viewing the shard and being amazed at the beauty of it from this high angle.<br />
+Aside from looking at the art, my most fond memory from this site was viewing London from the tenth floor. From that level, I was able to see most of London. I particularly remember viewing the shard and being amazed at the beauty of it from this high angle.<br />
 This activity seemed boring, but it could be a great source of information on how culture and philosophy evolved into the modern era.
 <br>

@@ Line 110: / Line 110: @@
 ==Activity #9 [[Museum of London]] (5/17)==
-I found this museum to be enjoyable. Unlike the previous museums, this museum focused on the technological and cultural development of London. The memorable aspect of this museum was the chronological pathway through the exhibits. Entering the museum I was first encountered with the early formation of London. There, I was amazed to learn that London was only composed of few zones found today including West Minster. Another aspect of that particular exhibit was trade. I was amazed to see and learn how some of the trade building operated during that age like the trade ports and markets. I also learned that trade with Asia and rest of Europe influenced the life of London. This is particularly interesting because this can give me insight on how philosophy emerged in London.<br />
+I found this museum to be enjoyable. Unlike the previous museums, this museum focused on the technological and cultural development of London. The memorable aspect of this museum was the chronological pathway through the exhibits. Entering the museum, I was first encountered with the early formation of London. There, I was amazed to learn that London was only composed of few zones found today including West Minster. Another aspect of that particular exhibit was trade. I was amazed to see and learn how some of the trade building operated during that age like the trade ports and markets. I also learned that trade with Asia and rest of Europe influenced the life of London. This is particularly interesting because this can give me insight on how philosophy emerged in London.<br />
 Another exhibit I enjoyed was the modern city exhibit. There, I was amazed to see how classic transportation looked such as the classic London taxi. I also enjoyed learning about the classic printing press and about the impact of world war two on London life. Walking through 20th century London streets with recreated shops was the best part of that exhibit among all.
 <br>