Nbjohnson

Nicholas Johnson

Overview

The paragraph should give a three to five sentence abstract about your entire London HUA experience including 1) a summary of the aims of your project, 2) your prior experience with humanities and arts courses and disciplines, and 3) your major takeaways from the experience.

For my HUA requirement, I am doing my depth in History and my breadth in Art. Here in London two of my milestones will be History focusing on WW2 and one will be Art focusing on Architecture.

Milestone 1

Cathedral Architecture
Objective: Comparing the architectural styles of Cathedrals in England including Norman, Decorated Gothic, and Perpendicular Gothic

This project here in England was about the styles of the many churches around the country. I visited several of these to get a first person experience of them and photos. After laying out what makes the three chosen styles unique, those photos are then the basis for illustrating those differences between the styles.

The styles studied each are distinct, yet have influence on the styles that follow it. This concept was an interesting one to see and was a big part of the comparison aspect of this project. Yes the pieces are different, yet you can see that the preceding style has shaped it. This was evident in both the written descriptions and the visual comparisons.
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Milestone 2

British WW2 Codebreaking
Objective: The British Codebreakers work to break Enigma during WWII, housed at Bletchley Park, including Alan Turing’s contribution, and the impact on the war from that accomplishment.

Below the objective statement, Insert a one or two paragraph summary of your findings from having reached this milestone. Edit the link below to link to your milestone page.
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Milestone 3

Impact of the RAF on WW2
Objective: The impact the RAF had on WWII, from the Battle of Britain to the Strategic Bombing of Germany and how they were able to accomplish it.

Below the objective statement, Insert a one or two paragraph summary of your findings from having reached this milestone. If this milestone, for you, represents a humanities and arts capstone, please indicate so. Edit the link below to link to your milestone page.
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Activity Journal

Day 1 Activity

This morning as a group we visited Westminster Abbey where we received a 2 hour tour around the site. We began in The Cloisters and then moved into the church where Gothic architecture was on full display. Many burials and memorial plates were visible all around the church with it feeling weird to step on them. Near the front of the Church the House of Bath banners where previous members were shown were a really neat thing. Seeing how many were previously in each House was really interesting. Also behind the alter was the memorial for pilots of the Battle of Britain which was a great commemorative touch. Henry VII's Chapel at the front of the church had some distinct signs of Perpendicular Gothic which is needed for one of my milestones. Unfortunately pictures were not allowed inside, but I managed to get a few from the outside that still illustrated the point.

In the afternoon we visited the Tower of London in small groups. Some distinct items we saw were the White Tower, Crown Jewels, and Glass Cushion. Inside the white tower the travel through medieval times of armor and weapons was really interesting to see how armor has evolved to become more protective and more practical. The intricate detail on the swords used by the monarchy was unbelievable and very beautiful. The Crown Jewels exhibit took my breath away in the amount of jewels on each item and the amount that were made. The Glass Cushion was a very peaceful environment, quite fitting actually. St. John's Chapel at the tower is a part of my milestone but pictures were not allowed which will make things more difficult.

Lastly, we visited The British Library where we attempted to get our library cards but needed specific books to get them, so we will be going back in the next few days.

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Day 2 Activity 1C

Today our group went to the The National Gallery. While there we saw many paintings throughout time. The amount of paintings and quality of them are astounding. Some notable artists that we saw were Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Paintings spanned religion, landscapes, and portraits, but the majority were religious. There was not much that applied to my milestones, but the exhibits were still interesting to see and read the descriptions as there were some that were quite odd.

In the afternoon we joined up with our scavenger hunt group to work on getting pictures for the list. We ended up getting all but two of the items which we were quite happy with. Several of the items we found around Westminster Abbey while we waited for the Evensong service. The service was quite impressive, what they can do with their voice is absolutely amazing, also being inside such a beautiful building only added to the experience. Being only 45 minutes it was a short and sweet service that was thoroughly enjoyable.

Day 3 Activity 1B

Today our group visited the British Museum which is absolutely massive. With such a large footprint and multiple levels it took a very long time to make it through this one, but it was time well spent. The amount of history there, the amount of pieces that are there is astounding. Of all the exhibits, the currency and clock showcases were my favorite. Looking at how currency has changed throughout history, how counter fitting has changed. The clock showcase had all the different styles of timekeeping, even the ridiculous one that has a ball rolling around to keep time but didn't do it very accurately. Also being able to see the Rosetta Stone in person was really cool, another thing to check off the bucket list. There were some pieces that showed some architectural styles but nothing really directly applied to my milestones.

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Day 4 Activity 1A

Today our group visited the St. Paul's Cathedral. The cathedral is breathtaking, especially the paintings and mosaics. Unfortunately pictures were not allowed inside the Cathedral which was quite disappointing. The most interesting thing for me was the book that honored the US and Royal Air Forces during World War II which was located behind the main alter. The crypts below were quite creepy and it felt weird stepping on everyone's grave, but its not avoidable because of how many graves they put down there which is impressive.
This afternoon in addition to working on my milestone I also got my library card which was a painful but successful process. Some books are now on order but won't be in till Monday which is going to hinder my progress a little but I'll make do.

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Day 5 Activity 1D

Today our group went to the Natural History Museum. The size of the museum is not obvious from the outside, as it seems it is a decent size building with multiple levels. After going through it seemed like it never ended, it just kept going. There were many amazing exhibits inside including many hands on ones. As a kid this would have been the best thing to ever have happened as there are many kid friendly exhibits. For me the two coolest exhibits were the earthquake house, that really moved the entire setup house, and the animatronic T-Rex that they had set up that had many degrees of motion and a roar that really shook you. There were a few exhibits that I wasn't the biggest fan of, not because they weren't good but just because I'm not into insects and fish. Other group members were loving it but that part dragged on for me. There wasn't anything at this museum for my milestones but in the afternoon I worked on my milestones at the library doing research but unfortunately some of my books won't be ready until Monday.

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Day 6 Activity 2C

Today our group went to the Victoria and Albert Museum. Once again the size of the museum is just mind boggling. There was so much to see and with all the different sections in different parts of the museum I don't know if I saw everything. The wide range of items was an interesting thing, furniture was there, ceramics, sculptures, and many other things. The most interesting thing for me that I saw was the quick pickup collection. This collection is a unique one in that it includes movement style items, such as protest items and influential game changer items, and most are very current. The item the peaked my interest was the 3-D printed gun in the collection. It makes sense considering it was a game changer in terms of security, as the only metal part is the firing pin. Since the designs for it were put online anyone could access it which is a cool thing knowing its possible but also scary in that it has some very bad uses. The museum did not have anything related to any of my milestones but I went to the library in the afternoon to get some good sources of information to continue working on my current milestone.

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Day 7 Activity 2D

Today our group went to the Tate Modern. The building had an interesting design in that it had two halves separated by a large open central area. There were a few exhibits that required tickets which we didn't buy but there was still plenty to see. The layout of some of the rooms didn't make much sense and could lead you to a dead end a require you to double back but that just means more exercise. There were plenty of cool pieces and there were some why is this art pieces. One of those pieces was a white canvas with white paint so it was very boring. The more interesting pieces were the optical illusions, of which there were several. The most odd exhibit for me was the room of sacks, it was one of the largest rooms but only had this one exhibit and it made no sense. Modern art has some cool things, but most of it makes no sense as some could be done by a four year old. The tenth floor had a wrap around balcony which allowed for some great shot of London, including The Shard. Also visible was a pedestrian bridge spanning the Thames. Nothing here pertained to my milestones so I will not be revisiting it in the future.

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  Panorama from Tate Modern

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Day 8 Activity 2E

Today our group wen to the Museum of London. Inside there was the history of London and England from beginning to end. The Roman exhibit was really cool with the armor they had and the models of some key buildings. Some of the other notable items were the bronze map of London, first automobile taxi, and old cell phones. By far the best thing there was the Cauldron from the 2012 Olympic games, or at least pieces of it. They had many of the individual pieces there, but only a couple were setup in the partial shape of the original cauldron. One thing that I learned was that each one was a custom piece and not two were the same which is crazy. The linearity of the museum was a nice relief from some of the other museums odd layout and allowed us to easily see everything without fear we missed something. At the end a nice cup of Hot Chocolate was great at the Cafe they had available. There they had some really awesome time lapses from around London on a screen, from traffic to restocking an airplane. There wasn't really anything that pertained to my milestones here, but some events upcoming will.

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Day 9 Activity 2A

Today was a day to work on Milestone 1. This is all I did today, sit back, look through photos and type away. There was no need to got to the library as all data was already gathered, just needed to tweak things and explain photos.

Day 10 Activity 2B

Today our group went to the Tate Britain. On the way there we passed MI5 which being a nondescript building makes it a little difficult to find but makes sense. It was interesting seeing how many cameras there were, the reinforced windows, and the very large and heavy doors there to protect it. Once inside the Museum it had many works but wasn't nearly as expansive as some of the other museums. There were a few sculptures and paintings that I would like to know what the artist was thinking when making it, but congrats to them for getting it into a museum. Surprisingly there was only one exhibit that required paying for unlike some other museums that had multiple exhibits requiring separate payment. On the way back we took a slight detour to get a good shot of MI6 which is a really cool building. The color of the glass really contrasts with the stone and being along the water I'm sure gives some great views for the employees.

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Day 11 Activity 3C

Today our group went to the Hampton Court Palace. This place was quite a ways away from the flat and it was kind of a pain to get to. We left a little early to make sure that we would be ok on time if there were delays. Sure enough there were several delays with trains that had ill people on them. This coupled with the rerouted train on the way back made the trip not so worth it. It was a large palace with beautiful gardens but I don't think it was worth the long trip, there were better places that we have already gone to that were much closer. Since we did go I think the gardens were the highlight as they were so large, it seemed as if they would stretch forever. What was disappointing was that they charged extra for the maze even though it looked quite easy and short so we skipped that. This excursion had nothing to do with any of my milestones so I won't be needing to revisit it.

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Day 12 Activity 3B

Today our group went to the Museum of London Docklands. This was a cool trip as it took us a different direction than we have been going previously and got to experience a new line for the underground. The museum was a smaller, but interesting museum. One of the more interesting things there was the recreation of some of the living areas and atmosphere that would have existed. Also the video explaining the preparations for WWII and the impending air raid and invasion. It was a pretty quiet day at the museum compared to some of the other museums we have visited even though there was a kid field trip there for a learning day. After our excursion to the Docklands we immediately went to the British Library to grab lunch and then worked in the Reading Rooms for most of the afternoon working on our Milestone 2 background in preparation for the weekly presentation meeting on Wednesday.

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Day 13 Activity 3A

Today our group visited the Imperial War Museum.This is one of the best places we have gone so far with all of the amazing things it has inside. The first view you get of the museum is two very large guns for battleships from WWII and it only gets better from there. On the first floor it is all about WWI, the wars beginning, the equipment used during the war, gas canisters, a recreation of the trenches, and the final endings of the war. All of the artifacts on display were amazing especially the large artillery pieces. Moving up inside brings you to the second world war. On this floor they had several vehicles that were used during the war and also hanging in the main area were some as well. In the central area there were two planes, one WWII and one Harrier which is more recent. Also contained here were the V-1 and V-2 rockets which I never thought I would see in person, which truly are massive in scale. Up another level is more recent items stemming from the end of the second world war all the way to Iraq and Afghanistan. The nuclear exhibit including a recreation of Little Boy was really cool and scary at the same time. A section of the Berlin wall was also there to remind us of what occurred during those years. Some of the most recent pieces are the UN vehicle and the Light Armored vehicle used by the British in the Middle East. The end of the museum was one of sorrow as the Holocaust exhibit spanned two stories yet no matter how large it is could not possibly express what was done to those poor people. In the end it was a great museum and some shots of the WWII aircraft will help with my third milestone dealing with the RAF.

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Day 14 Activity 3D

Today our group went to the Horniman Museum. It was a further journey than most locations but it wasn't as bad as one of the other ones. While there it was a pretty small museum but was tightly packed full of specimens. Outside the gardens were massive, spanning many acres. Taking a walk around was very soothing as it was a beautiful day to be outside. There seemed to be a photo shoot for a wedding or something like that happening onsite which got us a few odd looks for how under dressed we were for the occasion. In the end it was a cool but short museum with some amazing gardens. Nothing here applied to my milestones, but not everything will. Here in the afternoon there is plenty of time for milestone work to get done which is a good thing as there is much to do.

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Day 15 Activity 3E

Today I worked on my milestone 2. I went to the library for several hours while working on my background. A lot was accomplished with much more that still needs to get done.

==Day 16 Activity 4B Today our group went to the London Science Museum.