In July I paid an interesting visit to The Foundling Museum, to glean ideas for my project.
Definition of a foundling: orphan, waif, stray, ragamuffin, urchin, outcast
Museum information:
A token was left by the mother with her baby as proof of identity for when, and if she came back to reclaim her child.
The baby’s basic details were entered onto an admission ‘billet’.
I purposely visited the museum so that I could see the exhibition ‘Found’ curated by artist Cornelia Parker. It was a thought-provoking display of diverse objects donated by over sixty artists interspersed with the museum’s exhibits. You can see more information about the exhibition on the museum website at http://foundlingmuseum.org.uk/events/found/ The one particular piece that stood out for me was ‘Iron Baby’ by Antony Gormley, evoking the vulnerability of nature – here the mother’s breast is replaced by the floor.
