The bane of audioguides



I found myself doing touristy things in London, after a visit from relatives who were really bent on doing the royal courts tour - Tower of London, Windsor, Hampton Court and of course Westminster Abbey. I accompanied them, it would have been rude not to and even enjoyed a boat trip to Greenwich though it was too late in the day to visit Cutty Sark, a personal favourite.  
I have done the London attractions ad nauseam throughout my very lengthy stay but some of these I had not seen in years, decades even. Alas, the weather was not kind, so Hampton Court was a bit of a disaster - no one wants to wander in the maze when it rains. But the gallery was fabulous and it had my favourite painting, a self portrait by the wonderful Artemisia Gentileschi.

Artemisia Gentileschi 'Self portrait as allegory of painting'

My companions were quite addicted to audioguides, I took them when their price was included in the ticket but then promptly switched them off, quickly  growing tired of them.
I dislike audioguides. I know that some museums go out of their way to provide a quality visitor experience through their audioguides - for example the British Museum for the Defining Beauty exhibition (2015) had a recorded conversation among experts and artists in connection with specific exhibits, but by and large I am one of those who believe there should be as little distance as possible between you and the art work you are viewing. your experience of it is paramount. 
Audioguides make you lazy. First, if you go to  an exhibition with someone it's nice to be able to comment on what you see. It does not have to be a clever remark or a display of erudition. If you are  glued to your audioguide there is no chance of conversation. Personally, I much prefer to go to exhibitions on my own first, and then maybe with someone else on a second or third visit. I like savouring my first encounter with the exhibits.  It's the result of years spent in museums doing research, when I was still involved with art as a researcher. 
With audioguides, of course, you are basically told what to see and in what order, which again I dislike tremendously because I like stopping by what catches my attention and then , with the aid of curatorial labels, a little prior knowledge acquired through reading before venturing to the gallery or location,  and a catalogue ( which I like, I am a sucker for catalogues) I engage in creating a narrative of my own. 
Audioguides turn you into a passive consumer of art and culture, whereas no reliance on audioguides forces you to be more active, more engaged.
Some of my best  experiences have been  in museums where even the curatorial labels were rather mysterious, relaying as little information as possible about the artefact on display. It forced me to question and patch things together and it made me really alert and inquisitive.
Why do we go to museums and visit attractions? it's a question that has been bugging me  for a while. Is it to say 'I have been there' and post a picture on instagram?  Some visitors, having bought a pass to see as many attractions as possible, run from sight to sight to try and recoup the money. I don't think it even matters to them what they are seeing. 


As I was writing this, I got some images through WhatsApp from my son who is spending in Kiev his last day of his tour of Russia and bordering countries . He is, like me, a fan of Bulgakov (I adore Master and Margarita) and has been to visit his house, where  The White Guard is  set in, sending me an image of the original typescript of Master and Margarita and telling me under the image "This is the original". Of course you can also see my son's shadow as he takes the picture, as the original draft  is protected by glass. At first I thought "Damn, you have ruined the picture". Then I thought that actually by having his shadow on it he has created a rather unique picture. He truly sent me a record of his own experience of Bulgakov's house.
I am trying not to be envious. Russia is the first foreign country I ever visited, when it was still USSR. I learnt Russian and spoke it to a reasonable standard, but my son beat me to it, learning Russian in school to a high standard and then travelling a few times to Russia and acquiring fluency.
So now I am thinking I am not to be outdone and my next trip will have to be to Moscow and then Kiev.
Poka poka.


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