. . Hanna Aalto . .

Sometimes there is no inspiration for starting new works. Best way to get inspired is to look at paintings or handicrafts that others have made. Your subconscious will reflect what you have seen and then you start to get new ideas. Sometimes it takes just a second, sometimes new idea pops up after some time.

I had chance to visit London during our autumn holiday. Destinations were British museum, Victoria and Albert museum, Natural history museums and Warner Bros studios just outside London.

British museum

This museum is breath taking place. Both displayed items and architecture is magnificent. It was amazing to see many artifacts “life”, that I have seen in books or documents. Some items were smaller than I had thought, some larger. There were also artifacts that had been source of inspiration for me in my childhood.

V&A museum

Victoria and Albert museum is also very large and there is no chance that you could see all items during one visit.

Best exhibition in Victoria and Albert museum was visiting Hollywood costumes exhibition. There were costumes from almost all famous movies or costumes that made mark in history. For example there were dress that Marilyn Monroe wore in famous skirt flying scene, Charlie Chaplin’s costume, dresses from Queen Elisabeth movies and so on. Most of the costumes were totally amazing even from close. This exhibition was so popular that you had to buy tickets previous day.

Harry Potter studio tour

Movie industry has thousands of artists and artisans at their service. They make more and more amazing structures to productions that grow year after year. Viewers have become more demanding. It is not possible to use cardboard swords or styrox walls anymore. Everything has to be very realistic. Harry Potter film series is good example: artists and artisans created together with special effects group, whole new world.

Harry Potter studios are in Leavesden, 30 km away from London. There is very practical (although it takes 1,5 hours one way) bus service from London. Studio tour takes almost four hours. First two rooms are guided but then you can wander around with those 70 persons that enter the tour same time as you do.

Huge warehouses have all kind of props and settings from Harry Potter movies. Whole process of film making is covered in different rooms. There are models, paintings of planned settings, robots and so on.

Many props were interesting for artisan point of view. Some were genuine antique scientific instruments; some were especially made for these movies. Costumes were amazingly detailed and aged.

Only disturbing thing was lights in these warehouses. There were bluish or purple spotlights everywhere. They of course made atmosphere more magical, but spoiled (maybe on purpose) almost all photographs.