city lit: developing practice through museum collections

I started back at City Lit's 'developing practise' course last autumn.  Students choose an object or museum collection with which we would like to work so, almost inevitably, I chose The Foundling Museum in London. The museum is close to the site of the old Foundling Hospital which was founded in the 18th century and continued to take in children for almost 300 years.   The museum gives a glimpse of  what life was like for children whose mothers could not care for them and you can't help but be moved by the stories told. I go there a lot. 

Research mapping…. it's a slow ( but enjoyable) process  pulling threads from so many sources and I tend to do the majority of it before I start the practical stuff. Then (my favourite part) I just disengage the brain and let the hands take over..