I thoroughly enjoyed the Madame Tussauds Sherlock Holmes exhibit. I thought that Madame Tussauds was created as a tourist attraction and there was an exceptional amount of branding. However, the Sherlock Holmes exhibit did add an educational element and gave a glimpse into Victorian life. The exhibit was the perfect Victorian fantasy; guests were able to play the role of a Victorian detective and solve a crime. The Victorians loved Sherlock because he was the perfect representation of the Victorian age man with a twist of wit and mystery. Although the acting wasn’t the greatest the exhibit was very interactive and a full immersion into Victorian life.
The exhibit represented London very well. The room that was supposed to represent the docks was very cool and gave a good feel for 1800s London. It also reminded me of the artwork Past and Present: No. 2 by Egg that we saw at the Tate Britain. The character of Sherlock is based the writings of Sir Conan Doyle and has become one of the most famous characters from London. I particularly enjoyed The Red-Headed League, Sherlock was able to catch robbers in the act and his wit and charm were prominent throughout the story. While reading The Red-Headed League I imagined in my head what the scene would be like and the streets of London as well as the different characters like Mr. Wilson and the villian Vincent. The Sherlock Holmes exhibit perfectly brought my imagination to life with the lighting, scenery, actors, and background music. I think The Sherlock Holmes exhibit was successful because brought to life the writings of Sir Conan Doyle as well as the fantasy of Victorian London.
I agree with you Claire. Sherlock and the entire Sherlock experience is a really interesting representation of Victorian London. The Sherlock experience signified the consequential technological advances that occurred during throughout the 20th century. We were able to put together clues and use science to solve the mystery--where Sherlock was. Although the steps we took were definitely not seamless, we were able to problem solve to get to the end of the mystery. The Sherlock experience perfectly symbolized the science fiction era. Overall, Sherlock is the perfect symbol of the Victorian era--a blur of the magical and the scientific, the theoretical and the fantastical.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you mentioned that the exhibit represented London very well. I agree that while reading The Red-Headed League, you can imagine a scene in the streets of London, and the Sherlock Holmes exhibit closely met that image. I think it was an essential addition to the museum because it gives a real feel for London in the 1800s and without it, we lose that sense of history and only live through the modern age. The exhibit gave the museum create a more well rounded London experience to share.
ReplyDeleteThis was my favorite museum thus far in our visits! I really enjoyed The Sherlock Holmes Experience as well, and agree that it seems to recreate a scene out of one of Sherlock's cases. I think the representation of crime ridden, Victorian era streets and a less-technological based era really exposed us to a true Holmes case. I also liked what you said about its ability to bring to life the writings and stories of Holmes, I agree!
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you Claire! I really thought the exhibit represented London in that time extremely well. There was many realistic components to the exhibit and I felt very immersed in the time period especially because of the actors. The exhibit had that very dark and gloomy effect that I imagined when I read The Read-Headed League and the characters in our reading were represented similarly throughout the exhibit.
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