so I haven't been having a good weekend...
after bricking my iPod, I headed to Toronto to see the King Tut exhibit. Everything actually went fairly smooth, minus losing my bus pass in the middle of the month... and not actually seeing the exhibit.
See, and I'm going to tell a story now, I have been to the Art Gallery of Ontario a few times, and this was the third special exhibit I was going to go see there, the first was Monet many years ago. When I got there I had to wait in this super long line which made me nervous, and got into the exhibit and it was just people shoulder to shoulder the whole time because they just herded you in like cattle to the slaughter. I ended up having a panic attack and needing to get out. never did get to see the rest of the exhibit
The Second time was for Frank Gehry which was nearly empty, most likely because so few people new who he was. It was an enjoyable visit because you could move and see the models, videos, drawings and photos. You weren't just herded through with a speaker attached to your ear telling you all about what you can't really see.
The Third time was this King Tut exhibit. The Exhibit space was such that comfortably you wouldn't have wanted more then 30-40 people in the space at any one time. But the AGO staff were herding 20-30 people in every 10 minutes. and everyone inside was moving at a snails pace listening to these audio tours that were long winded, so you ended up with well over 100 people in the initial space packed shoulder to shoulder with no place to move.... I couldn't even see the artifacts because people ahead of me surrounded them with those stupid audio things on their ears with confused looks on their faces because they really have no idea what they are hearing. I ended up having in a panic attack with in moments for entering the space and having to be escorted out.
Now of course that was the line in the exhibit... lets not forget to mention the 100 people long coat check line, the 50 person long ticket scan line and the 250m long line (two to three people across) wrapped through the building of the hundreds of people that had been sold tickets to for the 30 minute period.
I freaked out so fast it wasn't funny. I got to have at least two good panic attacks in a space of 20 minutes.
I'm really disappointed in the AGO that they would over sell something like this so badly that you can't get any real enjoyment of it, even without panic attacks it was pointless to see it in that environment, I might as well look at pictures online, as I can't actually get close enough to see anything and can't move in anyway get anything out of the experience.
When I went to the Royal Ontario Museum this summer to see the Dead Sea Scrolls it was a pleasure, it was just as a big a ticket, but the ROM had the integrity to actually not over sell the tickets and ensure that everyone who got to see it got to enjoy it. Sadly I will not see another special exhibit at the AGO again.
after bricking my iPod, I headed to Toronto to see the King Tut exhibit. Everything actually went fairly smooth, minus losing my bus pass in the middle of the month... and not actually seeing the exhibit.
See, and I'm going to tell a story now, I have been to the Art Gallery of Ontario a few times, and this was the third special exhibit I was going to go see there, the first was Monet many years ago. When I got there I had to wait in this super long line which made me nervous, and got into the exhibit and it was just people shoulder to shoulder the whole time because they just herded you in like cattle to the slaughter. I ended up having a panic attack and needing to get out. never did get to see the rest of the exhibit
The Second time was for Frank Gehry which was nearly empty, most likely because so few people new who he was. It was an enjoyable visit because you could move and see the models, videos, drawings and photos. You weren't just herded through with a speaker attached to your ear telling you all about what you can't really see.
The Third time was this King Tut exhibit. The Exhibit space was such that comfortably you wouldn't have wanted more then 30-40 people in the space at any one time. But the AGO staff were herding 20-30 people in every 10 minutes. and everyone inside was moving at a snails pace listening to these audio tours that were long winded, so you ended up with well over 100 people in the initial space packed shoulder to shoulder with no place to move.... I couldn't even see the artifacts because people ahead of me surrounded them with those stupid audio things on their ears with confused looks on their faces because they really have no idea what they are hearing. I ended up having in a panic attack with in moments for entering the space and having to be escorted out.
Now of course that was the line in the exhibit... lets not forget to mention the 100 people long coat check line, the 50 person long ticket scan line and the 250m long line (two to three people across) wrapped through the building of the hundreds of people that had been sold tickets to for the 30 minute period.
I freaked out so fast it wasn't funny. I got to have at least two good panic attacks in a space of 20 minutes.
I'm really disappointed in the AGO that they would over sell something like this so badly that you can't get any real enjoyment of it, even without panic attacks it was pointless to see it in that environment, I might as well look at pictures online, as I can't actually get close enough to see anything and can't move in anyway get anything out of the experience.
When I went to the Royal Ontario Museum this summer to see the Dead Sea Scrolls it was a pleasure, it was just as a big a ticket, but the ROM had the integrity to actually not over sell the tickets and ensure that everyone who got to see it got to enjoy it. Sadly I will not see another special exhibit at the AGO again.