Tape & Monsters blog
Just getting over the Easter half term and looking for things to see and do in Medway, we decided on a Saturday afternoon to visit exhibitions at The Historic Dockyard Chatham.
This year, they've put on two excellent exhibitions suitable for my age range of nearly eight years old. I went with my nanny and had a great time!
As this is my second visit within a year, we decided to choose the exhibitions and play areas for our afternoon trip out.
Tape by Numen/For Use
On arrival, we headed straight for No. 3, Slip the Big Space, to see the Tape exhibition. Tape leaves the dockyard at the end of April, but I just had to explore it as it looked fun!
It was explained to me that this fascinating art installation that looked like a massive cocoon was actually made of clear sellotape.
After climbing the stairs to the upper mezzanine level that has been used for filming and many other things, I was astounded by the sight of Tape it was truly spectacular.
I just couldn't believe it—that we could actually go inside this cocoon and explore. We then queued and waited our turn, as there were only five people in the cocoon at any one time. We were then asked to remove our shoes and provided with a safety sheet giving guidance on what we could or could not do while inside. My nanny read the sheet out to me, so we were fully briefed for our own safety.
Soon it was our turn to climb up the stairs and enter Tape. It was very bouncy and slippery, and we were sliding around and trying to get our balance. It was fun, but the five minutes were soon up, and I wish we could have stayed in there longer.
It's a pity Tape isn't here for much longer, as tomorrow at school I can't wait to tell my friends about it.
Once we were out of Tape, we put our shoes back on and went to the next exhibition, Monsters of the Deep.
Monsters of the Deep
Now this is an exhibition that really takes your breath away. This exhibition is staying a bit longer than Tape, so there's plenty of time to explore this one!
Monsters of the Deep runs from April until 19 November at The Historic Dockyard Chatham.
As you walk in the entrance door, there's a large looming eye of a terrifying monster looking straight at you, and it moves around. There's nothing to be scared of, as it's only a film projection of a Kraken.
This exhibition is a great way to discover what actually lives in our oceans, as some of the creatures are really scary. We watched a short film about mermaids that was interesting to me, as Disney's Ariel is one of my favourite characters.
The sea creatures are stored in large, colourful tubes to preserve them forever. All around the exhibition are panels explaining each creature in great detail, and various exhibits including a skeleton of a killer whale and the skull of a fin whale.
This interesting exhibition was great to explore and well worth a visit before it leaves the dockyard later in the year.
Note: The Monsters of the Deep is included in your admission ticket to The Historic Dockyard Chatham and don't forget your ticket is valid for 12-months!
