Neil and I recently visited the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth, we went to see the British Tattoo Art Exhibition and as the ticket price covered the whole museum, we had a good look round the Maritime Museum at the same time.

IMG_0602

An adult ticket will cost you £12.95 and is valid for 12 months from the date of issue so you can visit as many times as you like in that period.

Sitting in Discovery Quay, Falmouth it really is in a beautiful location.

We started our journey in the British Tattoo Art Exhibition.

The exhibition shows an excellent history of the British Tattoo industry, challenging myths and stigma around tattoos whilst showcasing some of the best work in the country.

The exhibition includes pieces from major private collections and pieces from 3 of Britain’s most well known tattoo artists and tells the story of Jessie Knight – a pioneering female tattooist.

There is some very cool stuff in this exhibition, including early tattoo machines, flash and portfolios detailing how tattoos have evolved and changed over the years. There is also an actual piece of tattooed human skin! Even Doc Price from my very own Plymouth is featured!

My favourite exhibit here was the 100 Hands Project, curated by Alice Snape of the magazine Things and Ink. Each of the 100 silicone arms has been commissioned and tattooed by 100 of the UK’s leading tattoo artists. The artwork on these arms is stunning – some of it is truely breathtaking work!

It is estimated that one in 5 of the UK population is tattooed, so this really is a wonderful exhibition. I learnt a huge amount and it was really interesting to see how public view and opinion has changed around tattoos.

You can visit the British Tattoo Art Revealed exhibition until 07 January 2018.

The Maritime Museum features a number of other permanent galleries including the Main Hall which features a dizzying array of various boats and yaughts including some of those who won medals at London 2012. There is a Survival Zone which talks about the Edna Mair – a small dinghy in which a family of 5 and their friend survived in for 38 days in the pacific. There is a boat building workshop and the Falmouth Gallery which showcases Falmouth’s Maritime history.

There is a ‘Lookout Tower’ where you can see all over the quay and harbour – the views are amazing and the super yaughts you can see from here are something else!

IMG_0595

I especially enjoyed finding this little guest book – you can always rely on schoolchildren for a giggle!

IMG_0594

Neil and I took full advantage of the interactive exhibits and I’m proud to report my excellent boat driving skills.

All in all this was a lovely morning out, we had a very nice lunch just outside – there are lots of little bars and cafes around the museum. It was very accessible, with lifts or ramps to all floors and disabled parking is reasonably close by with access across a flat but cobbled space to the museum doors.  The ticket price is good and although we mainly went to see the tattoo exhibit it was fun to see the rest of the museum too.

Have you been to the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth? Or have you visited the Tattoo exhibition? Get in touch below.

 

 

2 thoughts on “British Tattoo Art Revealed at The National Maritime Museum, Falmouth

  1. Lovely post 🙂 I love visiting museums, about anything because it’s just so fun to look at all the old archifacts or machinery or in your case, boats! I love learning about new things. I think it’s so awesome that your entry tickets are valid for 12 months, too!

    The Tattoo Art Exhibition sounds really cool, and I’m intrigued about the actual piece of tattooed skin! The 100 Hands Project looks wonderful! I’m jealous that I live all the way until North so I can’t visit myself. It sounds like you had lots of fun 🙂

    Sarah x

    1. I love museums too – I’m a bit of a history nerd, especially social history so I do love a good museum. I’d like to try and visit some of the National Trust houses this year – there are a few near us xx

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *