All around the hull of the longest Viking warship ever found there are swords and battle axes, many bearing the scars of long and bloody use, in an exhibition opening in Copenhagen that will smash decades of good public relations for the Vikings as mild-mannered traders and farmers.
A violent animated backdrop to a reconstructed Viking warship [Credit: Guardian]"Some of my colleagues thought surely one sword is enough," archaeologist and co-curator Anne Pedersen said, "but I said no, one can never have too many swords."
The exhibition, simply called Viking, which will be opened at the National Museum by Queen Margrethe of Denmark on Thursday, and to the public on Saturday, will sail on to to London next year to launch the British Museum's new exhibition space.
In contrast to recent exhibitions, which have concentrated on the Vikings as brilliant seafarers, highly gifted wood- and metal-workers, and builders of towns including York and Dublin, this returns to the more traditional image of ferocious raiders, spreading terror wherever the shallow keels of the best and fastest ships in Europe could reach, armed with magnificent swords, spears, battleaxes and lozenge-shaped arrows. "The arrow shape did more damage," Pedersen explained, "the wounds were bigger and more difficult to heal than a straight-edged slit."
Other powers employed the fearless warriors as mercenaries, including Byzantium and Jerusalem, but some were anxious to keep weapons of mass destruction out of their hands: a Frankish law forbade selling swords to Vikings. They got them anyway, as the exhibits prove.
A skull from a grave in Gotland bears the marks of many healed sword cuts, but also decorative parallel lines filed into the warrior's teeth, like those recently found on teeth from a pit of decapitated bodies in Dorset, in what must have been an excruciating display of macho bravado.
"Probably only a small percentage of the Vikings ever went to sea on raiding parties, but I think those who stayed home would have told stories of great warriors, great ships and great swords they had known," Pedersen said. "It was very much part of the culture."
Some of the objects assembled from collections in 12 countries, such as a heap of walnut-sized pieces of amber, or jewellery made to incorporate Islamic and Byzantine coins, probably did come through trade. Others, such as a pair of brooches from the grave of a Viking woman made from gold intricately twisted into tiny animals, originally panels chopped up from a shrine made in Ireland to hold the relics of a saint, certainly were not.
One magnificent silver collar found in Norway has an inscription in runes saying the Vikings came to Frisia and "exchanged war garments with them" – but that may be a black joke. Iron slave collars from Dublin confirm that the wealth they sought wasn't always gold and silver.
This is the largest Viking exhibition in more than 20 years, bringing together loans from across Europe, including hoards from Yorkshire, Norway and Russia, a silver cross and a diminutive figure of a Valkyrie, a mythological battlefield figure, both found in Denmark only a few months ago. Loans from Britain include some of the famous Lewis chessmen carved as fierce Viking warriors, biting on the edge of their shields in an ecstasy of rage.
The most spectacular object, fitting into the gallery with just 1.7 metres (5ft6in) to spare – the new space in Bloomsbury has already been measured carefully – is the sleek, narrow hull of the longest Viking warship ever found, specially conserved for the exhibition and on display for the first time. Just over 36m in length, it was built to hold at least 100 men on 39 pairs of oars.
The ship was found by accident at Roskilde, home of the famous Viking ship museum. The museum was built 50 years ago to hold a small fleet of Viking boats that were deliberately sunk 1,000 years ago to narrow and protect the approach to the harbour. In the 1990s, workers building an extension chopped through the massive timbers of what turned out to be nine more ships, including the awesome length of the warship, estimated to have taken around 30,000 hours of skilled labour to build: only a king could have afforded such a vessel.
Recent scientific tests show it was built from oak felled in 1025 near Oslo, probably for King Cnut the Great – the sea-defying Canute to the English – who conquered England in 1016, and Norway in 1028. Only a quarter of the timbers survived, but they included the entire length of the keel.
Although the exhibition includes sections on Viking politics, strategic alliances through marriage and trade, and beliefs including the contents of the grave of a sorceress with her iron magic wand and little pots of narcotic drugs, the warlike tone was dictated by the ship, which was itself a weapon of war. Vikings sang about ships – one refers to a new ship as "a dragon" – played as children with toy ships and, if rich enough, were eventually buried in ships.
The displays and some of the contents will change in London, but in Copenhagen the ship is spectacularly displayed against an animated backdrop of stormy seas and a ferocious raid that leaves the target settlement in flames.
The animation was made in the United States and the Danish team was initially dismayed as it appeared to show raiders attacking a much later medieval walled town. Eventually, curator Peter Pentz said, a Hampshire site saved the film: they agreed it was plausible that the towers and curtain walls could represent the ruins of a Roman shoreline fort, such as Portchester castle near Portsmouth.
As well as the swords, some bent like a folded belt to destroy their earthly use as they went into a warrior's grave, there is one unique weapon, a battleaxe with an intricately decorated golden shaft. Such golden axes are described in the sagas, but this, from a settlement in Norway, is the only real example ever found.
"I think the main point was to impress, not to kill somebody," Pedersen said, adding with satisfaction: "but you can kill somebody with it if you want.
Viking, National Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen, until November 17 2013
Author: Maev Kennedy | Source: The Guardian [June 19, 2013]
Within the next three years the British company McLaren Automotive plans to start a batch production hybrid supercars.
Future Hybrid McLaren
2012 McLaren MP4-12C
The detailed information about McLaren's supercars is not disclosed yet. According to preliminary data, such car becomes the top of model lines. Thus, in the near future it's planned to add two more supercars which will make a competition to cars Mazda RX-9 or Porsche 977. Today, McLaren has only one model — 600-strong supercar MP4-12C which has been declassified in March of current year and received the eight-cylinder motor in volume of 3,8 litres.
Cost of McLaren MP4-12C in Great Britain makes 175,000 pounds sterling.
Great Britain's sprinter Marlon Devonish stars in the TV advert for GSK (GlaxoSmithKline) entitled "Drugs". The ad created by TBWA, London really gets inside Marlon's body, GSK is providing anti-doping science for London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
Credits: Agency: TBWA London Client: GSK ECD: Dede Laurentino CD/Writer: Fabio Abram CD/AD: Braulio Kuwabara Chief Strategy Officer: Zaid Al-Zaidy Strategic Planner: Jenna Hoyle Head of Broadcast: Jason Ayers Producer: Natalie Spooner Producer: Gill Oglethorpe Producer: Nicholas Kurs Production Manager: Melanie McGee Prod. Co.: Outsider Director: Scott Lyon Producer: Zeno Campbell-Salmon Editor: Art Jones Post Prod: Electric Theatre Post Producer: Lee Pavey Flame Artist: Giles Cheetham Sound: Factory Studios Sound Engineer: Anthony Moore
Bentley company plans to start in the near future a batch production of a four-door coupe. The novelty will be constructed on platform by Audi A7 Sportback.
The new model of Bentley makes a competition to cars of Aston Martin Rapide and Porsche Panamera. According to preliminary data, the prices for a novelty in Great Britain will begin from 85,000 pounds sterling that is almost twice cheaper than Aston Martin Rapide.
The Luxury Bentley
Let's notice that in the near future, company also intends to exhaust on the car market some more luxury novelties, for example: open versions of sedan Mulsanne and coupe Continental GT, and also restyling version of Flying Spur.
2011 Honda Civic received a new portion of cosmetic updating. Manufacture of the modernized car will be adjusted at factory in Swindon (Great Britain) in November, 2010, thus cost of model 1.4 Type S begins from 13,995 pounds.
2011 Honda Civic
The basic attention has been given to radiator enclosure which altered so that the given car began to remind of legendary model «Type R». It allowed designers to give to a novelty more expensive kind.
Besides it, 2011 Honda Civic receives a new collection of wheel disks in diameter of 16 and 17 inches. The interior of a new Civic is finished now by a high-quality fabric and synthetic suede. In more expensive complete sets sport seats are upholstered by a genuine leather.
Excited about the Olympics yet? Thanks to Talk Sport Magazine here's a five minute video montage of the some the sexiest and most attractive women athletes competing at the games. Just a few of the female athletes featured include: Nastia Liukin, gymnastics; Jessica Ennis, heptathlon; Federica Pellegrini, swimming; Daniela Hantuchova, tennis; Hope Solo, football; Stephanie Rice, swimming; Francesca Piccinini, Volleyball; Laure Manaudou, swimming; Jaqueline Carvalho, volleyball; Logan Tom, volleyball; Kim Glass, Volleyball; Jenna Randall, synchronized swimming; and Nicole Reinhardt, canoe sprint.
Ladies not to worry, I found a little something for you too, below is the Great Britain Olympic Men's Field Hockey Team, click to enjoy a full screen.
This summer Coca-Cola swapping it's name with yours. Coke will be replacing the iconic Coca-Cola logo on some of their bottles with 150 of Great Britain's favourite names, so you can share a Coke with your friends, family and loved ones. So, who will you share a Coke with? #shareacoke
The latest TV ad for the Share A Coke campaign was created by creative ad agency Leo Burnett.
A new campaign entitled "A Baker’s Dozen" is launching in Ted Baker stores worldwide on Thursday 18th October 2012, (Ted Baker is a global Men's and Women's fashion brand). The campaign consists of 13 illustrations of artwork, commissioned by Ted alongside the prestigious Association of Illustrators. Each print depicts just one of the things that makes Britain great, including fish & chips, village fates, gardening and the full English breakfast. Each print is one of only 1000, and each has been personally signed and numbered by the artist and will be available to a few fortunate customers. The campaign will also have a web film of the making of A Baker’s Dozen which will be available here to view on the 16th of October. And, yes fellow Torontonians, Ted Baker is opening their first store in Yorkdale Shopping Center very soon I'm told!
PRESS RELEASETED BAKER COMMISSIONS THE PERFECT BAKER’S DOZEN Ted Baker London is proud to announce an exciting collaboration with the prestigious UK-based Association of Illustrators (AOI) to commission ‘A Baker’s Dozen.’ A group of talented artists have created bespoke pieces of artwork, each with a Great British theme, especially for Ted’s loyal customers. Amongst the themes represented are fish and chips, drinking tea, village fetes and gardening; all of Ted’s favorite pastimes. The beautiful personally signed prints will be gifted to Ted enthusiasts worldwide who spend over $250 on the new Fall 2012 collections from October 18, 2012. Purchasers will need to be quick; each signed and numbered image is part of a print run of just 1000 to be distributed worldwide. ‘A Baker’s Dozen’ is comprised of thirteen prints, with a fourteenth mini print created for online purchases only. Ted has captured the exciting illustration process on film, from the conception of an idea, through to the artists hard at work, and finally to the printing and signing of the pieces. This unique behind-the-scenes film will be available to view at www.tedbaker-london.com
About Ted Baker London: Established in 1988, Ted Baker London has grown from its humble roots as a shirt specialist in Glasgow, to a global lifestyle brand with over 200 locations in Europe, the U.S., Australia, Middle East, Far East and Southeast Asia. No ordinary designer label, Ted Baker offers menswear, womens wear, accessories (and everything in between), and is renowned for its quality and distinctive use of pattern and colour. The brand’s unconventional approach to fashion, irreverent sense of humour and, above all, unswerving attention to detail appeals to style-conscious men and women who trust Ted to deliver that certain something... a little out of the ordinary. www.tedbaker-london.com
The Association of Illustrators: The Association of Illustrators (AOI) is a non-profit trade association with a membership that includes freelance illustrators, agents, clients, students and colleges. Established in 1973, it is the leading body to represent illustrators in the UK and also campaigns for illustrators’ rights, continually working to increase the professional standing of illustrators, commercially and artistically. The AOI works to improve contract content and contracting practice extended to illustrators by commissioners. It publishes a quarterly magazine, ‘Varoom!’ and produces the annual ‘Images’ competition and touring exhibition, now in its 36th year, which celebrates the best in contemporary British illustration.
American filmmaker Paul Feig was always the bridesmaid and never the bride when it came to his career. At least that's how he saw it. But at 48-years old he's now the blushing bride. The writer, director and producer's latest film Bridesmaids is a colossal success, having just passed the $130 million mark at the US box office and opening in Australia last week. Feig said he relates to the central character Annie (Kristen Wiig) who's at a slump in her professional and personal life.
``It's the exactly kind of story I do in everything,'' he said.
``This person doesn't know where they belong in the grand scheme of things and that appeals to me because that's how I feel in every single moment of my life, even when things are going right.
``That's how I felt for a lot of my career. I mean, I think I'm making good work and then . . .
``Bridesmaids is the first thing I've had a big part in that's been successful.''
Success is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to Feig. After meeting Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, The 40-Year Old Virgin) when they were both teenagers and doing stand-up together, the pair created Emmy-nominated teen series Freaks and Geeks. It was cancelled before the end of the first season, but not before it launched the careers of its stars James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel and Linda Cardellini. It also became a cult hit. Feig went on to direct several unsuccessful features such as I Am David and Unaccompanied Minors, before making a considerably more successful return to TV directing Arrested Development, 30 Rock, Mad Men, Weeds and the US version of The Office.
But it was Apatow who coaxed him back to the big screen with a ``fantastic script'' from former Saturday Night Live star Kristen Wiig and her writing partner Annie Mumolo.
``With Bridesmaids, we wanted to tell a very relatable and real story that appealed to both women and men,'' he said.
``It was easy to avoid all the pitfalls of the chick flick genre because it's not how any of us thought.
``Those types of films come from people doing things they think women want to see, which is really condescending.
``We knew we wanted to go R-rated with it and we wanted women to see other women on screen who are just as dirty as they are.''
From suffering food poisoning in a bridal shop to dropping the C-bomb, the ensemble cast of Bridesmaids don't play clean. Feig said he and executive producer Apatow even shot a PG-version of every scene in case the women at test screenings didn't like it.
``But they loved it,'' he said.
The film follows a rag-tag group of Bridesmaids as they're led through the pre-wedding rituals of bachelorette parties, bridal showers and dress fittings. Led by Wiig, Bridemaids also stars Melissa McCarthy, Jon Hamm, Aussies Rose Byrne and Rebel Wilson (Thank God You're Here, Fat Pizza) in her first big Hollywood role. Wilson plays the sister of Annie's weird room mate, Little Britain's Matt Lucas.
``I'm so happy Rebel's in it, I'm such a big fan of hers,'' said Feig.
``The room mates weren't originally in the script but we knew Matt Lucas wanted to do something in the film but we didn't know where or what.
``Then Rebel came in to audition for one of the bridemaids and she was so hilarious, I turned and said to Judd `she looks like Matt's sister.'
``She's such a great improvisational comedienne and it's so exciting to have her in it.''
With Bridemaids a financial and critical success and talk of a sequel, Feig and Apatow are now working on another comedy starring Mad Men's Jon Hamm. Hamm has openly spoken about his appreciation of the skilled and suave Fieg - who's known for wearing a suit to work everyday.
``Other directors are just a bunch of slobs,'' joked Feig, in reference to the director's stereotype of casual dressers.
``I've been doing it for the past 11 years.
``In fact, I went to direct Mad Men and I showed up on the first day and they thought I was there for casting.''
.jpeg)