Discover The Magic Of Modern London With A New Free App

By Sponsor Last edited 135 months ago
Discover The Magic Of Modern London With A New Free App

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Wellcome Collection.

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Experience an enchanted London with a new free iPhone app, Magic in Modern London.

With a 1906 map to guide you, follow in the footsteps of the early twentieth-century folklorist Edward Lovett, in search of the amulets and charms he collected during his exploration of the superstitions of the city.

There are 64 amulets and charms for you to discover, each situated in a place of relevance, either to the charm itself or the fear that it guards against. From simple coins to meticulously carved bone, sheep-hearts to delicate coral, curious objects reveal the city afresh, seen through the eyes and beliefs of its previous inhabitants.

Edward Lovett was a bank clerk who scoured the city after hours, buying curious objects from London's mudlarks, barrow men and sailors, which he sold on to museums and collectors, including Sir Henry Wellcome. In late 2011 a number of Lovett's amulets were brought together in a sculptural work by artist Felicity Powell as part of Wellcome Collection's Miracles and Charms exhibition. Commissioned as a digital legacy for the exhibition, Magic in Modern London offers a contrasting evocation of Lovett's life and work, inviting the user to help an elderly Lovett reassemble his amulet collection by visiting significant sites around London on his behalf.

The app uses six hundred images from nine different archives and immerses the user with layered soundtracks, illustrations, atmospheric audiovisual material and geo-cached readings from Lovett's work. All are triggered as you draw near to the charms, giving you an enchanting experience of the city and an opportunity to reasses your own fears and superstitions.

The app is available through www.wellcomecollection.org/miml

Last Updated 14 December 2012