Whispering-gallery wave Whispering-gallery wave Whispering-gallery waves, or whispering-gallery modes, are a type of wave that can travel around a concave surface. Originally discovered for sound waves in the whispering gallery of St Paul’s Cathedral, they can exist for light and for other waves, with important applications in nondestructive testing, lasing, cooling and sensing, as well as in astronomy. Whispering-gallery waves were first explained for the case of St Paul's Cathedral circa 1878 by Lord Rayleigh, who revised a previous misconception that whispers could be heard across the dome but not at any intermediate position. He explained the phenomenon of travelling whispers with
South London Gallery Gallery added to its permanent collection in 1953, to celebrate the coronation, with works by contemporary artists such as John Piper and Christopher Wood, and the next decade acquired over 500 twentieth-century prints. The new London Borough of Southwark took over responsibility for the Gallery in 1965 but under independent trustees. The appointment of David Thorp as Director in 1992 brought what then came to be known as the South London Gallery into its present phase, when it espoused Britart and staged significant "cutting edge" exhibitions. The Gallery was the first venue for the showing of Tracey Emin's "tent", "Everyone