Last week I had a trip to the resource centre at the Discovery museum. It was a college arranged trip to see the vast eclectic collection of artifacts archived in the cellars below the museum - many of them moved from the Hancock Museum when it was refurbished some years ago. I was taken downstairs into the bowels of the museum where there is a little - well quite large actually - world of some long forgotten , some dusty and some incredible items all stored in secure big rooms with temperature and light gauges and they only see the light when visitors arrive form time to time.
It was a fantastic photography opportunity and there was some fab inspiration for potential future design and work... I was able to explore - but not touch some of the more colourful and rarer items the museum has responsibility for documenting and maintaining.
The collection is varied and covers everything from stuffed birds used for research eg a puffin on a sick... no legs.. no finesse needed its just for stats, right the through to minerals, ethnographic articles and skeletons. We started with the bird collection which is vast covering many species from ordainary everyday birds to now extinct species for example the Moa bird.
There were mock ups of Dodos made with pigeon feathers one of which is currently in the Laing Gallery helping to illustrate the Alice in Wonderland exhibition and then there were just plain ordinary stuffed birds like rooks
joined down the room by an elegant flamboyant scarlet Ibis...
My favourite was the rather sad and tied looking pelican found at Warkworth... thought to have escaped from a private collection.
It was a fantastic photography opportunity and there was some fab inspiration for potential future design and work... I was able to explore - but not touch some of the more colourful and rarer items the museum has responsibility for documenting and maintaining.
The collection is varied and covers everything from stuffed birds used for research eg a puffin on a sick... no legs.. no finesse needed its just for stats, right the through to minerals, ethnographic articles and skeletons. We started with the bird collection which is vast covering many species from ordainary everyday birds to now extinct species for example the Moa bird.
There were mock ups of Dodos made with pigeon feathers one of which is currently in the Laing Gallery helping to illustrate the Alice in Wonderland exhibition and then there were just plain ordinary stuffed birds like rooks
joined down the room by an elegant flamboyant scarlet Ibis...
My favourite was the rather sad and tied looking pelican found at Warkworth... thought to have escaped from a private collection.
The stuffed birds and taxidermy animals were amazing but I found the wonderful collection of bones more interesting... there was a massive collection of different skeleton remains from all over the world - lots of big mammal skulls notably a polar bear skull..
and a giraffe skull - giraffes being my favourite animal...
There was a lot to see, we saw lots of taxidermy - large mammals as well as preserved fish, fascinating even though they had lost their colours due to preservation, the puffer fish was quite magnificent as was the box fish with its lovely detail hexagonal scales - (Dr Fred found one on a beach in oz but he wouldn't let me bring it home-- its probably still in the specially purchased biscuit tin in a friends garage...)
There were spectacular minerals of many colours and hues, birds eggs, butterflies, every kind and size of antler and horns you could imagine. Fossils, marine creatures, sponges, corals. there was a huge interesting section of different ethic artifacts from all over the planet. We were warned very clearly just to look and definitely not touch the tribal spears - potentially deadly as it as possible they still had the remains of toxic poisons on them. The ethnographic department housed a large collection of south east asian culture showcasing samurai armour, swords, knives, hats, beads ....you name it it was there in some form or other- so much to see. I took over a hundred photographs - sadly only on my phone - and the quality has suffered - (as my camera has turned into a beach - full of sand)... I have the intention of returning as they do tours fortnightly booked through the Discovery Museum website and will take some better photos with a camera. we crammed this tour into 45 minutes!!! I could have spent a week there!
I'm not sure how these pictures will translate into future designs but I have no doubt they will! A very interesting eperience and a good way to spend a rainy summers day...incidentally the staff were friendly, helpful and knowledgeable - its well worth a visit. https://discoverymuseum.org.uk/
and a giraffe skull - giraffes being my favourite animal...
There was a lot to see, we saw lots of taxidermy - large mammals as well as preserved fish, fascinating even though they had lost their colours due to preservation, the puffer fish was quite magnificent as was the box fish with its lovely detail hexagonal scales - (Dr Fred found one on a beach in oz but he wouldn't let me bring it home-- its probably still in the specially purchased biscuit tin in a friends garage...)
There were spectacular minerals of many colours and hues, birds eggs, butterflies, every kind and size of antler and horns you could imagine. Fossils, marine creatures, sponges, corals. there was a huge interesting section of different ethic artifacts from all over the planet. We were warned very clearly just to look and definitely not touch the tribal spears - potentially deadly as it as possible they still had the remains of toxic poisons on them. The ethnographic department housed a large collection of south east asian culture showcasing samurai armour, swords, knives, hats, beads ....you name it it was there in some form or other- so much to see. I took over a hundred photographs - sadly only on my phone - and the quality has suffered - (as my camera has turned into a beach - full of sand)... I have the intention of returning as they do tours fortnightly booked through the Discovery Museum website and will take some better photos with a camera. we crammed this tour into 45 minutes!!! I could have spent a week there!
I'm not sure how these pictures will translate into future designs but I have no doubt they will! A very interesting eperience and a good way to spend a rainy summers day...incidentally the staff were friendly, helpful and knowledgeable - its well worth a visit. https://discoverymuseum.org.uk/
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