The Pocket Party Popper Safety Deployment Device Mark 1 and 2

Mark 1 and 2 with undeployed banger,

mark 1 and 2 with icing nozzle from my collection

The Brothers Quay

I meant to Blog this ages ago, but it slipped my mind, thank goodness for note books..
When we were looking around the Wellcome Museum we saw a lovely film made by the Brothers Quay in 2002, called "Random Forays into Sir Henry Wellcome's Medical Collection". The Brothers had been given access to the Museum storerooms in Blythe House and the whole film was very playful, animating many of their chosen objects  from the collection and also showing us around the actual store rooms.

must check if it is on youtube... (can't find it).

Drawing, thinking and playing with explosives...

My idea of a great day..almost deafend myself though.. trying to make "The Safety Banger Deployment Device" Made a rough idea and drew a few more as well and cut out some pieces for a conical one. I tested a cone and the whole banger flew apart and made a very loud bang.

Idle doodlings in sketchbook.

Test Safety Banger Deployment Device

Museum postcards.

 I found this postcard in an Oxfam shop in Chester. I thought this was an unusual way of displaying a collection...but I imagine they are trying to give a feeling of the scale of the number objects in the hoard.
The Museum postcard is, in a way, the polar opposite of what I like about museums, as it gives you the edited highlights as chosen by the curators for you to forever associate the museum with. Where as I like the chance to rummage in the back rooms to pick out the things I deem important..so why am I so interested in the Museum Postcard? Maybe because I want to make my own sets for each museum....and for my own collection..and I need to study how the experts do it.

Party Popper Bangers

My next project......
What to do with all the used explosions...?

The one on the right doesn't seem to have gone off.

each one slightly different

unrolled banger

Easter Party Popper Card Disc Holder

All those bits put together...maybe needs a little more polishing...

The Berlin Schatzkammer (Treasure Room).

I thought Alex would really like this room...it was a room in the basement of the Berlin Museum of Communications. It was very dark and had a series of circular cases, each one only had one object in it and the light only came on as you approached it. The objects all had interesting stories .. my favourite two were some slightly burnt letters from the Hindenburg and Joseph Beuy's Tin can telephone. I did a rather rushed drawing in my notebook...but it might help you imagine the room.
It worked to help you really concentrate on the object in front of you and not be distracted by other things or people....you were stood in the dark with this object and its story.

I looked up the meaning of SCHATZKAMMER:-

"Schatzkammer is a German word which translates as Treasure Room, and is a term also used in English for the collection of treasures, especially those in precious metals and jewels, of a ruler or other collector, kept in a secure room, often in the basement of a palace or castle. It also often included the wider types of object typical of the Renaissance cabinet of curiosities."

Party Popper Card Disc Holder "kit"..

Made all the bits today for a Party Popper Card Disc Holder for the party poppers we set off yesterday to celebrate a lunch with old friends in the sunshine.

Just need to do a few more solders and assemble.

Drawing of Berlin finds

Followed my own advice and drew the objects I found in Berlin...getting to know them...

Daily Collections from Berlin Streets April 2015.

We were in Berlin 4 days...each day I took a small plastic bag with me to collect anything I could find on the Berlin Pavements....turns out it was hard to find anything as it was so clean, but I did find a few bottle tops and a small toy...and possibly a bit of the Berlin Wall..but I wouldn't swear to it.

Museum Postcards from Berlin

 Just back from a very windy trip to Berlin, where we spent a lot of time in Museums.

I don't want to overload this site with museum cards..but I am interested in what objects get chosen to be put on the limited selection of cards in the Museum shop and how the objects are photographed.

Communication Museum and Natural History Museum

Communication Museum and Natural History Museum

Medical History Museum

Medical History Museum

Vorderasiatisches Museum