The Museum of Ordinary Animals
Grant Museum of Zoology
21 SEPTEMBER - 22 DECEMBER 2017
Free
The Museum of Ordinary Animals tells the story of "the boring beasts that have changed the world". It celebrates those most often thought of as common or boring animals, giving them a rightful place in the museum world. From welcoming them on a person level into our homes as pets, farming and eating them for nutrients, experimenting on them for modern medicine idolising them in many religions and cultures, The Museum of Ordinary Animals proves that Cats, Sheep, Mice, and Chickens are anything but boring, and it's about time the world knows it.
The space is limited and vastly dominated by cabinets upon cabinets of animal skeletons or pickled bodies. The exhibition explains how the concept of an ordinary animal was invented by humans, either physically through domestication, or conceptually, through the ways we consider common wild species. Despite the controversy surrounding eating animals and using them for medical advancement, we cannot deny that without these 'ordinary' animals assisting us in these ways, the world today would be a very different place.
Thanks to mice, we have been able to find the cure for certain diseases, including one related to obesity. A video showed that dogs are able to identify cancerous urine amongst 6 or so samples, proving that they can detect disease in a way we simply cannot. Egyptians idolised cats and believed that the common fly protected against evil. All this and more prove that there are countless ways that these animals have influenced and benefited our lives, and there are countless times where we overlook them.
The idea of the exhibition is great, especially for kids (I stupidly decided to go in the week of half term and was surrounded by the buggers). However, the lack of information on display makes it appear kind of like a creepy burial ground. There isn't really any order or coherence to the space, instead things seem to be crammed together randomly. Despite the few interesting parts, I wouldn't recommend anyone above 12 to pay a visit. It's good for kids wanting to go and see some cool shit, but if you're after something more it is slightly lacking...
OVERALL RATING: ***
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/culture/projects/museum-ordinary-animals
