I went to The Museum of Jurassic Technology in Culver City. Unfortunately, no photography (or texting) is allowed in the museum, so I cannot share what I saw. I would definitely recommend going to this museum. I found this museum to be extremely quirky, and yet it heavily utilized pathos. I found that I had different feelings and reactions to different parts of the museum. I also found many exhibits that reminded me of topics we covered in lectures. Before going here, I had no idea what to expect. By the time I went through the museum, I felt like I had found a hidden gem in LA.
I entered the museum, and I noticed they had a book shelf. Right away, I notice that the bookshelf contained the novel Flatland, which I remember reading during the math + art unit. Before viewing anything else, I watched a slideshow that gave the historical context of the museum. Through the slideshow, I learned that museums are a relatively new invention in history. Museums came to be because collecting objects just happened to become fashionable. Next, I saw a miniature scale model of Noah’s Ark. This model depicted Noah’s Ark as a long rectangular prism. I had always envisioned Noah’s Ark to look like a generic wooden boat. Noah’s Ark as a rectangular prism really surprised me.
Next, I walked into a room that displayed different letters and documents on the walls. The different letters and documents all seemed very random, but I could tell they were old. I particularly remember one letter of a man telling his friend to let Einstein look at his telescope and that Einstein was the Charlie Chaplin of science. Next to the room was a very, very tiny sculpture. It was so small that no one could pick out the details. Apparently the almond wood sculpture depicted many animals, a bearded man playing the violin, and a gruesome depiction of the Crucifixion of Christ. This very much reminded me of some of the nanoscale projects Professor Gimzewski mentioned in his nanotechnology + art lecture.
In the room across the building, there was a strange, dim room. I found it very creepy and I was almost too scared to go in. In the middle of the room, there was a glass case filled with opera paraphernalia, such as gloves, a mask, sheet music, and opera programs. Above the case, there was a large picture of a woman that was lit green. There were also other pictures all around the room that were lit green. This gave me a Haunted Mansion (from Disneyland) feel.
The Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland http://kotaku.com/disneys-haunted-mansion-is-a-terrific-mess-1773263620
Along the back of the first floor, there was a hallway leading up to the stairs. This hallway contained information about the theatrics of the Renaissance. I personally found this very cool because I work with stage productions for Samahang Pilipino Culture Night. It was cool to see how Renaissance theater used the stage with innovative ways.
As I walked upstairs, there were miniature models of different types of stair cases. I thought this was very amusing. The first room upstairs contained information about a Russian scientist who wanted to reach the stars. The hallway right outside the room contained pictures of different planets and the moon. Obviously, this reminded me about the space + art unit of this class.
At the end of the museum, I was treated with complimentary tea and cookies. For some reason, I think that was the best tea I ever had (and I frequently drink tea). This museum was definitely a mind blowing experience. I plan to visit this museum for the quirkiness (and the tea) again in the future.
