This winter our curators will be working with experts from the National Museums Scotland to research and catalogue our Historic Scientific Instruments collection.
But we don’t reckon it’s all about what the experts think! Every object has a story and we are looking for people to write interesting, weird and wonderful stories about our objects.
These are not glass slides. They do not preserve images for later projection, on a white wall or canvas sheet. They are not for the public in a hushed room—they are certainly not for you. They are a love letter, a golem, the final aggregate of a buzzing isotope, a long distance radio transmission, and … Continue reading These are not glass slides
You are the abandoned, soundless radio of our past-- a mystery and contradiction. Why the recent, twisted wires, the modern plug that makes us feel as if we could, even now, turn you on? You are too beautiful to be practical, with a quality now reserved for Art and an idea that it was you … Continue reading Notes on a Galvanometer
Run your fingers round the rim, Feel the swell of the glass and let Your fingerprints splotch the stem, Tug at the strings and let them swing And hope when they settle your glass is full. anon.
I can’t resist the weight and rhythm of the air. I was made to turn all day atop a North Sea rig and not put one foot wrong in my long pirouette. These cast-iron hands were made to cup the wind, the dials on my chest to measure out its speed. I was made for … Continue reading Anemometer
This past summer, my family endeavored to de-clutter our house. Sweating in my sauna of an attic, I nostalgically dusted off objects from my childhood and wondered who in their right mind would find my beloved Furby collection (stowed in the great void of my attic with good reason) worth purchasing. This past week, I … Continue reading Rooms full of junk by Margot Cromwell
Ben Reiss answered our recent call for guest bloggers. Here he writes about his experience of visiting the store and wandering between the shelves: Wandering into the store-rooms of a museum is a vaguely surreal experience, especially when those rooms are filled with old and outdated bits of scientific equipment. You catch yourself staring vacantly … Continue reading Art History and Medieval History
Flowers, leaves, blots of ink, small staves of wood, ribbons: if the position be slightly altered it might prove to ladies polished again an inexhaustible source. Anon., recast by Robert Crawford This ‘found’ piece rearranges phrases from the anonymous description of the Debusscope which is printed inside the lid of its box.
We are looking for three guest bloggers to assist with our upcoming project “MUSA’s Mystery objects”. This winter our curators will be working with experts from the National Museums Scotland to research and catalogue our Historic Scientific Instruments collection. The Collection of Historic Scientific Instruments contains over 500 items illustrating the history of teaching and … Continue reading Guest bloggers wanted for exciting new project
Museum Collections Blog 