Culture Syndicates CIC

To reflect on World Wildlife Day on March 3rd in the museum sector, we take a look at the role of curiosity museums and highlight visits and reflections on these unusual places and their even more unusual collections: The Viktor Wynd Museum, House of Dreams, and the Grant Museum of Zoology. Grant Museum of Zoology Curiosity museums are historically associated with Cabinets of Curiosities: private collections that were usually built up by members of the aristocracy, particularly in the 17th century. Individuals who owned the collections were also usually the curators, controlling how party guests or visitors interpreted the objects. These objects included a wide range of things: taxidermy, preserved wildlife, literature, objects of scientific interest, collected from their travels or (secretly) from local markets.  The representation of wildlife and nature was somewhat irrational, containing a strong element of storytelling and personal narrative. Items such as the magician's 'm...

We finally manage to catch up with the recently-joined Jane Seaman as part of our Routes Into Heritage series, who has been busy ensuring we have a fruitful and exciting 2022 ahead of us.  Image credit: Jane, on a visit to St Peter's church Jane joined Culture Syndicates in December 2021 as Projects and Evaluation Officer. She has had a varied career including running her own business producing life-size realistic models and props for museums, Professional Development Manager for the Museums Association and, in more recent years, working on audience development and evaluation. Over the last fifteen years Jane has concentrated on working with clients to deliver their National Lottery Heritage Fund projects through evaluation and detailed analysis, enabling them to monitor project progress and reach a successful outcome.  Jane is now working with the Culture Syndicates team to deliver their current projects and bid for new contracts. We have really enjoyed having her on the team...

Our Reading List of March runs for its second month, as we share recommendations from our team. As usual, there is a broad range from different genres to appeal to everyone. Pacific Pattern Susanne Kuchler & Graeme Were History/Design History A great book exploring how the traditional fibre crafts of the Pacific island regions such as Samoa, Tahiti, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea, evolved alongside their colonial histories and colonial technologies that were introduced and exchanged across these regions. The photographs and featured archive images are beautiful. The Art of Rest: How to Find Respite in the Modern Age Claudia Hammond Psychology In today's busy world, rest is a treat which we try to fit in. This book looks at the top 10 restful techniques to help focus our busy minds and bodies, based on research across the world. -Elizabeth Station Eleven Emily St John Mandel Adventure fiction Set in a post pandemic world, we follow the lives of the Travelling Symphony as they journe...