This is the Horniman museum in South East London.
It has an extensive collection of musical instruments from around the world. Although these instruments are in glass cases you can hear the sounds of a variety of instruments with interactive displays around the gallery.
This room contains musical instruments made from recycled materials which you can try. This is a paddle panpipe. Made from corrugated plastic tubing you hit the end with a rubber flip-flop.
Interactive displays are all well and good but most of us enjoy the experience of trying an instrument for ourselves. The Museum has an excellent education department and I have taken numerous classes here so that the children can touch and attempt to play lots of unusual instruments.
When Frederick Horniman started collecting as a hobby he had no intention of establishing a Museum. He amassed all kinds of specimens from around the world. Many of which he bought in Britain from auction houses, dealers, the military and other travellers. Eventually his home was so overcrowded that the family had to move and his former home, Surrey House, opened to the public as a Museum renamed Horniman museum. It had 24 exhibition rooms containing armoury, porcelain, glass, stuffed animals, butterflies,Egyptian Mummies and so much more. In 1898 Surrey House was demolished and a new purpose built Horniman Museum was built.
It also has a very interesting collection of masks. These are from Papua New Guinea
This is a Tatanua mask from New ireland, Papua New Guinea. The mask is worn by male dancers and is said to represent the most important of a person's three souls.
Ugly' Masks from the alpine border regions of Austria, Germany and Switzerland. They are worn during a masquerade to chase away the dark winter. These 'ugly' ones represented the Winter whilst the 'beautiful' ones represent Spring.(Acquired 1952)
Other masks worn during the masquerade.
Carnival masks from Venezuela (2000)
Indian caste heads bought by Frederick Horniman in 1894.
Wooden mask with feather headdress, Eastern Congo, Africa.
Reminds me of the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford
ReplyDeleteFascinating museum! Did you play that instrument with the flip-flop? I would have. And I enjoyed seeing those strange masks as well. :-)
ReplyDeleteI think it was Mr. HORN-i-man's fate to collect musical instruments! Between those and the masks, I think he must have been quite an interesting person.
ReplyDeleteHello, what a fun museum. I like the instrument exhibit and the carnival masks. The living roof is cool, they always always neat to see. Happy Monday, enjoy your new week!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful displays!
ReplyDeleteSuch a fascinating post and photos and you didn't even have to get on a plane to see it ~ Great shots ~
ReplyDeleteHappy Week to you and Happy Fourth of July ~ ^_^
ps. Do wish we had got together ~ so much confusion and so much to do ~ did enjoy London but so much to see and do ~
Even though humans have excellent eyesight, we still really like to touch things, not even necessarily handle them, just touch. It seems there is a museum for every possible thing in the world in Britain, and we are the better for it.
ReplyDeleteThere's a New Ireland in Papua New Guinea? Interactive exhibits are the best. I wonder how often you have to mow the museum roof.
ReplyDeleteI like everything you show here; the masks and the musical instruments and that glass conservatory.
ReplyDeletefascinating post and photos.
ReplyDeleteWow! This is very interesting! There are so many unusual music instruments that you should hear them played in a real concert hall. I am glad you liked my didgeridoo.
ReplyDeleteWil, ABCWTeam
What a lovely place. And that mossy roof is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteThe interactive musical instruments would be fun.
ReplyDeleteNice museum, it reminds me a bit of our "Tropical Intitute and Museum" They also have a lot of etnic music intruments.
ReplyDeleteVery unusual collection
ReplyDeleteNot your run of the mill museum!!! Looks interesting...love the instruments!
ReplyDeleteinteresting place worth visiting
ReplyDeleteThis would be so much fun. Thanks for taking us along on your tour. So much of interest.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos and it must be a very interesting place to visit. I would find all the musical instruments especially interesting.
ReplyDeleteI love music - this would be a fascinating museum for me to explore.
ReplyDeleteLooks very interesting !
ReplyDeleteHi! It's very interesting. I enjoyed your post. My wife and I are at Vancouver in Canada now.
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