I finally got a chance to visit the museum of curiosities, after hearing about it from people as well as coming across it when researching places with taxidermy in london. savannah wanted to go too, as it will aid our night circus ideas in terms of set up and mood etc.
Overall, it was the best and worst experience. I was feeling nauseous, terrified, triggered by the numerous small holes (and corpses, taxidermy, etc etc), shaken, but it was also the best because it was fascinating to see. It was just a very overwhelmingly ILL feeling to see such a CONCENTRATED collection of DISGUSTING items collected from god knows where in the world, it all feels very dirty and haunted. Like everything in that basement could be carrying a ghost or disease or start moving when you’re not looking. also everything was constantly ONLY A HAIR AWAY from you and your face, it was so much. It also consisted of many many things that I was scared of, especially the taxidermy animals, ON A HUMAN BODY. I could throw up. The way it was set up, definitely added to the sickness of it all, since there were no real categories like you see in museums, everything was thrown together and it feels right aesthetically but also so very, very, wrong at the same time, it feels like an infestation. I feel sick just thinking about it. but just that impact makes it so amazing. its impressive to say the least. the placement of things from the ceiling, round the corner, everything was very clever and horrific. around the first corner there was a little set up of a room with three taxidermy animals sitting at a table (a ram? head on a human body, a black puma and another feline) it felt like a satanic ritual or a cult vibe. just terrifying. around the other corner you are confronted with a hanged man. in the other room you immediately see the largest crab ever with an overwhelming amount of scary things on, around, under it. my fear of marine animals and taxidermies combined, I wanted to die. but it was really cool. but I still wanted to throw up. I could barely walk through the tiny space.
Anyway, I was surprised to find out that victor wynd is very much alive and still active in collecting things in his travels. you could actually book a trip with him to the indigenous tribes and watch the ‘crocodile ceremony’ where they do the scarring ritual on their backs. I don’t think I’ll be signing up to that anytime soon. The visit was worth it though, I’ve never been this overwhelmed by a collection before. It was really good. There was a bar on the first floor (covered with taxidermy animal heads on the walls, of course) and I was thinking, I couldn’t even drink water at that point. 10/10 wanted to throw up. But I’m really happy I went.
