Podcasts about cambridge museums

‘This Globe is Broken'. A poem about how the globe as an object is not neutral. A response to the colonial 1875 Jigsaw Globe on display in the Museum's Globe Gallery. Creator: Annie Tomkins. This audio was created as part of Museum Remix 2023, coinciding with the University of Cambridge Museums' programme of Power and Memory.

The Museum as an institution is not neutral. A response to the colonial 1875 Jigsaw Globe on display in the Museum's Globe Gallery. Creators: Fu Ge Yang, Sally Yan and Annie Tomkins. This audio was created as part of Museum Remix 2023, coinciding with the University of Cambridge Museums' programme of Power and Memory.

This audio was created as part of Museum Remix 2023, coinciding with the University of Cambridge Museums' programme of Power and Memory. It was put together by Kiki Bordean, Heidi McEvoy-Swift and Katrina Dring with the help of the Museum Remix and wider UCM teams. The Museum of Classical Archaeology is filled with sculptural expressions of the human form, including many heads. In a small case near the entrance are four broken terracotta figurines from Naukratis, a Greek trading post in Egypt. These figurines have been suggested as having features which might indicate individuals of African heritage – features which are not often seen in other sculptures from the classical period. Who were they? The figurines were made from a mould so presumably lots of these figures were made. By whom? For what purpose? Sadly, we don't know much more. Rather than re-tell or verbally extend the information already given in the captions about these figurines, we decided to complement it with a (hopefully!) thought-provoking collection of sounds. In the soundscape, we wanted to explore the circumstances of these heads – what they symbolise(d), how they were made, used and broken, and what they might tell us about Greek life in Egypt. We invite the listener to reflect on the themes of identity, power, and expression which we ourselves were occupied by during the two-day programme. Featuring the voices of Kiki Bordean, Heidi McEvoy-Swift, Katrina Dring, Ruchika Gurung and Barney Brown.

This audio was created as part of Museum Remix 2023, coinciding with the University of Cambridge Museums' programme of Power and Memory. It was put together by Kiki Bordean, Heidi McEvoy-Swift and Katrina Dring with the help of the Museum Remix and wider UCM teams. The Museum of Classical Archaeology is filled with sculptural expressions of the human form, including many heads. In one corner of the gallery, nestled among a display of busts, are two heads with ragged, broken edges around the neck. These came from bronze sculptures of Roman emperors Augustus and Claudius; the sculptures having been decapitated as a symbol of resistance during local uprisings by the Kushite and Iceni, respectively. Nearby in the gallery is another instance of decapitation, this time carried out by the Roman Empire. The scene from Trajan's column shows the severed heads of two Dacians being presented to Trajan on the battlefield; a symbol of Rome's enduring power and expanding empire. Rather than re-tell or verbally extend the information already given in the captions about these heads, we decided to complement it with a (hopefully!) thought-provoking collection of sounds. In the soundscape, we wanted to explore the circumstances of these heads – what they symbolise(d), how they came to be detached from their bodies, and how their stories both overlap and diverge. The wolf played an important role in Celtic, Dacian and Roman mythologies and, even today, is often seen as symbolic of wildness and freedom. We invite the listener to reflect on the themes of identity, power, and expression which we ourselves were occupied by during the two-day programme. Featuring the voices of Kiki Bordean, Heidi McEvoy-Swift, Katrina Dring, Ruchika Gurung and Barney Brown.

Barra Journal: Audio by University of Cambridge Museums

Surtsey Journal: Audio by University of Cambridge Museums

In the Museum of Classical Archaeology's Cast Gallery two wrestlers are locked together in eternal combat... and an eternal embrace. Colin Clews untangles the queer resonances of one of classical antiquity's most famous sculptures in this extract from his Bridging Binaries tour. Part of the University of Cambridge Museums' Bridging Binaries LGBTQ+ tour programme.

Join the revels of the ancient god Dionysus... Lucian Stephenson shares a story from the Museum of Classical Archaeology, part of the University of Cambridge Museums' LGBTQ+ tour programme.

Klara Widrig explores how received wisdom about gender even impacts on how scientists interpret Tyrannosaurus Rex fossils. Sit back and enjoy this extract from Klara's Bridging Binaries tour of the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Scientists but... beware the jaws of Big Mamma! Part of the University of Cambridge Museums' Bridging Binaries LGBTQ+ tour programme.

Behind the doors of a medicine cabinet in the Whipple Museum of the History of Science is a story of romance between two pioneering female doctors... Join Meg Roberts for this extract from her Bridging Binaries tour, part of the University of Cambridge Museums' LGBTQ+ tour programme.

The Greek hero Hercules was famous for his many labours, and his many lovers... Luis Jimenez ushers us into the presence of a legend in this extract from his Bridging Binaries tour of the Museum of Classical Archaeology. Part of the University of Cambridge Museums' Bridging Binaries LGBTQ+ tour programme.

Glimpse the interior life of artist Gwen John in this extract from Oliver Warren's Bridging Binaries tour of the Fitzwilliam Museum. Part of the University of Cambridge Museums' Bridging Binaries LGBTQ+ tour programme.

Lucian Stephenson unravels a tale of transformation from the Museum of Classical Archaeology, part of the University of Cambridge Museums' Bridging Binaries tour programme.

In the Whipple Museum of the History of Science is a very special microscope... Meg Roberts explores what Charles Darwin did and didn't see in this story from the University of Cambridge Museums' Bridging Binaries tour programme.

Where to start with the story of the Roman Emperor Caracalla - with his murdered brother, or his many lovers? Travel to ancient Rome with Luis Jimenez and a story from the Museum of Classical Archaeology, part of the University of Cambridge Museums' Bridging Binaries LGBTQ+ tour programme.

Ellen Purdy tells a story of monks, matrimony and martial arts, inspired by a Noh mask in the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Part of the University of Cambridge Museums' Bridging Binaries LGBTQ+ tour programme.

A barrel organ in the Polar Museum's collection opens up a world of polar pantomime fun... Julia Peck tells an LGBTQ+ story from Polar Museum, part of the University of Cambridge Museums' Bridging Binaries tour programme.

Discover the life and loves of Alexander the Great... Anthony Bridgen shares a story from his LGBTQ+ history tour of the Fitzwilliam Museum, part of the University of Cambridge Museums' Bridging Binaries tour programme.

Meet Antinous, the boy who became a god... Anthony Bridgen shares a story from his LGBTQ+ history tour of the Fitzwilliam Museum, part of the University of Cambridge Museums' Bridging Binaries tour programme.

A penguin egg in the Polar Museum is more than it seems... Join Julia Peck for a tale of sexual speculation in this Bridging Binaries tour extract. Part of the University of Cambridge Museums' Bridging Binaries LGBTQ+ tour programme.

“When as Queen Anne of great renown Great Britain’s sceptre swayed, Besides the Church she dearly loved a dirty chambermaid..." Jasmine Brady shares the gossip from Queen Anne's court, inspired by the Fitzwilliam Museum's Queen Anne plate. This recording is part of the University of Cambridge Museums' Museum Remix project, bringing you stories from the Bridging Binaries LGBTQ+ tours.

In this mini-podcast, Tristram Riley-Smith explores the tangible and intangible connections between nine objects from the University of Cambridge Museums. You can view all the objects here: www.museums.cam.ac.uk/museumremix Tristram writes, "You inspired me to think about the way objects emerge into the world, and that relationship between objectivity and subjectivity, the unintentional and the intentional, impression and expression. This reflection ultimately led me to recognise the important role of the curator as a knowledge-broker (when material culture's equivalent to the Third Law of Thermodynamics deprives objects of meaning, in a remorseless passage from expression/significance to impression/insignificance). Ideally, museums should do whatever is possible to communicate and celebrate what can be multifaceted meanings associated with these objects." This track is part of the Museum Remix: Unheard project. Find out more at www.museums.cam.ac.uk/museumremix

Tae Ateh and Izzy Collie-Cousins respond to a pair of photographs at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA). The studio photographs were taken in Samoa in the 1870s. The subject is unknown: the photographer's labels say "man from Tutuila with hair bound [and] unbound". They write, "This is a compilation of responses to the blatant colonial perspective that governs British museums, particularly those of anthropology and ethnography. It incorporates the political struggle for repatriation, personal poetic responses, and the reflections of an inexperienced observer. Neither of us are experts, and this is part of the problem. For real change to be affected, museums will have to employ academic experts to begin rectifying institutional imbalances, not merely open the floor to the concerned public. The sensory overload of multiple overlapping voices recalls the overload of information in museums, and the struggle of any one visitor to decipher the information that confronts them. We wanted to further platform the call for the decolonisation of museums, and chose this work because it directly demonstrates the othering of indigenous people by the western spectator. We both responded independently to the work, then combined our responses with the responses of decolonial protestors and specialists. Museums should approach these objects differently by highlighting the formal characteristics and provenance of the works that demonstrate the colonial, orientalist perspective they promote. Furthermore, museums should pay close attention to the ways photographic or artistic subjects present themselves in this work. It is clearly known by MAA curators that this person is fa'afine (roughly translating to Third Gender) - therefore, titling them a 'man' is incorrect. While acknowledging that the photographer and collector did not acknowledge this person's gender presentation as being outside of the binary is important, it is also essential to accurately and respectfully present this person as they present themselves. Moreover, museums should employ non-white experts to write on and curate their collections." Anita Herle, Senior Curator at MAA, writes, "This pair of 1870s studio photographs of an anonymous person from Samoa were put on display at MAA earlier this year as part of the University of Cambridge Museums' Bridging Binaries tours. Our understanding that this unknown and unheard person was likely a fa'afafine was based on conversations with Samoan researchers working with the collections at MAA. The invitation to assist with untangling the complex colonial context of these images has provoked a powerful and multi-layered response calling for the decolonisation of museums. It forcefully reminds us that there is a long way to go and that we need to work together both inside and outside the Museum. MAA has been working closely with numerous descendant communities from around the world for over two decades. We need to extend this work and make it more visible to multiple museum audiences. The employment of BIPOC researchers has been crucial to our work, but unfortunately it has been limited to temporary contracts. There needs to be more opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds to have secure employment in museums and across the university. We are working with colleagues across the University and more widely across the museums sector to understand how we can address this. The response is also a welcome reminder of the need to be careful with language when presenting historical material. While MAA's label text uses gender neutral language when describing this person, the quotation marks around the historic title have disappeared in your reading and instead the title has re-enforced the very stereotypes that the display question. I am grateful for the heartfelt response. Your comments will inform a re-writing of this and other display labels and encourage MAA to take a stronger stance in support of decolonisation."

Every cast in the Museum of Classical Archaeology is a hybrid – the work of both the ancient sculptor and the modern cast maker. Dr Susanne Turner, Curator at the Museum of Classical Archaeology, talks to us about a plaster cast taken from a carved marble head, identified as that of the ancient Greek god Apollo. But who sculpted the original, and who made the cast? This podcast series is part of an exhibition titled Artist: Unknown at Kettle's Yard in Cambridge. In collaboration with the University of Cambridge Museums, it brings together works of art from across the University’s collections from July to September 2019.

Nicholas Thomas, Director at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, talks about a 19th / early 20th century barkcloth. Both a museum object and an extraordinary work of art, the maker’s name was never recorded and the individual artistic value overlooked. This podcast series is part of an exhibition titled Artist: Unknown at Kettle's Yard in Cambridge. In collaboration with the University of Cambridge Museums, it brings together works of art from across the University’s collections from July to September 2019.

Every cast in the Museum of Classical Archaeology is a hybrid – the work of both the ancient sculptor and the modern cast maker. Dr Susanne Turner, Curator at the Museum of Classical Archaeology, talks to us about a plaster cast taken from a carved marble head, identified as that of the ancient Greek god Apollo. But who sculpted the original, and who made the cast? This podcast series is part of an exhibition titled Artist: Unknown at Kettle's Yard in Cambridge. In collaboration with the University of Cambridge Museums, it brings together works of art from across the University’s collections from July to September 2019.

What happens when the artist doesn't want to be known, and why would that be? Josh Nall, Curator of Modern Sciences at the Whipple Museum of the History of Science, talks about the makers who aim to deceive. This podcast series is part of an exhibition titled Artist: Unknown at Kettle's Yard in Cambridge. In collaboration with the University of Cambridge Museums, it brings together works of art from across the University’s collections from July to September 2019.

Eliza Spindel, Curatorial and Research Assistant at Kettle's Yard, tells us about a tea bowl from Kettle's Yard and a case of mistaken identity. Not only does the maker change, but so does its story. This podcast series is part of an exhibition titled Artist: Unknown at Kettle's Yard in Cambridge. In collaboration with the University of Cambridge Museums, it brings together works of art from across the University’s collections from July to September 2019.

Whalers. Expert Navigators, but also expert artists? Charlotte Connelly, Curator at The Polar Museum, tells us about some atmospheric ink drawings and scrimshaw created by whalers voyaging in the Arctic. This podcast series is part of an exhibition titled Artist: Unknown at Kettle's Yard in Cambridge. In collaboration with the University of Cambridge Museums, it brings together works of art from across the University’s collections from July to September 2019.

Is taxidermy a craft or art? Can natural history specimens be an artwork? Who made this putty-nosed monkey? And while we're here, can a fox snarl? Jack Ashby, Museum Manager at the University Museum of Zoology, tackles taxidermy and its inclusion in Artist: Unknown. This podcast series is part of an exhibition titled Artist: Unknown at Kettle's Yard in Cambridge. In collaboration with the University of Cambridge Museums, it brings together works of art from across the University’s collections from July to September 2019.

What would a young woman's CV from the past look like? Helen Ritchie, Research Assistant at The Fitzwilliam Museum, talks about samplers and the role they played for young women in the 17th and 18th century, and why in this instance the artist is unknown. This podcast series is part of an exhibition titled Artist: Unknown at Kettle's Yard in Cambridge. In collaboration with the University of Cambridge Museums, it brings together works of art from across the University’s collections from July to September 2019.

Nicholas Thomas, Director at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, talks about a 19th / early 20th century barkcloth. Both a museum object and an extraordinary work of art, the maker’s name was never recorded and the individual artistic value overlooked. This podcast series is part of an exhibition titled Artist: Unknown at Kettle's Yard in Cambridge. In collaboration with the University of Cambridge Museums, it brings together works of art from across the University’s collections from July to September 2019.

Is taxidermy a craft or art? Can natural history specimens be an artwork? Who made this putty-nosed monkey? And while we're here, can a fox snarl? Jack Ashby, Museum Manager at the University Museum of Zoology, tackles taxidermy and its inclusion in Artist: Unknown. This podcast series is part of an exhibition titled Artist: Unknown at Kettle's Yard in Cambridge. In collaboration with the University of Cambridge Museums, it brings together works of art from across the University’s collections from July to September 2019.

Whalers. Expert Navigators, but also expert artists? Charlotte Connelly, Curator at The Polar Museum, tells us about some atmospheric ink drawings and scrimshaw created by whalers voyaging in the Arctic. This podcast series is part of an exhibition titled Artist: Unknown at Kettle's Yard in Cambridge. In collaboration with the University of Cambridge Museums, it brings together works of art from across the University’s collections from July to September 2019.

What would a young woman's CV from the past look like? Helen Ritchie, Research Assistant at The Fitzwilliam Museum, talks about samplers and the role they played for young women in the 17th and 18th century, and why in this instance the artist is unknown. This podcast series is part of an exhibition titled Artist: Unknown at Kettle's Yard in Cambridge. In collaboration with the University of Cambridge Museums, it brings together works of art from across the University’s collections from July to September 2019.

What happens when the artist doesn't want to be known, and why would that be? Josh Nall, Curator of Modern Sciences at the Whipple Museum of the History of Science, talks about the makers who aim to deceive. This podcast series is part of an exhibition titled Artist: Unknown at Kettle's Yard in Cambridge. In collaboration with the University of Cambridge Museums, it brings together works of art from across the University’s collections from July to September 2019.

Eliza Spindel, Curatorial and Research Assistant at Kettle's Yard, tells us about a tea bowl from Kettle's Yard and a case of mistaken identity. Not only does the maker change, but so does its story. This podcast series is part of an exhibition titled Artist: Unknown at Kettle's Yard in Cambridge. In collaboration with the University of Cambridge Museums, it brings together works of art from across the University’s collections from July to September 2019.

Alex van Someren is Managing Partner of the Early Stage Funds at Amadeus and sits on the boards of several Amadeus portfolio companies. Amadeus is one of the highest profile VC funds in the UK with offices in Bangalore, Cambridge, Cape Town, London and San Francisco, Amadeus has invested in over 130 companies, and raised more than billion pounds for its portfolio companies. Investing from early stage to global growth, they are focused on AI & machine learning, online consumer services, cyber security, digital health and medical technology, digital media, enterprise SaaS, fintech, regtech and insurtech. Alex has a current investment focus on UK deep technology including artificial intelligence & machine learning, cloud computing/enterprise SaaS, cyber security, digital healthcare, medical technology and optical & quantum technologies. Alex is a co-founder of CyLon (https://cylonlab.com/), which finds, grows and invests in the world's best emerging cyber businesses. During 2019, Alex will hold the Clore Visiting Innovation Professorship of the Royal College of Art, and will be a member of the Royal Society's Science, Industry and Translation Committee. Alex left school to join Acorn Computers in the 1980s, where he was involved in the development of the BBC Microcomputer & Acorn Electron. He subsequently co-founded ANT Ltd in 1990 to produce networking products, including web browser software licensed to the Oracle Corporation. ANT plc was listed on the London AIM market (AIM:ANTP) in 2005 and later acquired by Espial. In 1996 he co-founded nCipher with venture capital backing to develop internet security products using advanced cryptography. The company became a world leader in IT security, counting major banks, finance companies and governments among its customers. As nCipher's CEO he raised a total of £14 million in venture capital funding before leading the company to an IPO on the London Stock Exchange in 2000 (LSE:NCH) at a £350 million valuation. nCipher plc was sold to Thales SA in 2008 and is now Thales e-Security. Alex lives in Cambridge, UK and is married with three children. He was appointed an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge in 2005, and he is currently Chairman of the Development Committee of Kettle's Yard, one of the University of Cambridge Museums. Links Acorn Computers Julian Treasure TED talk The 24 Hour Business Plan Terry Matthews Newbridge Networks About your host Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Tim Boon (Science Museum): Reflections on Creating a Research Culture Julien Clement (Musée du Quai Branly, Paris): Research in question at the musée du Quai Branly The Museum as Method: Collections, Research, Universities Summary If for many years collections seemed peripheral to innovative work in the arts and social sciences, there is a new sense that university museums can be research bases of a powerful and distinctive kind. New approaches to material and visual culture, artefact studies and the intertwined histories of collections, exploration and the histories of science and the humanities promise to reconstitute the museum as a laboratory and the collection as a research technology. Increasingly, major cross-disciplinary projects have used collections as lenses upon larger issues ranging over art, culture, history and environment. Yet collections and the issues of method and analysis that they raise remain relatively under-theorised. Over the same period, changing funding environments and new perceptions among policymakers of the importance of research, innovation, and the cultural sector raise the issues of what university museums contribute to higher education, and of the place and value of research in public and national museums. This conference, formally supported by the University of Cambridge Museums and Botanic Garden (UCM) brings together scholars from disciplines interested in material culture and curators from across the arts and sciences, to reflect on both questions of methodology and public policy.

Viola König (Ethnologisches Museum, Berlin) Respondent - Hedley Swain (Arts Council of England) The Museum as Method: Collections, Research, Universities Summary If for many years collections seemed peripheral to innovative work in the arts and social sciences, there is a new sense that university museums can be research bases of a powerful and distinctive kind. New approaches to material and visual culture, artefact studies and the intertwined histories of collections, exploration and the histories of science and the humanities promise to reconstitute the museum as a laboratory and the collection as a research technology. Increasingly, major cross-disciplinary projects have used collections as lenses upon larger issues ranging over art, culture, history and environment. Yet collections and the issues of method and analysis that they raise remain relatively under-theorised. Over the same period, changing funding environments and new perceptions among policymakers of the importance of research, innovation, and the cultural sector raise the issues of what university museums contribute to higher education, and of the place and value of research in public and national museums. This conference, formally supported by the University of Cambridge Museums and Botanic Garden (UCM) brings together scholars from disciplines interested in material culture and curators from across the arts and sciences, to reflect on both questions of methodology and public policy.

Join us for an afternoon of poetry readings and discussion as Gillian Clarke, Imtiaz Dharker, Sean Borodale and Jo Shapcott talk about their recent experience as poets in residence with the Thresholds project in the University of Cambridge Museums and collections. The poets will be in conversation with Professors Isobel Armstrong and Steven Connor. Poets Sean Borodale, Gillian Clarke, Imtiaz Dharker, Jo Shapcott in conversation with: Steve Connor, Grace 2 Professor of English in the University of Cambridge and Isobel Armstrong, Emeritus Professor of English at Birkbeck College, University of London. To read the four poems that will be discussed during this event visit http://www.thresholds.org.uk/ and search under Gillian Clarke, Imtiaz Dharker, Sean Borodale and Jo Shapcott