Annick Aldo's Menagerie
As a visual artist, I explore the themes of natural history, mortality and transience of life, focusing on and examining historical artifacts. I have been fascinated with taxidermy and natural history displays for most of my life, from the origins of the Renaissance "cabinet of curiosity", to the nineteenth-century museums and the present day.
Today still not all intricacies of the history of natural sciences are understood and therefore appreciated and certainly the use of taxidermy is no exception. Studying and immersing oneself in the socio-cultural fabric that saw the birth and creation of these artifacts provides a rich and complex context for a better understanding of this unique subject and its extraordinary place in history.
Initially, Museum Menagerie was created to issue a public appeal to help track down the 'presumed lost' Rowland Ward Elephant film; to share knowledge that surrounded this particular event and provide a record of the specimens mounted by Rowland Ward for the Museum of Tervuren, officially known as The Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA).
In 2013, the museum had chosen to dismantle their habitat dioramas, when they embarked on an extensive and drastic refurbishment. My only hope was to carefully photograph and document them for future generations prior to their destruction, as they are part of history — represent a stage in museum development and evolution — and also part of our increasing scientific understanding of the world during the 19th century.
Recognising the cultural and inspirational value of these collections, Museum Menagerie is a not-for-profit project dedicated to the mission of sharing information. Entries in the blog-section are not in-depth explorations; their purpose is to function as a gateway that directs visitors to public domain available resources and online archives.
By accumulating online resources, personal collection items and photographic impressions, Museum Menagerie aims to bring stories that are relevant to Rowland Ward and the Museum of Tervuren.
