Horniman museum inspiration

Analysis

I visited the Horniman Museum to further find develop my designs and find the more animalistic relations between the characters and unusual wildlife around the world, like that of the Caribbean. I was most struck  by the display of the Japanese 'Merman', a monkey with a fish tail, originally exhibited in America under the name of Feejee mermaid, and was then moved to the Horniman in 1982. Unsurprisingly the merman was a fascinating attraction due to its roots in mythology and the hybrid formation of part monkey, fish and bird. Although it was found to be made from paper mache, it was interesting to see that many visitors were still in awe and wonder at how and why it was made, much like the fascination that would have been shown at the time it was first presented as a 'real' mermaid.

I also found the skeletons of various apes inspiring, particularly when looking at the posture and the bone structures. For example, the width of the hips, the elongated arms and bent knees. To me, I discovered that it was the similarity between a human and another being, something almost the same but not entirely, that made something feel unsettling. Things such as the proportions of the ape structures provided a first-hand insight into these judgements  over what makes something disturbing or creepy. The fact that the ape skeleton was juxtaposed against a human skeleton created this sense of similarity but also striking difference.

Other aspects of the visit that spurred my ideas were the human skulls in various stages of age and evolution. The colours of the bone and the broken pieces of structure made them seem decayed, ancient and almost inhuman. On one of the skulls, the broken bridge of the nose which melded the sinus cavity and the eye socket together was very interesting to me. It created a deep black void of negative space, and although I knew it once contained a human mind, it was chilling to think about how all that is left is the empty space.

Evaluation

Overall the visit to the Horniman museum allowed me to find ways to integrate nature into my designs. I could use aspects of the exhibits at the museum that most interest me and that fit well with my theme of Caribbean folklore, such as the Merman.