A little museum with BIG ideas!
Nupur Hukmani
“Lift me. I can’t see!”, “Tell me what is this?”, “And that there?” I remember how excited my 7-year-old self was when I first visited a museum. I grew up in the 90s, obviously without the internet. Having a computer was a privilege only few could afford. Reading books, watching educational programs on national television once a week, skimming through newspapers, or going to a library were some of the options available to us as kids to learn more about the world around us. That day at the museum with my grandmother was one of the happiest days of my childhood. My senses were captured and my head was bursting with so many questions! That day, I must have asked my grandmother, “What is this?” an infinite number of times. “Tell me what is this?” became my favourite question to ask then, and even now as an educator teaching middle and high school children, it is my favourite question to ask and to be asked.
Museum View
Photos courtesy: The Little Museum of the World
Today the world has so many more opportunities of access and exposure for children and adults alike. The internet is a door to unlimited knowledge. But what is still lacking is a structured presentation of the world all in one place – its birth, history, evolution, subsequent technological and industrial progress, problems that accompanied them, and social issues like war, slavery, caste system, and other human rights violations. Knowing the world and its problems is one thing, but as an individual, it is a daunting task to understand these problems and wonder what one can do about them. Having a guide would not only help us understand the world better but also help us navigate our future in a way we don’t keep repeating the mistakes of the past.
Boopy
A museum is a space where you can experience the conservation, documentation, research, and display of different objects related to art, history, social justice, science, technology, and geography. The aim of a museum is not just to display, but also to pass these objects down to the next generation to ensure that history is not lost, to make connections in human, cultural and scientific development, and support discoveries and inventions. Above all, it is a space where everyone from a wide-eyed 7-year-old to the oldest adult can feel curiosity, wonder, and all things exciting related to something new. And the Little Museum of the World’s virtual 3D tour that I recently took did exactly that!
The Little Museum of the World is a one-of-a-kind museum concept in Hong Kong that was founded by Christian Pilard after a lifetime of curious inquiry, obsessive collection, and well-researched documentation. Christian is also the founder and president of Eco-Sys Action – a nature conservation, health, and education-based non-profit. The Little Museum of the World prides itself on being a museum of meaningful actions. Its mission is “to help more humanitarian, environmental and cultural projects around the world while developing and inspiring a worldwide community of true citizens of the world, young and old people alike, who want to make a lasting difference on this planet”. Understanding, caring, and finding solutions are in the blueprint of the museum.
While I was not lucky enough to be able to travel to Hong Kong, I did get an opportunity to set out on a virtual tour of the museum. On a breezy Sunday afternoon, I sat at my desk with my pen and paper, headphones, and laptop, super excited about going on this journey of wonder, exploration, learning, and reflection from the comfort of my home. I felt the same excitement I had felt as a child on museum visit days. Priced reasonably, The Little Museum of the World’s 3D virtual tour is an excursion of 120 enchanting artifacts grouped under various themes such as early rocks, primitive life, meteorites, volcano rock, older fossils, Neolithic tools, history of civilizations, slavery, literature, photography travel explorations, the history and the current reality of the exploitation of the Earth, the different wars of the world, space exploration, cinema, art, sport, and music just to name a few!
First Humans Tools
The tour starts with an introduction to the museum’s mascot Boopy – an exotic orange sparrow – who is also the narrator of the artifacts along with Pilard. Boopy introduces itself as a cosmonaut, an eco-detective, and an inspirational leader, urging the visitor to step into this world with the same attitude! Along with Boopy, there are three other pillars of the Little Museum of the World – The Little Prince, Jules Verne, and Nelson Mandela. The Little Prince’s philosophy of feeling with the heart (“It is only with one’s heart that one can see clearly. What is essential is invisible to the eye”), Jules Verne’s vision and imagination, (“Anything one man can imagine, other men can make”) and Nelson Mandela’s reconciliation (It is in your hands, to make a better world for all who live in it) underline the intent, collection, documentation and values of the museum. Each artifact pops up as a short informational write-up in audio-visual format along with accompanying photographs and/or videos.
That Sunday I was immersed in a joyful and experiential journey of learning like no other. I learned about the history of the Earth from the oldest rock at the museum called Zircon Crystals (3.5 billion years old!) to how life, continents, and oceans came to be (my favorite was the story of the formation of the Anak Krakatoa – meaning “Child of Krakatoa”, an island formed due to the eruption of the Krakatoa volcano in Indonesia). I was fascinated by the artifacts describing the chronology of the evolution of life. I learned of living fossils like the baby horseshoe crab that has 10 eyes, 10 legs, and blue blood and its place in the evolutionary journey of life on Earth. I was awestruck by the incredible microscopic world of amber. Did you know that amber is a fossilized tree resin that is used to make jewellry? But more importantly, the resin attracts small insects and other flora and fauna in its sticky liquid. Over many years, the resin has helped in fossilizing various flora and fauna. No wonder then that amber has been nicknamed the “little time machine”.
Post learning about early life, I entered the fascinating and terrifying world of dinosaurs! An Oviraptor egg, a humongous tibia bone from a Sauropod from Madagascar, a Tyrannosaurus tooth (that measures the size of a school bus!), and a fossil of a juvenile Psittacosaurus, the Little Museum of the World has them all. I was lost in a world from millions of years ago that would have seemed made up had it not been for the photographs of these fossils and the accompanying archaeological explanation.
From the world of dinosaurs, I was beckoned into the Ice Age and the accompanying rise of modern species. I was also introduced to the “first humans” and their activities. The tools they made changed the world forever and led to the rise of modern society. Ingenious inventions and discoveries are a hallmark of this period and many of those are on display in the Little Museum of the World; how amazing is that? Inventions, discoveries, and the growth of civilizations brought their own challenges. Travel explorations of Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta, Zhen He, Christopher Columbus, and Vasco De Gama ushered in a new, globally connected world promoting trade and economy. However, it also brought with it social and political problems like slavery, the history and generational effects of which we must never forget. The museum has on display artifacts related to the abolitionist movement in America such as an original photograph of Wendell Phillips (American abolitionist). It also houses many objects like beads and necklaces that have heart-wrenching stories behind them about how slaves were treated. Besides objects related to slavery, the museum takes you through several artifacts related to a range of well-known disasters like the world wars and the Titanic and the Hindenburg tragedies.
But all is not bleak and dreary. The museum houses many artifacts related to sports like the legend Muhammad Ali’s Everlast Gloves or a postcard signed by the famous athlete Jesse Owens. The fashion, cinema, music, and art rooms are equally mesmerizing. On the one hand, there is the freedom table displaying artifacts related to music, and on the other, there is a corner paying homage to the popular comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. If you are a movie buff, there is so much to witness from the history of cinema to original photographs of Startrek actors! Literature buffs can visit the assigned room and see original and special editions of some wonderful books.
I can go on about all the amazing artifacts that I engaged with, but I would urge the reader to experience all of this for themselves. The tour can technically get done in a couple of hours. However, truth be told, you can spend hours looking at the artifacts, reading their context and story, taking notes, and doing further research. Once you enter the museum – the world is your oyster!
Sauropod bone
That Sunday, I felt like a curious child again. I also felt like an excited educator who has come up with another creative idea to facilitate in the classroom. If you believe in values like resilience, imagination, non-violence, peace, creativity, and equality, I invite you to go on this wonderful trip. I hope my readers will take the time out to visit this little museum with BIG ideas. Whether you are a child, a parent, an older sibling, or an educator, it is a memorable and enriching experience and has a lot in store for everyone!
For more details, check out: https://littlemuseumoftheworld.com/
Reference: https://magazines.odisha.gov.in/journal/jounalvol1/pdf/orhj-10.pdf
The author holds a Masters in psychology and has been an educator for the last 10 years. She is currently working as an Assistant School Leader at a school in Pune. When she is not teaching or writing, she loves reading, doing yoga, and long-distance running. She can be reached at nupurhukmani12@gmail.com.
