The city of Hull boasts a variety of museums and galleries, as well as world-famous tourist attractions including the Deep Aquarium.
But the University of Hull is also home to a little-known museum that houses many colorful and fascinating artefacts from South East Asia.
Founded in 1968, the collection now numbers 3,000 items, ranging from musical instruments to weapons and dragon-themed artifacts.
Curator Monika Janowski, who is leading a project to encourage more people to visit the museum, said: “It’s very interesting and mind-broadening to learn about how other people live.”
The collection includes approximately 3,000 artifacts from Cambodia, Malaysia and Myanmar. [BBC]
Ms Janowski said Professor Mervyn Jaspan had donated his own items from the Philippines, Cambodia, Malaysia and Myanmar to begin the collection as part of his role at the university's center for Southeast Asian studies.
Staff and students also helped expand the collection by donating their own artifacts.
“Although it has always been open to the public, little is known about it,” Ms. Janowski said.
“No one outside the university knew he was even here,” she added.
Ms Janowski said the museum had a variety of interesting items, many of which were themed around dragons.
“Dragons are the flow of life force. They are the water of Southeast Asia and, more broadly, the Far East,” she said.
“We have beautiful dragon carvings, tapestries and bracelets. [and] Buddha with a dragon protecting Buddha.”
The collection also includes a textile dragon from Myanmar (formerly Burma), donated by the anthropologist shortly before his death.
Other artifacts include images of Barong and Rangda, two central figures in Balinese mythology.
“Bali is still [largely] In Hinduism and in Hindu cosmology there must be a balance between good and evil, between destruction and creation,” Ms. Janowski said.
Ms. Janowski says she wants to encourage more people to visit the museum. [BBC]
She added that she was disappointed that so few people had seen the collection.
“I want to tell people about this. I want people to come and see it, and I want to interpret what is here so people can understand it,” she said.
“There are themes here that are universal human themes and it would be great to show Southeast Asian films, try Southeast Asian food and get kids involved in activities.
“Objects have a way of achieving this because they have a life of their own—they speak to you directly.”
The museum is located on the ground floor of the Wilberforce University building and is open to all students, staff and the public from Monday to Friday from 13:00 to 17:00 GMT.
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