In this episode Alice Procter joins Ellie to talk about Joseph Banks' Platypus on display at the British Musuem's Enlightenment Gallery. We discuss Cook's voyages and collections and their reception on his return to London. We also explore uncritical reconstructions of Enlightenment galleries at the British Museum and elsewhere; and how Europeans u…

In this episode Claire Murray explores the other users and developers of instruments like the 'Bragg X-ray spectrometer, England, 1910-1926', including scientists such as Kathleen Lonsdale. We discuss the pioneering work of these scientists in the field, Lonsdale career and the way she is celebrated today, and how important her data still is in the…

In this episode Dan Vo explores the communities represented in the 'Kissing Doesn't Kill. Greed and Indifference Do.' poster displayed in the Victoria and Albert Museum. We discuss the prominance of interracial relationships on the poster, political straplines, and contemporary reflections and proactive measures on HIV/AIDS. Dan is a Victoria and A…

In this episode Lyman Gamberton explores the cultural connotations and political construction of the Science Museum's display of 'Bowl from Hiroshima, Japan'. We discuss which identites are represented and which are hidden through object selection and positioning, and consider and their framing of the event in relation to other events showcased in …

In this episode Shaz Hussain explores the Science Museum's display of suncreams and who the items are imagined to be for in the gallery space. Drawing on the Challenge of Materials Gallery's collection of 'everyday' items, we discuss who is imagined as the visitor considering the framing of suncream in relation to whiteness. We discuss the importan…

In this episode Sacha Coward explores The Sea Maidens at the Queens House in Greenwich. We discuss love, sexual and gender identities, and life bleeding through into the subjects of paintings. We take this painting as a starting point to explore the significance of mermaids more generally across time and geography. Sacha is a freelance museum worke…

In this episode Zia [X] explores audience responses to ‘After Image’ in the Wellcome Collection’s ‘Medicine Now’ gallery. We take the part of Alexa Wrights’ series that is on display at the Wellcome, and explore the implications of displays in medical museums, and are attentive to the relationship of subjects, objects and audiences when creating ex…

In this episode Hana Ayoob explores the importance of Wallace's companion, Ali, and the role that indigenous knowledges, acknowledgements, and understanding our relationships with other mammals play in biological sciences. Taking the Organtun displayed in the Hintze Hall of the Natural History Museum, we explore why Wallace's guide Ali is included …

In this episode Cerys Bradley explores the life, loves and liberation of Amelia Edwards. Departing from a bust of Edwards at the Petrie Museum, University College London, we roam from her bequests and extensive contributions to London archeology, all the way to women in archeology today. Cerys is a stand-up comedian who performs parody lectures abo…