After seeing how sensitive Manchester Museum is to the debates surrounding the display of human remains, it was interesting to observe a very different strategy at York Museum. Human skulls are used in two exhibitions, one dealing with how objects are dated and the other about the Roman inhabitants of the area. Temporal distance and interpretation that makes the subject object seems to work against the kinds of re-sensitizing manoeuvres employed by Manchester. Perhaps this will change after the Museum closes for refurbishment later this year as the collection is reassessed. I don't feel able to offer a judgement as to which is more ethically sound, although I tend to agree that discomfort and provocation have their places in a museum context.
York Museum also takes this week's prize for daft taxidermy. I hope this becomes a regular feature.
