Hidden Wonders of the Iziko South African Museum

by Philip | Jan 6, 2023 | Featured | 0 comments

Wonder is in the mind of the beholder at Iziko SAM

The Hidden Wonders of the Iziko South African Museum exhibition aims to foster more inclusive museum practices by moving away from showcasing objects based on its aesthetic and unusual, some would say ‘exotic’ qualities, to presenting natural heritage items and scientific research towards greater societal benefit.

The exhibition celebrated its opening on 15 December 2022 and showcases animals from a distant past, such as the first fossilised mammal from South Africa and a 3D-printed skull of an African bear to creatures vital to society today, such as dragonflies and damselflies.

“In the past, animals and objects were collected and investigated for their beauty, rarity and strangeness, and these were displayed in the colonial Wunderkammer-like museum,” says Dr Jyothi Kara, lead curator of the exhibition, during her keynote address at the exhibition opening. “Today, we collect to record our incredible natural heritage and uncover the primary foundational information it holds for the benefit of science and society.”

To demonstrate the shifting practices and priorities of the museum, the exhibition includes objects from its old “Wonders of Nature” exhibition. The display includes exotic and strange animals from faraway places, such as the rostrum of a sawfish, the skull of an American moose and the shell of the Amazonian Arrau river turtle. Together, these items demonstrate a typical “cabinet of curiosity”, according to Kara. Although these items are extraordinary in their own right, the new, surrounding exhibits reveal that there are more mysteries to unlock as scientists explore the vast worlds within each item.

“Throughout the rest of the exhibition, we explore the changing paradigms of what and why we exhibit through presenting diverging views of the value of an object that renders it wonderful; exploring the hypothesis that wonder is in the mind of the beholder,” says Kara.

Bridging the scientific gap

Kara explains that “the exhibition also aims to create a space that transcends the boundary between research and society”. In fact, she says that teaching visitors the importance of natural resources and how society can benefit from them, it leads to an understanding of why it is important to protect and conserve them.

“We highlight the importance of insects that play a role in pollination, those that can be used as biocontrol agents and others that are used as indicators of water and soil health, thereby understanding how insects ensure our food security,” Kara notes.

Experiencing the marvel within

Wayne Florence, the director of the installation, explains that the exhibition was partly inspired by a childlike wonder experienced when visiting museums — “That marvel that we have inside of us when we visit the museum at the hidden wonders within these objects”.

“This exhibition and its opening are part of us getting ready for celebrating and commemorating 200 years of the museum, which will take place in 2025, and is a catalyst for our reimagining and revitalising Iziko Museums of South Africa,” says Melody Kleinsmith, the marketing and communications manager of Iziko Museums.

Housing over 10 million preserved animals, fossils and archaeological artefacts, the Iziko South African Museum’s collections are the largest and oldest of their kind within sub-Saharan Africa, according to Kara.

She adds that, with so many histories to explore under one roof, “The Hidden Wonders of the Iziko South African Museum” exhibition showcases “the very best” of the museum’s collections.

WHAT: Hidden Wonders of the Iziko South African Museum
WHERE: Iziko South African Museum, 25 Queen Victoria Street, Gardens, Cape Town 8000
WHEN: Daily 09h30 to 17h00
INFO: T 021 481 3800 | E info@iziko.org.za | Visit | You might also want to read IZIKO SANG collection reviewed and reimagined!

IZIKO SANG – IZIKO MUSEUM ROUTE [B]