Bear - an Exercise in Meaning Making

From the desk of Kim Gough, Program Developer, Royal BC Museum

Fellow blogger, Tim Willis, recently posted about the renewal of our forest diorama in the natural history exhibition. Along with many visitors, I am looking forward to the striking grizzly bear mount returning to his place by the stream. It got me thinking about the bear's story and how people connect to him. Is it with fear, fascination or indifference?

About two years ago, my partner and I were camping at William A. Switzer Provincial Park in the Alberta foothills. As soon as we arrived we noticed all the bear warning signs and heeded them accordingly. We kept our campsite clean, made noise while hiking and watched for scat and other bear signs.

Later that week we took our canoe out on Gregg Lake. We were paddling along the shore approaching a narrowing, quietly enjoying the sights and sounds of the lake when I heard a loud "Whoomph!" I turned to my left and saw a cinnamon coloured grizzly bear staring at us from the rushes. He must have been foraging when we startled him. In the time it took me to call out "Bear!" he charged towards the shore - bringing him within 5 meters of our canoe. I thought to myself "He will run away" when he stood on his hind legs. I raised my paddle and started hollering out while my partner deftly turned the canoe towards the middle of the lake. Then the bear got into the water and started swimming towards us!! We started paddling like crazy and I looked over my shoulder to see the bear swim across the narrow and get out on the shore on the other side of the lake. He then tracked us along the shore watching until we were well into the centre of the lake. We lost sight of him after about 10 minutes, but we didn't forget. That night I barely slept (pun intended) and in the morning we packed up and left a day early.

I learned a few things - bears are huge, they are fast and they SWIM!! Most importantly I learned that you have to bear aware even when you are canoeing - especially if you are close to the shore.

We won't ever know our bear's full story, but I'm hoping he can certainly inspire some of you to tell yours. I'd love to hear about your bear encounter.

That sounds interesting

From the desk of Tim Willis, Director of Exhibitions and Visitor Experience

I love to hear an exhibition. I suspect this may not be true for everyone, but I really like experiences that have a soundtrack.

For me, visiting an exhibition is not dissimilar to watching a movie. Both require me to become immersed in a story or setting – often one that is far from my day to day existence. Both tell a story, and both can benefit powerfully from the skilful application of music.

It was quite a shock to me to realize how powerful sound in exhibitions can be. Eons ago, I worked on an exhibition of ‘animatronic’ prehistoric beasts. I fear that we may have permanently scarred a generation of young children. If you were between 3 and 5 years old there was a 50/50 chance you’d even make it inside the exhibition – parents were seen rushing from the show with wailing toddlers, hands were locked over ears. It was the sound of ice age wind that had just as much impact as the animals themselves. I hereby apologize to those Edmontonians who are now 24 to 27 years old and cannot understand why the sound of icy wind makes them quite so uneasy.

Mammoth at the Royal BC Museum

Encountering a prehistoric beast at the Royal BC Museum today can also be rather intimidating for very young visitors. Our mammoth is magnificent to behold, but it is the low elephantine rumbling to which very young visitors respond. Have a listen: http://www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Nat_Hist_Gall/ice_age_sounds.aspx

But sound is one thing… a soundtrack is another. Hollywood directors know well the way in which music can heighten emotional reaction to what is being presented – would the Social Network be as compelling without Trent Reznor’s score? So why is this so seldom practiced in exhibitions? I’m not suggesting the Doors’ The End in the Climate Change gallery, but rather the use of subtle, atmospheric music to reinforce the message and to help the visitor to a receptive frame of mind.

Visitors relaxing in Brian Eno's exhibition, 77 Million Paintings

77 Million Paintings by Brian Eno at the Glenbow in Calgary this month is perhaps the epitome of sound and visual combining equally in the visitor experience: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke9NbpHQdec

When we present our next big touring exhibition this December, it will have a lovely musical and sound effect ‘wash.’ It will be fun to ask visitors whether this enhanced their visit… or indeed whether they noticed it at all. Stay tuned.

And… as a musical postscript, David Mattison [a former staffer at the Royal BC Museum] was inspired by our recent exhibition, Aliens Among Us to compose a piece of music in its honour: http://soundcloud.com/trancedoctor/alien-species-invade-bc-full



Tim Willis

Snow Day

From the desk of Colleen Wilson,
Conservator at the Royal BC Museum

It snowed last week; it was quite beautiful and quite a novelty in Victoria. But abrupt changes of temperature and wild swings of humidity are bad news for artifacts; could winter weather mean problems for our collections?

One year, in a freak snow and wind storm, snow blew inside one of the ventilation pipes in the exhibit building. Occasionally the wet load on the Tower has leaked a little through the ceiling. In December there was a spate of minor issues – a fault in the sprinkler system, a plumbing leak, a damaged drain.

Conservation personnel are always available to respond to emergencies involving artifacts, and they are among the first to be called in response. To make sure the necessary supplies are at hand, Emergency Carts are parked in various locations through the Tower, Archives and Exhibits buildings. Towels, fans, spill pillows, mops, Tyvek suits, duct tape and more are poised to be deployed if a leak, drip, back-up or flood threatens the collections.

Mostly, however, we try to prevent the situations that could become disasters for artifacts. In discussions with Facilities, Conservators advocate for more precise and responsive environmental controls (keeping the humidity down by turning up the heat does not make for happy collections) and a sensible fire suppression system.

In most cases, however, the potential problems are the result of our aged building. It is in the nature of plumbing to leak sometimes, but we can’t really work in a building without water. If the building is not a perfectly protective shell, then the containers in which the artifacts are stored must do the job. If the artifact is unusual in its size or requirements, then its specific needs must be addressed (a pair of out-sized Chinese embroideries reside in a cozy container made from sewer pipe).

Where there is a possibility of plumbing or roof leaks reaching artifacts, collections are stored in water-proof boxes or protected by polyethylene sheeting. A minor toilet overflow could have disastrous results for artifacts on the floor, so all artifacts are stored on blocks or shelves.

Protection from water also mitigates the damage that might be caused by other potential calamities. Artifacts stored in water-proof containers are less likely to be damaged in the course of fire suppression. Customized supports within the containers will provide protection during an earthquake; in the meantime they moderate the effect of collections moves. And most importantly, the problems in December gave us the opportunity to practice. Our response was prompt and effective and it kept the issue on the minor end of the scale.

Magical Mystery Tour?

From the desk of Sean Rodman, Strategic Partnerships Manager at the Royal BC Museum

There's a little mystery linked to John Lennon and his Rolls Royce. Maybe you can help solve it. We've posted before about the amazing Rolls Royce that's currently sitting in the lobby of the Royal BC Museum. We know quite a lot about this automobile. But there is something that we don't know…

First, some interesting facts:

• the Rolls Royce Phantom V was purchased by John in 1965. It was painted "Valentine's Black" - a flat, matte paint job. But the inside of the car was altered significantly. A bed was installed, as well as a record player, TV, and other rock star trimmings.
  
  


• John travelled to Spain to film "How I Won the War" and brought his car and driver with him. While there, the car suffered from damage to its paint job from abrasive desert sands.
  
  
• Returning to England, he had the car repainted in 1967 with a bright yellow base and illustrations typical of Romany Gypsy style. This was inspired, in part, by a Gypsy caravan that he had recently purchased for his son, Julian, as a playhouse. Here's a great archival video of the Rolls Royce shortly after delivery in its new colours.
  

And now for the mystery. On the roof of the Rolls Royce is a symbol. Some sources state that this is John's astrological sign: Libra. But the actual marking doesn't really resemble the traditional astrological symbol for Libra. Here it is:

So what is it? Let us know what you think. By the way, we're also on the hunt for his 1967 portable, black-and-white Sony television, or the same model. The original disappeared before we acquired the Rolls Royce. Do you happen to know where we could find it?

Clouds of War

From the desk of Ann ten Cate, Reference Archivist at the Royal B.C. Museum

Sometimes opening a box at the Archives leads to a little gem of a document – and makes the the hair on your neck stand up. Last week, after having recently seen the film “The King’s Speech”, I happened to come across a letter written by Winston Churchill just before the First World War. The film ends in 1939, just before the Second World War and features a cigar-chomping Churchill, appointed for a second time as Lord of the Admiralty, prognosticating about the coming war with Hitler.

The item in our collection was written by a much younger Churchill during his first stint as Lord of the Admiralty in 1911, and was sent to Richard McBride, the Premier of British Columbia, at Christmas time. We only have a copy of the letter, as the original was kept by the McBride family, but the content and prose are so characteristic that I could easily picture Churchill at his desk at Blenheim dashing off this thank-you note. Churchill (1874 – 1965) was one of the world’s great orators and writers, and was awarded the Nobel prize for literature in 1953. I think you’ll agree that this unpublished letter shows both his amazing prescience and his wonderful ability with words.

Here’s the full transcript of the letter, from accession 90-0009:

Blenheim, 26 Dec 1911

My dear Mr. McBride,

I have received from your Agent-General an intimation of the arrival of a grizzly bear skin which you have with so much kindness sent me as a personal gift. I am very grateful to you for it, and if I may say so, still more for the friendship of which it is a token, which I highly value.

You will I know have been pleased to see my transfer to the Admiralty. I was delighted. There have been times when it would not specially have appealed to me: but now it absorbs my waking thoughts. The years which lie immediately before us are serious and critical, and it is only by the strength of our Fleet – which thank God was never so powerful, that the peaceful and free development of the component parts of the British Empire will be secured.

I have been most interested in the results of the Canadian elections, and their effect on Canadian Naval policy. I shall be ready to help the new ministry in any way in my power, with a full understanding of some, at least, of the difficulties and limitations of their position. I hope you will tell your friends so. They can consult the Admiralty in perfect confidence that we will do all in our power to make their naval policy a brilliant success: and we will not be hidebound or shrink from new departures provided that whatever moneys they think fit to employ shall be well spent according to the true principles by which sea power is maintained.

I shall not lose hope yet that I may be able to see your beautiful Columbia before another Christmas has passed away.

Meanwhile, accept my most sincere good wishes for you and yours in the year 1912. Yours sincerely,

Winston S. Churchill

For more Churchillian quotes, check out http://jpetrie.myweb.uga.edu/bulldog.html

Artifact or Artifiction

From the desk of Kim Gough, Program Developer, Royal BC Museum

One of the most popular features on our Facebook site is the online version of our signature fundraising event “Artifact or Artifiction”. In our online Facebook version we post an image and a statement and ask folks if it is true or false. I propose we try another version of the game. Below I have posted a picture of an artifact, but instead of me posting a statement that may be true or false; I want you, gentle reader, to provide the statement. You don’t have to be accurate; in fact it’s more fun if you aren’t! Have fun and let the creative juices flow.

The Museum is Out There

From the desk of Kelly Sendall, Manager of Natural History at the Royal BC Museum
After leading many tours of various groups through our natural history collections over the years, I have come to realize that most of what I talk about is usually surprising news to at least half the group.

One important aspect of the work we do in natural history collections is the loaning of specimens to other museums or universities. Although you might think it’s for display purposes, it’s usually for research. That branch of research is called taxonomy or systematics, and can be thought of as the ongoing argument in journals over the evolutionary history of species and their relationships to one another. But it’s also the place for official descriptions or re-descriptions of new species or revisions of more general groups such as genera, families, orders and so on up the hierarchy.

Loaning specimens are a significant part of the process and we are very much involved. Here is the link to a file (GoogleEarthLoanMap) that can be used on Google Earth to see our loans activity over the last 10 years or so. Over 400 loans to museums and other institutions worldwide!

We are also working on a static map of the world showing our loans activity for the entrance area of the Behind the Scenes exhibition.

There are a wide variety of plants and animals loaned out for this purpose for six-month or one-year terms. Spiders, worms, grasses, fossils, fish, voles, bats or gnats…we’ve probably loaned some to another museum. When the loan is returned it sometimes comes with better identifications for the specimens. This is a very valuable improvement to our collections and is a common co-operation among natural history collections. Experts in different groups of organisms such as sea stars or bats may be spread all over the globe, so this type of interaction is crucial to our scientific community.

In mid-January I approved a loan of 30 flies from the family Anthomyzidae (small group of tiny flies) to a researcher at the Great Lakes Forestry Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. We don’t have a staff member that is an expert on this family, so cannot identify these flies to species. When this researcher learned they were here he was pretty excited. Without this type of co-operation the flies would have sat in the collection – unknown, unrecognized and waiting.