On display until Sunday 10 September, this light-hearted and humorous exhibition is a chance to discover the fantastic fibs and amazing untruths about fascinating museum artefacts rarely seen by the public.
With over 50 artefacts on display, the project takes inspiration from William Constable’s 18th century ‘Cabinet of Curiosity’ collection at Burton Constable Hall.
The exhibition includes objects from the internationally significant collections held by Hull Museums and the Burton Constable Foundation which includes a brown bear, a hippo skull and the largest seed in the world.
Coordinated by Heritage Learning and part of the ‘Words of Wonder Writing Competition’, Bill Bailey selected the final winners from scores of entries from Hull primary school pupils and will be showcased alongside his own work. The exhibition is funded by national lottery players through the Heritage Lottery Fund, as part of a year-long Curious Collections project.
Councillor Terry Geraghty, Portfolio Holder for Culture and Leisure and Chair of Hull Culture & Leisure, said:
“This engaging exhibition is a fascinating way to discover the stories behind some of the many artefacts within our museums collection for the very first time. This is the latest exhibition on display at the Maritime Museum; it is the perfect setting for this exhibition that will offer intrigue and laughter.
“It is fantastic the project has involved so many talented young people from across the city and having writing talents on display side by side with Bill Bailey’s very own work and giving them the freedom to unlock their creativity and imagination.”
Comedian Bill Bailey, said:
“I have really enjoyed discovering these amazing museum collections in Hull, and in particular the hilarious work by my learned young friends. I hope people will visit and marvel at the extraordinary, gasp in astonishment at the unusual, and perhaps be strangely moved by the wonders of the natural world.”
The exhibition is on display at the Maritime Museum in Hull, from Saturday 27 May until Sunday 10 September 2017. Entry is free and open: Monday – Saturday 10am – 5pm and Sunday 11am – 4.30pm. It is also open until 7.30pm every Thursday.
