Cabinets of Curiosity

A student-led exhibition

Calling all curators, public historians and communication experts in the making! The cabinets of curiosity on floor 3 (Faculty of Arts building) are calling your name. The Cabinets of Curiosity project brings together teams of History undergraduate students to co-create fun displays inspired by Renaissance cabinets of wonder. Each team chose a topic, put together a fantastic object collection and organized their display. The finished cabinets are open to all to view and wonder in FAB, floor 3 in clusters B and C.

Cabinets of curiosity

Also known as rooms of wonder, these stored and exhibited a wide variety of objects and artifacts, with a particular leaning toward the rare, eclectic, and esoteric.

Around the World with Isabella Bird

This exhibition delves into the travels of Isabella Bird (1831-1904), her writings and their significance to studies of imperialism, global history and feminism in the present day.

The History of sleep

Sleep, a universal human delight, has had a rich history despite most of it being spent asleep. This cabinet briefly examines and explains some of its historical components.

The 70s!: The decade that taste forgot?

The 1970s is often referred to as the "decade that taste forgot." Our cabinet was inspired by our shared module 'Britain in the 1970s' and we aimed to display how everyday taste was shaped by people during this decade.

Rennaissance fossil collecting

In Renaissance England, fossils were often mistaken as “snakestones,” or petrified, coiled-up snakes. This cabinet displays a small sample of "snakestones", so you can see why people might have been confused!

History of drugs

Four cabinets in cluster C explore the role of drugs and drug abuse throughout history. With four cabinets in total, we have set up one display on psychedelics, one on cocaine and one on opium. This exhibit is linked to the module "Narcos: A global history of the drug trade", and was made possible thanks to the invaluable help of The Museum of Drugs who kindly let students use their artifacts for display.

For more info on the Museum of Drugs, check them out here

Many thanks to everyone at the History Department who made this project possible!

Our curators:

Adelina Crudu(History), Rania Sivaraj (History), Liv Chester (History), Becca Aspden (History), Christopher Bird (History), Isabella Jeong (English), Laurie Tudge (History), Nyssa Addae (History), Laura Werrett (History), Martha Fox-Adams (History), Isabelle Stuart (History), Aamilah Noor (History).

With the kind help of the Museum of Drugs, a registered charity.

Staff contributors:

Prof. Mathew Thompson, Prof. Ben Smith, Eloisa Ocando Thomas