Event #2: Museum of Jurassic Technology

 For event number 2, I decided to go to the Museum of Jurassic Technology, which introduces itself as an “educational institution dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and the public appreciation of the Lower Jurassic” (mjt.com, 2024). They didn’t allow any use of phones inside of the exhibit, so I included a photo from the gift shop at the entrance. The museum was filled with abstract pieces that combined both art and science in unique ways. One exhibit in particular focused on the discovery of the microscope. The exhibit was a series of 8 microscopes with loaded slides. When I looked into the microscope, I could see that each slide had a unique kaleidoscope-like miniature image of flowers, birds and other random patterns. It reminded me of fractal images, and how they consist of a pattern that repeats over and over again, smaller and smaller each time, yet very similar to the overall pattern as a whole (DESMA9 Week 2 Resources “Fractals”, 2006). On the walls, there was also a timeline about the discovery of the microscope, and how Dalton’s use of the microscope to prepare his own artistic slides using butterfly scales inspired this artwork (Stevenson, 2020). Aside from this exhibit, there was also one that reminded me of our unit on Medicine + Art. It included “folk” medicinal remedies that included eating mice on toast to cure incontinence. 

Overall, the museum was definitely a unique and interesting experience. I personally wish that there was more context for each piece, as I was pretty confused about what I was looking at for most art pieces. But, I think it’s worth going to at least once. 

Works Cited

“Fractals - Mandelbrot.” YouTube, YouTube, 18 June 2006, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivRQDbAduoM.

“Henry ‘Harold’ Dalton, 1836-1912.” Harold Dalton, www.microscopist.net/DaltonH.html. Accessed 19 May 2024.

The Museum of Jurassic Technology, www.mjt.org/themainpage/main2.html. Accessed 19 May 2024.