Museums Participate in #CuratorBattle Challenge & Exhibit the Creepiest Object They Have

When you were a kid, you must have visited museums during those days. Whether you are an art lover or a history lover, museums have something for everyone. Also, if you are bored of watching those regular old sculptures, then you must visit the Warren Occult Museum that has an array of haunted artifacts. The museums across the world have several controversial things to look for. 

Since the coronavirus pandemic has hit the world, people are doing several things. Indeed! It has changed everyone’s lifestyle. People are connecting via video calls, not going outside, and working from home. 

But do you know that tourist attractions like museums have initiated a social media challenge to showcase the creepiest objects they have based on a theme? A Yorkshire museum based out in London recently started #CuratorBattle challenge for other museums around the world on social platforms to showcase the weirdest object they have. 

A few days back, the museum posted a picture of a hair bun that belongs to the third or fourth century. Several museums participated in the challenge and posted pictures of the weirdest objects. Right from haunted dolls to plague masks, several unique pictures were seen on social media. 

Other establishments in France, America, Canada, and other countries have responded to the challenge with unique exhibits such as jewelry made from human fingers and bizarre taxidermy. If you plan to visit museums with kids, then these museums in America have the best atmosphere for kids. 

The German history museum revealed a scary plague mask from between 1650 and 1670. The Pitt Rivers museum shared a picture of a “sheep’s heart stuck with pins and nails, to be worn like a necklace for breaking evil spells.”

The Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds uploaded an iron mask that was designed for public humiliation. 

The Natural Science NMS shared the creepiest object as their mermaid with a fish jaw inserted in the mouth. 

The digital engagement officer for the York Museums Trust, Millicent Carroll, said, 

"The curator battle has been gradually building as more and more museums and the general public look at our Twitter feed every Friday to see what theme we're going to pitch."

Carroll said it is great that museums are sharing their collection to the public when they can’t visit it. The York's Museum Trust, which runs different museums, including The York's Museum was closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The manager of the trust said they lost nearly 60-70% of their income; most of it comes from visitors. 

He further added, 

"Social media is one of the few ways we can still engage with audiences so we have been working really hard to come up with innovative and interesting ideas to get people talking and learning about objects in our care."

Ripley's Believe It or Not! shared a real-life vampire of Dusseldorf. 

PEI Museum shared a picture of a children’s toy that was found inside the walls of a 155-year-old mansion. They called it a Wheelie.

National Army Museum London shared the creepiest picture of frostbite fingertips. 

Here are other unconventional museums in London that are worth visiting. 

Raahe Museum in Finland shared the picture of the 18th-century diving suit. 

York Art Gallery shared the horrifying picture of a severed leg that has its legs and a beastly head. (This is the creepiest object I have seen). 

The Toy Museum of Penshurst Place uploaded the picture of a drinking Bear. It shared the caption, 

“We present the Drinking Bear. Feed it a 2 pence piece and it'll pretend to drink from its cup as it stares into your soul."

Red Lake Regional Heritage Center shared the creepy kid’s costume. 

Final Words

Several challenges are making rounds on the internet. While some are challenging to make the earth clean, others are challenging to prove their skills. Earlier, #trashtagchallenge went viral, and thousands of participants posted their pictures on social media. Later, #Bottlecapchallenge came, in which you had to twist the bottle cap without knocking the bottle over. 

It feels overwhelming that museums are taking a keen interest in sharing their weirdest objects to the public without any demand. Which of the above objects do you find the creepiest of all?

What are your thoughts on the museums competing over this bizarre trend? Share your views.