Collections, like Universities, are factories of knowledge. Institutionally, they often appear to be rooted in place, but spatially and intellectually, they exist in constant and dynamic motion. In this exhibition, we ask you to consider the tensions between stasis and movement in UCL and its collections. Why, where and how were UCL's collections formed, preserved and curated? Why and how have they moved across space and over time?
Featured Item
Mouse from Grant Museum
Whereas Haldane’s mice moved from Bloomsbury to remain accessible for study, this mouse from the Grant Museum has been rendered available for scrutiny…
Featured Collection
Incomplete Journeys
Objects move in (and out of) museum collections in different ways. All the items in this case have been on journeys that may never be fully known,…
Recently Added Items
Objects recovered from the Thames
These objects are thought to be linked to Hindu religious practice. We do not know why they were in the river – perhaps they were disposed of as a…
Facsimile of the Mocatta Haggadah
UCL was the first English university to admit Jewish students, and several Jewish donors made generous gifts. Financier Frederic Mocatta established a…
Basket, Sudan
This basket with cowrie shell decoration is another item in UCL’s ethnography collection, which has a minimal record. Was it for ceremonial or…