The SFU Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology recently unveiled SFUwarts, an exhibit based on the fantastical wizarding world of Harry Potter, which contains a wide array of magical creatures and Hogwarts essentials for visitors to peruse.
Melanie Hart, a collections technician in the Department of Biology, explained the inspiration behind the exhibit: “It seems fitting for Halloween to do something a little bit more fun to try and engage more people in the museum.”
Some exhibit items, collected with the assistance of the museum’s work-study student Denee Renouf, include sea stars, quills, and pickled millipede. The display also features school supplies that might be required in one of Professor Snape’s infamous potions classes, with items such as griffon talons and flubberworm mucus.
The dragon blood, however, is fake. The museum’s curator Barbara Winter explained, “We don’t have any komodo dragons we could bleed, so I just made it up with corn syrup.”
Winter, who collaborated on this project with Hart, told The Peak that the whole thing began in jest: “I think as a joke, [Hart] said something like ‘Let’s do something on Harry Potter. I’ve got all kinds of weird stuff.’
“SFU is all about collaboration and it’s all about working with people in different areas,” said Winter. “In archaeology [. . .] we are always trying to get that collaboration and work in a more holistic fashion.”
The exhibit quickly began to attract attention. According to Winter, the Facebook page for the museum usually sits at around 75 likes, but has now been liked by over 1,000 users. The uptick in popularity occurred after Winter posted a Harry Potter-themed photograph on the museum’s Facebook page.
Those who have dropped by to see the exhibit firsthand have had nothing but positive responses at seeing such outlandish specimens, such as a Great Horned Owl and several bats.
A group of Grade 10 students from Gleneagle Secondary School enjoyed the exhibit, in particular the Snowy Owl. Hart and Winter said the students kept busy by taking “selfies with Hedwig.”
The bird specimens on display — which will later be used in science outreach programs — are strikingly similar to the real thing because they are, in fact, taxidermy samples.
Hart explained the general process of taxidermy: “It’s a bit gruesome. You take out the major bones, you leave in their legs, you leave in their skull, and you take out all the meat, clean the remaining skin and tissue and stuff them [with cotton,] and stitch them up.” She continued, “A well-preserved bird should last over 300 years.”
Hart explained the reason for choosing Harry Potter to showcase at the museum: “I think it makes it less intimidating for people if you can show that there is something familiar that they can come and look at and connect to it at a different level.”
Winter elaborated on the anthropological value of Harry Potter. “It’s a huge field and it has connections with a lot of people, because they can see the symbolism and they can see the way Harry Potter has grabbed the imagination of many people,” she said. “They can apply that using anthropological theory and principles.”
The exhibit runs until November 14 and students can ‘slytherin’ during the museum’s regular hours.
