The Museum of Jurassic Technology
Posted by Vanessa
July 23, 2008
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One of my favourite places in LA is the eerie, uncanny Museum of Jurassic Technology located in Culver City. I think I read that it has won an award as a work of art, and once you visit, it’s easy to see why. Locked behind a large steel door that gives it a perpetually closed look, upon first entering you watch a very bizarre video on the ‘Jurassic age’ and then meander through a series of strange and wonderous exhibits which include a room based around Napolean; a display of model trailer parks; a room dedicated to old wives tale cures made in sculpture form and a display of cat’s cradles. Phones dot the walls and make strange noises. Lifting the receiver of one you hear odd wailings that turn out to be the voice of the opera singer whose story you later encounter, another will be the barking of a dog.
The whole place, in fact, feels like an episode of ‘Round the Twist’ come to life – you feel that at any minute you might get sucked into one of the exhibits. The wonder of the place is unchanged when you finally emerge into a small room at the end where tea and biscuits are served, for free. A large brass tea urn sits in the middle and a large, lean greyhound does the rounds. I haven’t quite worked out what the inspiration or purpose of this museum is, but it feeds into my love of gothic novels somehow – it’s unnerving and endlessly fascinating. I recommend anyone who visits LA to go there, a zillion miles from the fakery and plastic sunshine one might associate with the city.
3 comments Categories: about us, adventure, art, local guide, los angeles
July 23rd, 2008 at 11:39 am
I’ll give it a go next time I’m over – it sounds like it wins over Ripley’s Believe It or Not.
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:51 pm
It does! It does! But I like Ripley’s too. Oddities are fun.
July 23rd, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Shpoooky, I was actually going to ask if you’d been there. It’s Werner Herzhog’s favourite bit of LA, you see. It featured on the Imagine with him and Alan Yentob. God I hate Alan Yentob…