The National Poo Museum on the Isle of Wight, southern England, is a museum dedicated to the collection, conservation and display of faeces. The museum, which opened on 25 March 2016, originally as a mobile museum, is now permanently located at Sandown Barrack Battery.[1][2]
 | |
 A 'poo tree' at Sandown Zoo | |
  Location of Sandown Battery | |
| Established | 25 March 2016 |
|---|---|
| Location | Mobile, to be Sandown Barrack Battery, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 50°39′01″N 1°09′38″W / 50.650406°N 1.16045°W |
| Founder | Daniel Roberts, Nigel George, Dave Badman |
| Website | www.poomuseum.org |
Overview
editThe faeces are displayed in resin spheres, where it can be viewed and held. The process involves drying the poo, which can take up to two weeks, before it is encapsulated and placed in a vacuum chamber, so that air bubbles are removed.[3] The main aim of the museum is to break down the 'taboo' surrounding poo in human life,[4] and the museum hopes to do this by receiving donations of poo from celebrities.[5][6] The museum also aims to educate people about the issues related to poo including dog fouling[broken anchor] and sanitation.[1]
The museum was founded by members of Eccleston George who are "a collection of creative people who work together on many different kinds of projects", based on the Isle of Wight.[7]
Poo at the Zoo
editThe first public exhibition, named Poo at the Zoo, opened on 25 March 2016 at the Isle of Wight Zoo, where 20 excrements belonging to different animals were on display. The animals and faeces included:[8][1]
- Lesser Madagascan Tenrec
- Tawny Owl
- Lion
- Meerkat
- Cow
- Fox
- Human baby
- 38 million-year-old poo
- A 140 million-year-old coprolite
- A poo with teeth and bones in it
- A poo that looks like a cereal bar
- A child's shoe which a cat has marked by pooing in it
The faeces came from animals at the zoo, faeces collected elsewhere and faeces donated by the Dinosaur Isle museum.[1]
Sandown Barrack Battery
editSandown Barrack Battery is a 19th-century fort built on the southwest coast of the Isle of Wight.[9] The National Poo Museum is converting two of the derelict buildings at the battery in order to house exhibits permanently and build a cafe. This is being done with £15,000 from the local authority and a further £2,500 from a crowdfunding campaign.[10][6]
Reception
editThe crowdfunding campaign received money from 76 donors over 42 days.[11] The campaign was supported by Kate Humble, the presenter of Curious Creatures - a nature quiz TV series on BBC Two. The series used faeces provided by the museum for a round called 'Whose poo?' where contestants guessed the animal which the faeces belonged to.[12] Humble, a wildlife presenter, said that "The world would be a much poorer place without the National Poo Museum".[13]
Gallery
edit-
Faeces undergoing the drying process -
Lion poo in a resin sphere outside Sandown Library -
The surface of the faeces has to be frozen before being collected, so that it does not lose its shape -
Lion poo (right) and human poo (left) at Sandown Library -
Fox poo in a resin sphere -
Unique cube-shaped wombat poo awaiting processing and preservation -
Red panda poo awaiting processing and preservation
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d "National Poo Museum plans new home on Isle of Wight". www.bbc.co.uk. 5 April 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
- ^ "Home". The National Poo Museum. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- ^ Silver, Katie (12 July 2016). "Five surprising uses of poo". UK: BBC. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- ^ "Isle of Wight National Poo Museum applies to make big push in permanent home". www.countypress.co.uk. 24 August 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- ^ Robinson, Peter (10 April 2019). "From the joke shop to the high street: why poo is no longer taboo". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
- ^ a b Gelblum, Ben (16 April 2018). "National Poo Museum launches crud-funder: appealing for celebrity "donations"". thelondoneconomic.com. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ "About us". Eccleston George. Archived from the original on 28 August 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- ^ "Welcome to Isle of Wight Zoo!". www.isleofwightzoo.com. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- ^ Historic England. "Sandown Barrack Battery (1019195)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ "Isle of Wight's National Poo Museum to open loo exhibit". BBC News. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ "Build The National Poo Museum". Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ "Kate Humble: 'Never think animal people are fluffy and sweet, Curious Creatures was tooth and claw!'". whatsontv.co.uk. 15 June 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ Humble, Kate [@katehumble] (30 March 2018). "The world would be a much poorer place without the National Poo Museum. And we wouldn't have nearly so much fun on #CuriousCreatures (back soon, folks!) so please, I poolitely beg you (!) to support this fantastic institution" (Tweet) – via Twitter.