At the Museum of Dubious Delights, those who are attracted to places like the London Dungeon and other horror collections can extend their fascinations with a range of more direct experiences.
A small sample of the many examples on offer include the following:
Swinging the executioner's axe that beheaded many, including the wives of Henry 8th (you chop a pumpkin in half
Operating the switch of an electric chair (to turn on a jumping human figure neon sign
Firing the Browning Pistol that started the First World War by assasinating Archduke Ferdinand (you get to shoot at a row of coconuts with smiley faces painted on them)
Some of the exhibits are not as dramatic, such as walking around in a pair of Charlie Manson's shoes, or wearing Lee Harvey Oswald's hat as you aim his rifle, but all are infamous, memorable, guaranteed authentic, and come with souvenir pics and a headlined certificate to verify the experience, such as "I Groomed My Moustache With Hitler's Comb"-- xenzag, Dec 28 2020 Thinking about the other side of the equation https://spookers.co.nz/There is supposed to be a sadness component. [wjt, Dec 29 2020] If you get weary of looking around the exhibits you can sit down and get some refreshments in the cafeteria. Here you will be given your own sachet of Kool-Aid powder to mix into water to reenact the Jonestown massacre.-- hippo, Dec 28 2020 They'll have to be the original items.
// Most of the pieces you'd want are in private hands or museum collections. //
At the moment. That can be changed. We might be persuaded to only use reasonable force.
We wish to book preview tickets for the museum's opening. [+]
<Lovingly fondles Nordern Mk. XV bombsight in Enola Gay/>
<Gloating cackle/>-- 8th of 7, Dec 28 2020 We fear you have failed to grasp the level of extreme authenticity we are contemplating for the "historical re-enactment" ...-- 8th of 7, Dec 28 2020 The customers in this case will be the ones in the cockpit, manning the camera positions, and most of all peering through the bombsight to line up on the "T-shaped" Aioi bridge ...-- 8th of 7, Dec 28 2020 The whole idea is built on the artefacts being totally authentic of course. Cold drink from Geoffrey's fridge anyone?-- xenzag, Dec 28 2020 Sounds exciting. I'm trying to think of an exhibit that would be something I would pay money to do...Oh yes, a peek into Dahmer's freezer.-- blissmiss, Dec 28 2020 Oh - there's plenty of material that exists. How about reading a few nursery rhymes via Dr Crippen's spectacles?-- xenzag, Dec 28 2020 I presume there will be an entire floor dedicated to this year?-- RayfordSteele, Dec 29 2020 There would definitely be the opportunity to use one of the golf clubs Trump spent most of his time swinging around, as hundreds of thousands of Americans died of Covid. Along with the club, there would be his famous dictator's sharpie. Visitors could sign and keep replica documents filled with all sorts of lies and mad beliefs, such as his endorsement of bleach drinking as a cure for Covid.-- xenzag, Dec 29 2020 Be fair, [xen]; if you imbibe a sufficient quantity of bleach, you won't suffer from coronavirus any more, so as far as it goes it's entirely correct.
Come on, give it a try. What could possibly go wrong ?
<Proffers brimming litre jug of Domestos/>
OK, so you won't suffer from anything else either (like, for instance, being alive) but the general principle holds good.
You really shouldn't be so judgemental without fully considering all the facts ...
// a larger museum of atrocities - no shortage of those! - with special (higher priced) tickets giving hands-on access to the limited exhibits. //
Could that "hands-on access" be extended to cover actual hands-on throttling (until life is declared extinct by an attendant physician) of TV talent contest competitors ?
Then, the remains could be suitably displayed - either by plastination, mummification, or being left out in gibbet-cages for the crows to peck at - as additional permanent exhibits.-- 8th of 7, Dec 29 2020 I already posted an idea about that some time ago. I think it was entitled "Could you survive the hands of the Boston Strangler" or words to that effect.-- xenzag, Dec 29 2020 //They'll have to be the original items.//
From a Museum curation and conservation point of view this is just not possible, and comes very close to being marked as bad science unless it is explicitly listed as using replica or reproduction items.
An object wears out and/or is damaged by handling; every time it is touched or moved there is micro damage to the surface and individual structure. Depending on the robustness of the object the museum may offer fairly free access to researchers or it may restrict access to almost no-one.
But handling access to the general public is never going to work. Yes, many museums have "handling collections" of genuine historical artefacts but these are usually selected from the collections as being non-unique "sacrificial" objects which may be abraded away by the hands of the public without any real loss to the integrity of the collections.-- pocmloc, Dec 30 2020 // non-unique "sacrificial" objects //
... such as TV talent show competitors.-- 8th of 7, Dec 30 2020 random, halfbakery