MUSEUM

Historically Museums are collections of the collections of the aristocratic and the privileged.

Black Barn is a private gallery, opened by appointment rather than to passing visitors. The section showing now is drawn from the collections of anonymous collectors.

Cabinets of Curiosity, Kunstkammer, Wunderkammer and Skatzkammer were the names given to the private collections of the aristocratic, the wealthy and the gentleman connoisseur.

The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford's founding collection was made from the collection of Elias Ashmole. Ashmole acquired 'The Ark', a Cabinet of Curiosities of the Tradescants who were plant collectors in Lambeth in the employment of Charles I and the Duke of Buckingham.

The British Museum's founding collection was the library and collection of George II and the collection of Sir Hans Sloan who, apart from his own collection, had acquired the collections of other collectors including the Cabinet of Curiosities of William Courten.

This Museum is made from a collection of the collections of ordinary people; it is made from what is collected in front rooms, in sheds and in bedrooms.

The collections of anonymous collectors: glass fish, miniatures, Barbie dolls, foreign dolls, dolphins, ceramic flowers, Avon bottles, painted eggs, cruets, cottage ware, honey pots and novelty Christmas candles.

Not on display: My Little Pony, Happy Meal toys, Teletubbies, royal newspaper cuttings, sand souvenirs, owls, peg dolls, ugly plates, matchboxes and hatpins.

The collections of Hugh Pilkington: pick n' mix sweets, female archetypes, male archetypes, aquarium furniture, squeaky pet toys (Christmas), squeaky pet toys (novelty), ball things, things to look at, Soviet era tree decorations, beach rope, beach plastic, knots, Polly Pocket houses, children's art, outsider art, lions, parrots, film stills, 78 rpm records, player-piano rolls, street art, try-out pads, shopping lists, 9/11 newspapers, Ulrika Johansson - the front pages, gallery invitations, found film, found slides and knitted things.