#goldweights

SPOTLIGHT – ON VOLUNTEERS

Hello, I’m Michael and I have been a volunteer at the World Art section of Brighton Museum & Art Gallery for over a year now. Once a week I work alongside the curatorial staff in their quest to update their collection records.

I have a background in science having obtained a PhD in Geophysics and an interest in art & design, art history, linguistics and creative writing. As a visual artist working mainly within the digital medium I exhibit my work locally at various venues.

All this creativity drew me to volunteer at the museum where I can use my skills in logical thinking and computer software to help with archiving tasks. Cataloguing objects of World Art brings me closer to artefacts from all over the world, giving me in return inspiration for my artwork.

I’m currently working on a project involving gold weights made of metal alloys such as cast bronze. This is a process of making sure the identification number written on the object is correct and is the same as on the database, catalogue card and the written accession register. To do this I need to have good observation and comprehension skills, matching up descriptive text to the object in front of me. It’s all done in easy steps though so it is not hard to learn what to do – and each week brings up a new challenge.

I really enjoy working on an important task like this and chatting to museum staff over a cup of tea and a biscuit!

I’d recommend volunteering to anyone who is looking for a rewarding day with a twist.

Michael Kalkbrenner, volunteer at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, World Art section

INTERESTING:  The gold weights (some are pictured above) were metal objects used in West Africa and were placed on scales in order to determine the weight of gold which could then be exchanged for other objects such as cowrie shells acting as currency. More information on these will feature on this site in the coming months.

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If you wish to volunteer please follow this link below:

http://brightonmuseums.org.uk/discover/category/volunteer-opportunity/

Akan Goldweights, Ghana – To 10 Africa Arts

Akan Goldweights, Ghana Also referred to as “mrammou”, these were used as a measuring system by the people of Akan. These weights are usually made from bronze and were used before paper money and coins were introduced. It is said…

The post Akan Goldweights, Ghana – To 10 Africa Arts appeared first on Network Africa.

Akan Goldweights, Ghana – To 10 Africa Arts

Akan Goldweights, Ghana Also referred to as “mrammou”, these were used as a measuring system by the people of Akan. These weights are usually made from bronze and were used before paper money and coins were introduced. It is said…

The post Akan Goldweights, Ghana – To 10 Africa Arts appeared first on Network Africa.