Mystery Objects | MUSEUM FATIGUE

Mystery Object #27: Bible Faith Prosperity Handkerchief

February 27, 2019 by Museum Fatigue

Yesterday the mailman delivered an amazing mystery object right to my door. The moment I saw the envelope I was captivated. The outside of the letter informed me that the Holy Spirit had instructed someone to loan me something inside that would “turn things around for me!” It was something that I could use that would bring blessings. The back of the letter actually had a prayer printed on it that made reference to divine power, and a sealed prophecy […]

Categories: Mystery Objects, Objects of Power, Religion • Tags: bible faith prosperity handkerchief, handkerchief, prophecy, the gift

Mystery Object #26: Anti-Seat Belt Device

February 26, 2019 by Museum Fatigue

Every strategy of control has a tactic of resistance. While going through some photos this afternoon I was reminded of this fact by a photo I took of this little ingenious device that I saw in Nanjing last year. It is an “anti-seat belt device”—a buckle-shaped slug with a cute plastic bear head that inserts into the front seatbelt buckle to fool the car’s seatbelt warning signal. I’ve seen a few of these from time-to-time, but always forget to take […]

Categories: Hacking, Mystery Objects • Tags: automobile, everyday resistance, seat belt, tactics and strategies

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Mystery Object #25: Chinese Rockery Fountain

February 23, 2019 by Museum Fatigue

While visiting the Nanjing Confucius Temple area a few months ago with some visitors, I happened cross an incredible object. It was a water fountain for sale in a tourist shop at a dramatic discount. I was immediately captivated by its motion and drawn in by its fascinating and unconventional details. My companions initially thought that I was joking when I stopped to watch the fountain, and then after I inquired about its price, they realized I was serious. Look […]

Categories: China, Culture, Mystery Objects, Objects of Power, Uncategorized • Tags: water fountain

Mystery Object #24: Truck With Masculine Steel Ball Hitch

October 27, 2018 by Museum Fatigue

Today’s news that there has been an arrest in the case of the mysterious pipe bombs sent to vocal critics of Donald Trump was accompanied by images of the alleged perpetrator’s white van plastered with layers of partisan political stickers. This immediately reminded me of other such vehicles that I have seen over the years. Specifically, I recalled the red pickup truck of a Trump supporter that I saw in Arizona last year. The back of the truck was covered with […]

Categories: Colonialism, Gender, Mystery Objects • Tags: bumper stickers, masculinity, pickup truck

The Strange Case of Nanjing Bicycle Sacrifice

September 27, 2017 by Museum Fatigue

On two separate occasions, in different parts of Nanjing, I have observed a local practice of bicycle use that is a sad commentary on value and waste in urban Nanjing—bicycles chained to the ground along the side of the road as ritual sacrifice. While they were created to be ridden for transportation and enjoyment, the sad, twisted objects with their tortured frames pegged to the ground will never again be used as a means of locomotion. Their “bicycleness” has been […]

Categories: Bicycling, China, Mystery Objects, Ruins • Tags: automobiles, Nanjing, parking, trash

Mystery Object #23: Menu of Fake Stuff

April 24, 2016 by Museum Fatigue

This morning while cleaning my office I found an item I collected a few years ago while in Shanghai which I immediately thought should be considered a Mystery Object. It is a “menu of fake stuff” that I acquired from one of the many salespeople of knockoff consumer goods who troll the length of Nanjing Road. To walk the street as a foreigner is to be constantly accosted by the salespeople who slide up next to you, flip out a […]

Categories: Fakes and Forgeries, Mystery Objects • Tags: China

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Mystery Object #22: Pop Cowboy UniSex Shampoo

January 19, 2015 by Museum Fatigue

After a long day on the road, we checked in to our hotel in Pailn—a small town near the border with Thailand—and the first thing I wanted to do was take a shower. So, imagine my surprise when I found two mystery objects on the back of the toilet seat. On the front of the single use packages was written—”Pop Cowboy UniSex” featuring a cowboy and a cowgirl(?) together with the symbols ♀ and ♂ in pink. The cowboy even […]

Categories: Advertising, Bodies, Mystery Objects • Tags: cowboy, product, sexuality

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Mystery Object #21: Frosted Turkey Cake

November 27, 2014 by Museum Fatigue

This Thanksgiving featured something that I just couldn’t resist adding to my online collection of mystery objects—a cake frosted to look like a roast turkey, complete with frosted lettuce and carrot garnish. (I took a photo of it next to a butter dish for effect.) Why anyone would ever want a cake-shaped meat is beyond me, but its curious existence was a source of joy for folks assembled at our Thanksgiving table. Such a unique sugary creation harkens back to […]

Categories: Food, Mystery Objects • Tags: Sidney Mintz, sugar, Thanksgiving, turkey

Mystery Object #20: The Goat Almighty

August 2, 2014 by Museum Fatigue

The first night of this summer’s road trip we stopped in Chicago and enjoyed a meal at The Little Goat. As I often do, I asked the waiter to suggest something on the menu that is unique to the restaurant that I would regret not trying. Our server suggested the “Goat Almighty” a huge stack with a goat burger, braised beef, bbq pork, pickled jalapeños, salsa verde, onion rings and cheddar cheese. It was really a crazy thing to […]

Categories: Consumption, Food, Mystery Objects • Tags: burger, excess, Goat Almighty, The Little Goat

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Mystery Object #19: Breasts and Personal Technology

May 31, 2014 by Museum Fatigue

Subject to continual upgrade cycles and constant and dependable obsolesce, our personal technology resist the attachment and love that we develop for them. While we take them everywhere and learn to depend on them for communication, entertainment and even to find a bite to eat—the technology pushes back and resists our advances—never retaining the object-histories that might give them human meaning over time. With no history our personal technology never develop the patinas of value that speak to their interaction […]

Categories: Bodies, Gender, Mystery Objects, Technology • Tags: accessories, affection, breasts, crack chic, iPhone, mouse pad, personal technology, puni puni, steampunk

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