In Culver City, about four LA blocks from a place that sells used tires and and In-n-Out Burger, stands a strange landmark of the Los Angeles art scene. Opened in 1988, the Museum of Jurassic Technology is equal parts 18th century cabinet of curiosity and modern science museum. In fact, fans of the MJT are to this day still debating which, if any, of the exhibits are real. But that is the point: the Museum of Jurassic Technology is trying to promote bewilderment and uncertainty.In a 2001 NPR interview, founder and curator and Guggenheim fellow David Wilson went to bat for confusion. “Confusion can be a very creative state of mind; in fact, confusion can act as a vehicle to open people’s minds. The hard shell of certainty can be shattered…”Beyond its fascinating commentary on the authoritarian role of the modern museum, the Museum of Jurassic Technology is also home to some of the zany crap to ever be professionally cataloged—not unlike Peter the Great’s pretty great Kunstkamera or Richard Garriot’s basement of wonder except you are allowed to go if you pay for the privilege. They’ve got a micro-miniature sculpture of Pope John Paul II carved from a single human hair, microscopic collages made from individual butterfly wing scales, and something about a bat that can fly through walls using X-rays.And just so you know I’m not making this up, the New York Times’ Edward Rothstein just discovered the place. There’s also a fantastic book about it, Mr. Wilson’s Cabinet of Curiosities, by Lawrence Weschler. But don’t read those things. Just go.Museum of Jurassic Technology is at 9341 Venice Boulevard, at Bagley Avenue, Culver City, Calif.; (310) 836-6131 or mjt.org. It also sits directly next to another unusual cultural institution, the Center for Land Use Interpretation.
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