The Petrie Museum is part of UCL and very small. To get to the Museum, you have to go through an office, which was a bit strange as I didn't exactly know if I was in the correct place. A lady greeted me and told me I couldn't use flash photography, then I went through. She didn't mention anything about the lighting or the fact that there were torches to use. I knew before I went that they offer torches and assumed they would do it before entering the museum. I looked around and about half way round, there was a board with some hanging torches. I took one, but then had to retrace my steps to look at the details closely. The artifacts are in dim lighting to help preserve the collection. I liked to idea of the visitors being in charge of the lighting in this sense and they focus on what they want to see.
The Museum reminded me a bit of the Pitt Rivers Museum, not only because torches are offered there as well but because of the layout of glass cases and the arrangement of the collection, there is so much it is difficult to take everything in. Everything is labelled and arrangeed insome sort of order.
The environment of the Museum is carefully monitored. Dimmer lights had notices on them saying, to strictly not change the main light settings. There were monitors to record the humidity of the air and the atmosphere in the cases which were clearly on view, as if part of the collection. I liked the fact that students come and work on the artifacts in the museum in front of the collection. As I was leaving some students were setting up and started working there. The visitors are able to watch and ask questions about what they are doing. Its good to see some behind the scenes work on display.
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