This webpage shows archived content for the Nothing Without Us: Experiences of Disability gallery trail, that was on display at the Pitt Rivers Museum from 16 November 2023 until 7 April 2025.
Shaping the Body and the Mind
Nothing Without Us: Experiences of Disability at the Pitt Rivers Museum
Human Form in Art Displays, Cases 147, 148A, and 149, Ground Floor
Depictions of the human body show different shapes and behaviours. Do these shapes and behaviours translate into reality? Where might we recognise disability, and what might that tell us?
Fashioning the Mask
Ceramic Animal-Masked Head. Pottery, Zapotec, Central Mexico. Purchased by the Pitt Rivers Museum in 1948. PRM 1948.3.5B.
I find it interesting that these figures are designed to represent some kind of ideal human. It makes me think about the importance we place on masking; or rather, the importance of masking that is put on us by society. The emotions you can see in this case are, by their very nature, studied. In my early teens, I had to spend a lot of time studying social cues in order to gain access to social spaces. I think most people don’t realise just how much of human interaction is based on rituals. When these things don’t come naturally, you essentially learn them like scripts.
Netsuke of a mask of a man with a pointed beard. Wood, Japan (made before 1920). Donated the Pitt Rivers Museum in 1980. PRM 1980.34.161
Netsuke of a child climbing on a sleeping woman. Ivory, Japan (made before 1939). Donated to the Pitt Rivers Museum in 1980. PRM 1980.34.2566.
Charming and mischievous, these Japanese netsuke helped fasten personal items to a man’s kimono, perhaps giving us a glimpse of their personalities. Fun and play are really important to me and my daughter. Not only for creating joy, but also in helping us learn and communicate with one another. Both these netsuke and the performance masks across from them caught our eyes and made us wonder about all the games they might wish to play.
Sarah and Lucy S., A mother and daughter who love to play!
Rice spoon with handle carved with two figures embracing. Wood, Ifugoa, Philippines (made before 1913). Purchased by the Pitt Rivers Museum in 1913. PRM 1913.77.13.
Everybody needs care. We love that this spoon - a normal everyday item - lets you feel the embrace with each use.
Sarah and Lucy S., a mother and daughter who give loads of hugs.
This co-produced gallery trail was developed in partnership with the Curating for Change project. Supported by Accentuate and Screen South, the project provides opportunities for D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people to pursue a curatorial career in museums.