Life as Content Creator in the Digital Media team at National Museums Scotland certainly offers variety as I work with such a diverse collection over several sites. I need to be knowledgeable in all things animal, vegetable and mineral on a world wide scale. One minute I can be investigating a rare Pied Tamarin specimen from Brazil and then I can be looking at the facial reconstruction of an Ancient Egyptian Queen.
Recently, I’ve been close up and personal with some characters that were taking part in our Slice of Life sessions. These historical characters, played by actors, tell visitors all about life in their day. The Punishment Wifie was first. This 17th century gossip describes the various different punishments meted out for misdemeanours during the reign of James VI. I visited her as she was performing next to The Maiden (our very own beheading machine). I spent some 10 minutes stuck in the stocks while videoing the Punishment Wifie in action – it was not the most comfortable experience I’ve had but it did attract a quite a large crowd. Next, I met with Douglas Hamilton, Amateur Geologist, he certainly rocked!
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/13733903]
I’ve also been finding out a bit more about the bat species we have at National Museum of Rural Life, During August and September, a series of Evening Bat Walks takes place to monitor the two species we have at Wester Kittochside, the Common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) and Soprano pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pygmaeus). Pipistrelles are the most common British bats, and a single pip can eat 3,000 tiny insects in just one night!
