Bird Library’s ‘Mummy Dearest’ exhibit unwraps history, horror and Halloween
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A walk through the first floor of Syracuse University’s Bird Library reveals not just bandages and pictures of decaying bodies, but literature, art and entertainment that have shaped modern civilization’s depiction of mummies. From pictures of the dead to 20th-century Mexican films, exhibit viewers are enriched with everything mummy: past and present.
“I never really thought about the mummy as kind of having this deep component to it with different aspects,” Stephen Singer said. “I hope to convey the message that a mummy is just not an Egyptian stereotype.”
That’s why Singer, Bird’s Access Services Supervisor and Exhibits Specialist, curated the “Mummy Dearest” exhibit, a compilation that aims to share how the preservation of humans after death has impacted today’s culture. Centered around two themes, the exhibit is divided into two display cases: “Mummies from Around the World” and “The Mummy in Popular Culture.”
Through pyramids, hieroglyphs, movies and even video games, the exhibit explores how mummies have influenced modern-day media. Singer said that “Mummies from Around the World” explains how mummies are found everywhere, not just in ancient Egypt, as stereotypes may claim. Open through the entire month of October, Singer figured the Halloween season would be the most appropriate time for the exhibit, he said.
“I would always see the mummy a lot in my childhood and not as much now, and it’s sort of always depicted as being solely part of Egyptian culture,” SU junior James Cummings, an exhibit attendee, said.
Unlike other Bird exhibits, “Mummy Dearest” doesn’t use one artist or medium whose meaning is up for interpretation. Through posters, documents, books, and statues, “Mummy Dearest” is more informative, providing item descriptions for each object.
Bog bodies, ice mummies and baby animals are some of the least common but still prevalent examples of mummification. The exhibit teaches viewers about the colder temperatures in Northern Europe and how they created the ideal environment for preserving human remains.
Another part of the exhibit explains an unusual case of mummification dating back to 16th-century Europe, where dried dead cats were concealed between walls and floorboards. The animals would be packed with sand and soil before being wrapped in linen and stored in brick structures. The practice was done for different reasons, from religious offerings to preserving former pets.
Inside an exhibit case, photos display the difference between naturally and artificially preserved mummies. “Accidental mummies” are formed naturally, while “purposeful mummies” are preserved intentionally, Singer said. The exhibit emphasized that mummies tell the story of the lives and environments of the dead.
The second section, “The Mummy in Popular Culture,” discusses the remnants of the mummy in today’s society.
Singer said modern media depicts mummies differently than older literature. Universal Pictures used the image of the mummy in 1930s and 1940s films like “The Mummy,” “The Mummy’s Hand” and “The Mummy’s Tomb.” They displayed mummies as bandaged, supernatural beings.
Mummy stories gave readers the ability to view humanity across enormous distances in time, an exhibit panel reads. After gaining popularity in Europe, mummies found a natural place in Gothic fiction. According to the exhibit, the mummy was more than just human remains: It tells the story of morality, previous cultures and the results of disturbing the past. Featuring objects like a handmade dodongo figurine and Anne Rice’s 1989 novel “The Mummy, or Ramses the Damned,” the display shows the modern-day representation of the mummy.
The exhibit also shows how Mexican cinema developed a distinct approach to mummies through low-budget horror films, as well as professional wrestling. Directors made movies like 1957’s “The Aztec Mummy” and 1964’s “The Wrestling Women vs. the Aztec Mummy.”
“(Studios) sold packages of films, but also games which were amazingly popular and influenced a whole generation of kids,” Singer said.
Two-dimensional video games in the 1970s and 1980s, like Konami’s “Tutankham,” featured many Egyptian mummy references, such as pyramids with trapdoors, hidden rooms and treasure guarded by snakes.
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After playing a variety of video games throughout his life, SU freshman attendee Alexander Villalba was shocked to learn about the culture of the mummy. Villalba was passing through the library when he noticed the exhibit.
“I never thought to consider the meaning behind the mummies portrayed in the games,” Villalba said.
Today, the mummy is a familiar figure to children and adults alike on Halloween. However, Singer said the popularity of the mummy has declined since zombies have taken over the spooky season.
Unlike most Halloween monsters, the mummy has existed throughout the majority of history. They exist as both figures in popular culture and as preserved remains.
“A mummy is not just an undead piece of Egyptian culture,” Singer said. “There are all types and all kinds of processes found everywhere.”
