I recently visited the Pitt Rivers museum to do research for my dissertation as the museum holds a large collection of ethnographic objects. I was really struck by the layout of the display cabinets. Firstly, the objects were not displayed according to origin like in most museums but by what kind of object they were, for example instruments or masks. Secondly, each cabinet was so crammed full it was hard to focus on any one piece. This display really did look like a collection, none of the objects seemed to have an elevated status of 'artwork' as they can do in some museums. The room was very dimly lit and so from an aesthetic point of view, the displays seemed a little underwhelming. I thought this was very interesting as the museum felt more like a cabinet of curiosities than an informative or artistic display. In relation to my work about the Dogon artefacts, this shows how all authenticity, meaning and purpose surrounding them are immediately lost when displayed in European museums. Perhaps in Malian museums the objects would be displayed as a celebration of culture and heritage but here the objects were presented as curios and this arrangement frankly felt a little racist.