Museum Of Jurassic Technology

03/23/09

Gotta See IT For Yourself

by 3cp at Citysearch

I visited this museum on friend recommendation only, they tried to explain but just said "you gotta go see it for your self". So read the reviews but in the end it won't do you any justice....you gotta see it for yourself.

• Pros: Not what you would expect

02/06/08

The Cone of Confabulation

by caligari at Citysearch

If you havent been, dont try to understand beforehand, just go. It defies words or explanation. It's sort of like a temple for a secret society that you are initiated into on your first visit. Evokes the following feelings... JG Ballard, Mutter Museum, The Brothers Quay, Jan Svankmeyer, Alchemy, Max Ernst, Proust, Dystopia, Decay, Surrealism, Guy Maddin and Clever jokes...

11/26/07

Beyond Weird

by jhoolko at Citysearch

There are almost no words to describe this place. From the skeleton of a European mole to a miniature, lit-up model of a trailer park, the exhibits and displays in this museum range from incredible to useless to decaying and broken. It's almost pitch black in there and kind of maze-like, and once you're in you'll be caught in a world of weird you never saw coming from the outside. My favorite is the room dedicated to the canines of the Russian space progam, complete with a painted portrait of each pooch. Everything in here is bizarre, though not everything is completely baffling or incredible in the Ripley's tradition. This is more of an experience, where you have to wonder why these things are even in a glass case to begin with. Half of it is unlabeled or broken, and I still don't know if that's intentional or the result of minimal upkeep. An enigma at the very least, and one you might want to try bending your mind around on a rainy day.

• Pros: If you like weird, you'll love this place
• Cons: Don't come looking for a typical museum experience. Expect creepy and unexplained.

05/16/06

Great experience and SO unique!

by amiegleed at Citysearch

LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! If you are looking for an unusual, surprising and charming afternoon's entertainment, than this is just the spot for you. One part Joseph Cornell, one part alchemist's laboratory, the atmosphere inside this storefront museum is utterly unique and hypnotic. It's very dark, uncrowded and gothic, and you feel like you're anywhere but LA while perusing the "exhibits". Many of them are interactive (3D glasses, microscopes, etc. are required for viewing the dioramas and miniature artworks), which only increases the centuries-old vibe.

If you are looking for a mini Smithsonian, The Museum of Jurassic Technology is not for you.

• Pros: Inexpensive, Unique, Not Crowded

04/18/06

Artifacts blend with artifice in this somber parody of a cultural and scientific history museum.

by Contributor at Citysearch

The Scene
Harkening back to earlier centuries when museums were the domains of idiosyncratic collectors and not state-run institutions, curator David Wilson presents a collection of curiosities geared more towards imparting wonder than knowledge. MJT's mysterious ambience and phantasmagorical blend of fact and fiction creates a dream-like atmosphere, like nodding off over a musty and questionable book of traveler's tales.

The Collection
A dark warren of galleries is filled with preternaturally glowing vitrines and the sound of tinkling bells. Studiously mounted displays clarify the nature of the Cameroonean stink ant. Wonder how bats use sonar to pass through solid matter? Find out here. Other extraordinary exhibits include microscopic portraits of Pope John Paul sculpted in a strand of human hair, a magnetic fortune-telling machine crafted by a 17th-century Jesuit and meticulous dioramas of trailers interpreted as Ark-like repositories of human culture. All this and not a single Jurassic fossil in sight.

09/01/03

Not for everyone, but ...

by edh at Citysearch

Many museum visitors will be vexed and frustrated by the Museum of Jurassic Technology. That is a large part of its curator's intentions. This is not a museum of odd things, rather, the museum itself is the odd thing. If it connects, you will love it and never forget it. The MJT is my own all time favorite museum. But I don't recommend it to those who prefer to have everything clearly explained.

• Pros: Uniqueness, Creativity, Humor
• Cons: Obscure

11/02/02

jurassic me please...

by katesweater at Citysearch

TOTALLY AMAZING.

this museum looks as if it were put together by someone who had never seen a museum before, but had been living in a cavern and recieved directions on "how-to-build-your-own-museum"

every detail is amazing, from the mineature mobile-home display, to the barking man, to amazing displays which mix sound and visuals...

AMAZING experience

• Pros: inexpensive, suprising
• Cons: hard to find

08/16/02

not worth your time

by AH123 at Citysearch

I'm definitely into wierd museums but this one was just a waste of time. Half of the exhibits did not work. Of the ones that did - half of those didn't have descriptions. Plus, It's too dark to see anything. The concept is similar to Ripley's but not half as interesting.

• Pros: inexpensice
• Cons: lack of exhibits

08/10/02

Waste of Time and Space

by olibo at Citysearch

The museum was a huge disappointment after reading the positive reviews listed here at CitySearch. Most exhibits did not work and, for the most part, were poorly labeled. If a creepy atmosphere is what you seek then satisfaction is guaranteed, otherwise don't waste your time with this haphazard collection of mystic garbage. Head over to Hollywood Boulevard and tour Ripley's Believe It or Not, at least you'll know exactly what it is you're gawking at.

• Pros: Donation optional
• Cons: No parking

05/14/02

Reality Bites

by JaneTunks_Citysearch at Citysearch

A whimsical and interesting mix of fact and fiction. Only the curators know what's real. A must-stop for any devotee of obscure and arcane knowledge.