CONVERGENCE NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2016

BARNEY SMITH’S TOILET
SEAT ART MUSEUM IN
TEXAS, USA
Covering every inch of the museum’s
walls are toilet seats and lids decorated
with all sorts of materials. Retired master
plumber Barney Smith was inspired by
his father who had a penchant for
mounting plaques and trophies. Smith
noticed a similarity between the
mounting boards and the toilet seats
he worked with every day and soon
began collecting used seats that he
would then paint or adorn with bright
trinkets. Working in his garage, the
space filled up over the years with his
creations and he decided to open it as
a “museum” to anyone who wanted to
take a look at his toilet seats.
Travel
AVANOS HAIR MUSEUM IN
CAPPADOCIA, TURKEY
Created by Turkish potter Chez Galip,
rumour has it that the museum started
after one of his friends gave him a lock
of her hair as a parting gift. Since then,
the women who visited his place and
heard the story gave him a piece of
their hair with their complete address.
Throughout the years, he has amassed
16,000 locks of hair of varying colours.
Twice a year, ten winners are picked off
the walls and are given an all-expensespaid
week-long vacation in Cappadocia.
VENT HAVEN MUSEUM
A.K.A VENTRILOQUISM
MUSEUM IN KENTUCKY,
USA
Vent Haven Museum is the only museum
that houses more than 800 figures,
thousands of photographs and an
extensive library of vent-related books,
some of which date back to the 1700’s.
Established 43 years ago, today, the
museum hosts an annual international
convention for more than 600
ventriloquists attracting more than a
thousand people each year. Scared of
dolls? You might want to sit this one out.
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