Beaty Biodiversity Museum Mounts
By Lesha Koop
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
beatymuseum.ubc.ca
I work as the mount-maker in the Beaty Biodiversity Museum at UBC in Vancouver, BC. I was given a very unique task when the museum had four large bighorn sheep donated from a private collection in 2015.
The two I’m focusing on are the Auodad and Armenian Mouflon sheep, as their mounts were the most complex. They came with old wooden plank mounts that needed refurbishing, as well as transformation into small landscapes that would reflect their habitats of origin in northern Africa and the Middle East, respectively.
I love new challenges and had never made landscape mounts, but the idea was fascinating and gave me the chance to learn some new skills. A lot of research and consultation with the tetrapod’s curator went into their habitats. Creating a sense of ecological diversity in mounts ranging from roughly 4 to 9 cubic feet was tricky, but was accomplished using foam carving techniques, a finishing cement layer, different colours of paint and the addition of dried plants and grasses.
The Auodad’s mount was based on parts of the northern Sahara landscape. My 24??? homemade foam cutter was no match for the complex rock structure I needed, so the Beaty purchased a Hot Wire Foam Factory Pro tool kit. Using the Sculpting Tool and Freehand Router tools opened up my ability to create wonderful rock textures. I really love being able to create custom wire shapes for different profiles!
The rocky landscape for the Armenian Mouflon, below, was modelled after (surprise!) Armenian landscapes, lichens and grasses I found on the Internet.. The 8??? Hot Knife, along with the Sculpting Tool and Freehand Router, was invaluable for adding texture and details. The addition of grasses was achieved using a gooey mix of dirt and a clear acrylic medium after the paint was cured and the Mouflon installed on the mount.
