Caleb White

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ The second exhibition on my whistlestop tour was to be found just next door in the ST Lee Gallery of Weston Library. Curated by M. Aroney and D. Zeitlyn, 'Oracles, Omens and Answers', had more floorspace to play with, and used it to introduce interactive elements to their exploration of divination across time and cultures.  Image via CCTdigital.com  Upon entry, you are immediately greeted by a carnival-esque wheel which, when spun, presents you with a number. Corresponding numbers hidden in certain cabinets turned the whole exhibition into a playful act of divination. The numbers, when found, were attached to oblique horoscope style predictions. The wheel, however, was completely stiff, not spinnable. Though, for the sake of participation, let's imagine that I got given the number 6.  Image via New Scientist Throughout the exhibition, different displays present material evidence of different forms of divination, from cartomancy to astrology and all in betwe...

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ En route to visit relatives for Christmas, I found myself back in Oxford with a decent slice of time to kill. What better use of it than visit some temporary exhibitions. The next three reviews were visited in relatively quick succession on the 19th of December 2024.  Image via The Bodleian Write Cut Rewrite could be found in Weston Library's treasury room, across the street from the Radcliffe Camera, all the way towards the back right of the spacious entrance hall. It was on display between February 2024 and January 2025 - having been curated by D. van Hulle and M. Nixon. Their accompanying book sits conspicuously above a bookshelf, visible as you enter.  The treasury is a rather small, single room exhibition space, and - this time - it is home to four central square cabinets. The walls are separated into thematic displays. The final element is the aforementioned bookshelf, containing published copies of the works under consideration in the exhibition. I wo...