No bones about it . . . new museum one of mystery

EVERYBODY has a skeleton or two in their closet.

But few have as many as Bruce Mahalski.

The Dunedin mural artist and sculptor has skulls and bones from humans and more than 300 species of animal in his house — many of which have been turned into works of art.

And now he has them on public display in his front rooms, alongside other ‘‘biological curiosities, ethnological art and unusual cultural artefacts’’ which he has collected over time.

From the street, 61 Royal Tce looks just like any other house. But officially, it is called the Dunedin Museum of Natural Mystery, and it opened to the public yesterday.

‘‘The museum is a little bit hard to describe,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s almost like a picture of my world view. I can’t describe it in 10 words, 100 or 1000. You have to come and see it.’’

Mr Mahalski said some people might see all the bones as macabre, but he saw them as ‘‘evidence of life, not death’’.

‘‘Some people are always going to have that reaction, and I see that as part of social conditioning. We are conditioned to see bones and remains as death.

‘‘A lot of this is about trying to honour the lives of the animals that lived, and recycling is definitely a part of it.

‘‘I see organic remains as being beautiful and I would like to keep the animal alive by preserving it in art.’’

Among his collection is a range of skulls, including the skull of a fossilised Mosasaur, a giraffe skull and the skull of a mal formed cow which had a single horn growing out of its forehead.

Other unusual objects include a plate belonging to the last man who was hanged in England for sheep stealing; a deck of cards with the faces of wanted Gulf War criminals on them; a piece of wood from Borley Rectory (one of the most haunted houses in England); and a clay sculpture which was allegedly damaged by a poltergeist at the haunted Inverlochy Art School in Wellington.

Mr Mahalski still lives at the back of the house.

And, despite all the ghoulish exhibits in the rooms next door, he said he slept well at night.

‘‘There haven’t been any strange noises or goingson that I can’t explain, because I’ve got a couple of Nkisi [magical sculptures] from the Congo.

‘‘They scare away any bad paranormal entities.

‘‘They’re like witchrepellant things. They’ve got all these magical substances built into the structure and symbols on the outside so they keep the house free.

‘‘And at the same time, if anybody comes into the house who is not welcome, or they steal something, they [the Nkisi] will actively put a curse on them.’’

Mr Mahalski said the museum would be open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10am6pm, but if it proved popular, he would consider opening it four days a week.

People under 18 are not permitted unless accompanied by an adult, and surprisingly, people can take dogs into the museum — but understandably, only if they are on a lead.

PHOTOS: GERARD O’BRIEN Feeling sheepish . . . Dunedin Museum of Natural Mystery owner Bruce Mahalski in front of his wall of sheep skulls.

What lies within . . . The Dunedin Museum of Natural Mystery at 61 Royal Tce.

Sheep Goddess . . . This lifesize bust, made from animal bones, combines the texture of a sheep with the face and bust of a young woman.

Portrait . . . A human skull inside a matrix of cup sponges and bones from Ngawi, inside a recycled kauri timber box.

Life after death . . . The life of a steer is preserved in this artwork made from a matrix of bones, teeth and skulls from various animals.

For soul music . . . This artwork guitar can be played. It is made mainly of wood and the bones of a hedgehog, a stoat, a weasel, a rabbit, a rat, a magpie, a hawk, a gull, a possum, a pukeko, a duck, a sparrow, a thrush, a stingray, a moa, a cat, a...