Mona Looks Ugly from the Side

...but the discrepancy between the physical artefact and its cultural aftermath is even more fascinating. Let’s look at mummies as a very real object: a deceased human (or animal) whose skin and organs have been preserved, either intentional or accidental. Within a confusing hyperreal whirlwind of Halloween paraphernalia, Hollywood blockbusters and simplified Egyptian imagery, there is not very much left of the original. And what is left of the mummy in the cultural ruins of our mass media society is definitely not rare or valuable. And let’s face it; I have never seen a mummy in my life if I remember correctly. And if I have ever seen one it has made no lasting impression on me whatsoever. The symbol of the mummy has obliterated its original ancestor.