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Karl Mercer

@karlantmercer.bsky.social
246 followers 300 following 660 posts

Curating Visibility Fellow at Dover Museum. Deal Man fan account. Curator, writer, poet and musician. Actually autistic disability activist.

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Karl Mercer @karlantmercer.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
It's awards season! You know what that means! To all the orgs grinding, achieving and innovating, but don't have time, staff, or network to nominate themselves, money to pay for their nominations, or money to go to the shockingly expensive ceremonies - I see you, keep up the great work.
An image of former United States President Barack Obama (back, right) placing an award medal around the neck of a smiling Barack Obama (front, left). Behind them is a gold curtain, and both Obamas are wearing a black suit with white shirt and black tie.
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Karl Mercer @karlantmercer.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
Still just a potato.
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Dover Museum & Bronze Age Boat Gallery @dovermuseum.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
Watch until the end for our special guest feature! Over on Dover Museum's reels we've been sharing The 12 Displays of Christmas each day. Here's the 12th and final day for you all. Join in! 🎵"On the twelfth day of Christmas in Dover's Galleries..."🎵 #12daysofChristmas #twelfthday #Dover #Deal
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Lizzy Sharpe @lizzysharpe.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
Last Christmas, I had an idea that I wanted to do the 12 Displays of Christmas in Dover's Galleries. After a difficult and eventful year, it didn't happen. This Christmas it did 👏Thanks to my talented friend and colleague @karlantmercer.bsky.social who put it to lyrics, performed and edited it all.
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Steve @kingsdowner.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
When in Dover….. visit @dovermuseum.bsky.social. Currently exhibiting a history of Crabble sports ground (the terraces have some great wild plants) and an immersive VR presentation that includes Anne Pratt. Must be a first.
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Karl Mercer @karlantmercer.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
My #museum30 is 30 job applications, and apparently 30 rejections.
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Karl Mercer @karlantmercer.bsky.social · 22/11/2025
As a working-class disabled person damaged by the benefits system, reading about DWP workers bemoaning the DWP's "lack of empathy" as they threaten industrial action - it is really testing my sense of solidarity.
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Karl Mercer @karlantmercer.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
Friday vibes. Been ill this week and finally had time to start processing some grief from months ago. Autism and grief don't mix.
A still from the Wheatus Teenage Dirtbag video, a man in a bucket hat and glasses bathed in a green light making him look almost alone. Above is a quote from the song who h says "Man, I feel like mold." In a wobbly text.
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Dover Museum & Bronze Age Boat Gallery @dovermuseum.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
📣New #Exhibition at #Dover Museum: Crabble Athletic Ground. On the 6th January 1896, four businessmen in Dover formed a syndicate named Dover Athletic Ground Ltd with a plan to create a cricket ground and cycling track.
 An angled shot of an exhibition display case showing ephemera from sports teams and events at Dover Athletic Ground (Crabble Athletic Ground), including programmes, poster, a cricket club badge, sepia and black and white photographs of sports teams
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Dr. Alexandra F. Morris @disabledarchaeo.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
Last week, I went to go visit @karlantmercer.bsky.social 's "At the End of History," at @dovermuseum.bsky.social and had a fantastic day out. The VR portion of the exhibit is like nothing I've ever experienced before. Highly urge everyone to see this exhibit before it closes. #DisHist
Part of the "At the End of History" exhibition. Pictured are a Victorian Artist's box with a label describing it as well as information about the illustrator Anne Pratt. Behind it is wall text/graphics with the word "Nothing" in purple graffiti overlying this. The co-produced collage "About Us" from the exhibition "At the End of History." It features work by disabled people associated with this exhibition and has tactile and audio elements/was made to be touched and explored via touch and audio as well as via sight.
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Dover Museum & Bronze Age Boat Gallery @dovermuseum.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
As we spend this time of year reflecting on the nature of death and remembering the dead, Dover Museum looks to their collections that relate to this theme. Pictured are drawings of gravestones from around #Dover District and #Thanet by John Lewis Roget (1828–1908). #Halloween #Thesaurus
A series of small pencil drawings of 18th century gravestones from Deal, Sandwich, Ripple and Ramsgate. The gravestones feature symbols including skulls, crossed bones, angel wings, and hourglasses.A series of small pencil drawings of 18th century gravestones from Sandwich, Ripple and Ramsgate. The gravestones feature symbols including skulls, crossed bones, angel wings, and hourglasses.Three small pencil drawings of 18th century gravestones from Deal, and Ripple. The gravestones feature symbols including skulls, crossed bones, angel wings, and hourglasses.
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Karl Mercer @karlantmercer.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
Me and my wonderful co-producer Mark on ITV Meridian news looking at my new gallery. We are still seeking volunteers to facilitate the VR experience so get in touch if you're interested. www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqRP...
youtube.com
At The End Of History @ Dover Museum - ITV Meridian News Report
YouTube video by Mark Cridland
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Dover Museum & Bronze Age Boat Gallery @dovermuseum.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
New exhibition curated by Dover Museum's Curating Visibility fellow, @karlantmercer.bsky.social At the End of History: Open from 20th October. Free entry. Entry to VR experience is by advanced booking only: tinyurl.com/mw4m4bbj @accentuateuk.bsky.social
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Dover Museum & Bronze Age Boat Gallery @dovermuseum.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
It's World Audiovisual Heritage day! For Dover Museum’s newest exhibition, Curating Visibility Fellow Karl Mercer and a team of deaf, disabled and neurodivergent co-producers explored the Museum’s collections to create an immersive experience using VR. #AudioVisualHeritage #AudioVisualHeritageDay
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Karl Mercer @karlantmercer.bsky.social · 25/10/2025
Excellent first week of my new exhibition. Had some great conversations with visitors. Had a lengthy chat today about the layers and layers of accessibility we had to build in - including making our VR piece accessible to vision impaired users. It's groundbreaking work that deserves attention.
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Dover Museum & Bronze Age Boat Gallery @dovermuseum.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
At the End of History can be found on the top floor of Dover Museum in the Bronze Age Boat Gallery. Free entry. Part of the exhibition includes a VR experience. Admission to the VR experience is available through advanced booking only: tinyurl.com/mw4m4bbj
tinyurl.com
Dover Museum Events - Booking by Bookwhen
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Dover Museum & Bronze Age Boat Gallery @dovermuseum.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
Curated by @accentuateuk.bsky.social fellow Karl Mercer, At the End of History is an interactive experience exploring objects and stories of disability and looking at how we engage with history and objects.
tinyurl.com
Dover Museum Events - Booking by Bookwhen
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Dover Museum & Bronze Age Boat Gallery @dovermuseum.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
Trudy was deaf from childhood and following her successful swimming career she went on to teach deaf children to swim. Her story is one of many being told in Dover Museum’s newest exhibition: At the End of History.
tinyurl.com
Dover Museum Events - Booking by Bookwhen
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Dover Museum & Bronze Age Boat Gallery @dovermuseum.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
Trudy crossed from France to England, landing at Kingsdown near #Dover, after 14 hours and 34 minutes - a record time.
tinyurl.com
Dover Museum Events - Booking by Bookwhen
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Dover Museum & Bronze Age Boat Gallery @dovermuseum.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
#OnThisDay, October 23 1905, Getrude ‘Trudy’ Ederle was born in New York. Trudy was a medal winning Olympic champion swimmer, who also became the first recorded woman to successfully swim the Channel on August 6th 1926.
Image description: A black and white photograph of Gertrude Ederle standing in the sea and smiling at the camera. She is wearing a swimming cap and a swimming costume with a swimming association logo
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Karl Mercer @karlantmercer.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
My exhibition opens on Monday! Woo!
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Dover Museum & Bronze Age Boat Gallery @dovermuseum.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
New exhibition curated by Dover Museum's Curating Visibility fellow, @karlantmercer.bsky.social At the End of History: Open from 20th October. Free entry. Entry to VR experience is by advanced booking only: tinyurl.com/mw4m4bbj @accentuateuk.bsky.social
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Karl Mercer @karlantmercer.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
After a successful private launch of my exhibition I was reminded of that time I delivered a poem that is definitely not under 60 seconds long in under 60 seconds. At the End of History at @dovermuseum.bsky.social opens to the public on 20th October.
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Dover Museum & Bronze Age Boat Gallery @dovermuseum.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
Verified. This happened. Deal Man is very proud 🥲
Deal Man is an 18cm carved chalk figurine from Dover Museum's display. Here he is shown with a proud tear in his eye.
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Karl Mercer @karlantmercer.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
Very sad I've been too busy museuming to join in #classicstober this year. But prior to the last few years all I knew was katabasis - Can I score points for living it!? I'm method!😂 Really loving everyone's posts I'm seeing - what a theme this year! Such vibes for morbid me!
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Karl Mercer @karlantmercer.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
So this is real... Only went and curated like...a whole exhibition, with art and media, and a VR piece especially tailored for accessibility particularly for visually impaired users.
An image of an illuminated doorway. Glass double doors with stickers reading "automatic door" on each panel, are surrounded by wood. Behind them is a distant museum gallery space. Objects, artefacts and interpretation are visible but not discernible. Above the door is an illuminated sign with the exhibition title, At the End of History. Beneath is a small black rectangle sign with an arrow pointing down and text that reads this way. Below that is a green fire exit sign.
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Karl Mercer @karlantmercer.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
Guy at a hotel just picked his table for breakfast, grabbed the mug, went and got coffee and food, came back to the table, saw me sat nearby, stopped, and then walked away to another table. What did I do!? 😂
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Karl Mercer @karlantmercer.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
It's been over 3 years since I last put on a display or exhibition. Think I'm about overdue for a revival, right?
A colourful waistcoat shimmers in gold and purple with a bold paisley-style pattern. In the black, silky pocket section a daffodil pin is poking out, green beads of the stem lead up to a two-tone yellow flower made of plastic or resin. The collar of the waistcoat is raised.
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Dover Museum & Bronze Age Boat Gallery @dovermuseum.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
We do enjoy these beautiful posts from @exeterunispeccoll.bsky.social showing the work of Anne Pratt. Anne Pratt was a botanical illustrator and author who produced most of her works, including the one featured, while living in #Dover in the mid-19th Century.
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Dover Museum & Bronze Age Boat Gallery @dovermuseum.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
National sunglasses day is a compulsory call to put sunglasses on museum collections, and frankly Deal Man rocks a pair of aviators. #NationalSunglassesDay #sunglassesday #sunglasses #museum #collections #Deal #Dover #beach
Deal Man is an 18cm carved chalk figurine from Dover Museum's display. Here he has taken a selfie with a pair of aviator sunglasses. He at the beach on a sunny day in front of Dover Harbour with yachts in the background.
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Karl Mercer @karlantmercer.bsky.social · 10/08/2025
People who don't enjoy "The Hundred" are the same people who espouse the values of cultural heritage but consistently under-fund museums. Just saying.
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Dover Museum & Bronze Age Boat Gallery @dovermuseum.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
! Calling for #volunteers ! Production of our exciting Curating Visibility exhibition is now in full-swing. We are looking for enthusiastic volunteers to facilitate the virtual reality experience. See link below to find out more ⬇️ www.dovermuseum.co.uk/Exhibitions/... @accentuateuk.bsky.social
Image shows Deal Man (a carved chalk votive figurine from Dover museum's display) wearing a Virtual Reality headset. The background is a black and orange strobe pattern and headed with Dover Museum and Curating Visibility. Text reads: Volunteers wanted! To facilitate the exciting, upcoming Curating Visibility VR exhibition.
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Dover Museum & Bronze Age Boat Gallery @dovermuseum.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
Pictured are #sketches of the 12th century #church of St. James the Apostle in #Dover from a sketch book of sepia ink drawings in Dover Museum's #archive. The artist is unknown, but a note at the back dates the drawings to c.1830. Alongside the drawings are photos of the site today.
A sepia ink outline drawing of St James' church, Dover. The facade and the battlement feature of the church can be seen behind a wall and trees.A colour photograph of the remaining façade of the West entrance to St James' church Dover. In the foreground is the White Horse Pub, and in the background is a carpark and block of flats.Sepia ink drawing of the outline of the interior of the view of St James' church, including features of rib vaulting, a pulpit and a stained glass window at the far end.A colour photograph of the West entrance to St James' church Dover. The photo shows the arch to the doorway with Norman chevron "zig-zag" patterns. The picture shows the aisle leading to the far end with remains of the internal walls. Either side of the aisle is surrounded by grass.
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Karl Mercer @karlantmercer.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
If you open up that box it's just my life in there.
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Dover Museum & Bronze Age Boat Gallery @dovermuseum.bsky.social · 08/07/2025
We 'herd' that is #CowAppreciationDay today, so here's a repost of John Lewis Roget's drawing of Appleton Farm, Martin #Dover.
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Karl Mercer @karlantmercer.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
Being forced to move house is brilliant. So far I've paid a month's rent on somewhere I can't even live yet due to the water pressure being so bad the boiler and shower don't work, and my £2000 flooring being delayed. But at least I got all this free cortisol.
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Dover Museum & Bronze Age Boat Gallery @dovermuseum.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
Today is #NationalPigeonDay! To celebrate the #pigeon we thought we'd look to the museum's taxidermy First World War carrier pigeon. This pigeon was carefully cleaned and repaired by #Dover Museum’s Collections Assistant, Kayleigh. Find out more in our post from earlier in the year ⬇️
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Dover Museum & Bronze Age Boat Gallery @dovermuseum.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
New #Exhibition coming soon: Museum in miniature. An exploration of #miniature versions of things from life that people have produced and enjoyed. 📅Open June 10th 2025-April 2026 📍Special Exhibitions Gallery, #Dover #Museum.
An illustration of Dover Museum's façade with four seagulls on the roof. The façade is cream and white and features archways and columns. It also features black, orange and white Dover Museum Entry signs. There are illustrations of clouds on a dusky blue background. A larger illustration of seagull is perched on the title 'Museum in miniature'
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Karl Mercer @karlantmercer.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
I'm not saying it's all fun and games at @romanpalace.bsky.social, but this is how I imagine the role of 'Head of Operations' there...
media.tenor.com
a person is playing a game with a broken heart and adam 's apple
ALT: a person is playing a game with a broken heart and adam 's apple
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Karl Mercer @karlantmercer.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
The autistic experience of being tired of people telling you how you feel and what's good for you.
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Karl Mercer @karlantmercer.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
In memory of my mum, who sadly died last Tuesday, my family and I are running a campaign to raise money for MSA Trust. While not many of you knew my mum, many of you do know me and how hard the last few years of dealing with my mum's condition has been. www.justgiving.com/page/vicki-m...
justgiving.com
In Memory of Rose Mercer for Multiple System Atrophy Trust
Help Vicki Mercer raise money to support Multiple System Atrophy Trust
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Karl Mercer @karlantmercer.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
In memory of my mum, who sadly died last Tuesday, my family and I are running a campaign to raise money for MSA Trust. While not many of you knew my mum, many of you do know me and how hard the last few years of dealing with my mum's condition has been. www.justgiving.com/page/vicki-m...
justgiving.com
In Memory of Rose Mercer for Multiple System Atrophy Trust
Help Vicki Mercer raise money to support Multiple System Atrophy Trust
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Accentuate_Curating Visibility @accentuateuk.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
🔍 Object of the Week: Bartholomew Fair by B.R. Haydon (1786–1846) features rare early depictions of disabled figures, including someone using crutches and a small Black figure, possibly a child or person living with achondroplasia. 📍 @dovermuseum.bsky.social Curated by @karlantmercer.bsky.social
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Karl Mercer @karlantmercer.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
World getting you down? Work full on? Personal life a mess? There's always time for a song or a poem. Come along to Exposure Open Mic in Waterstones, Canterbury tomorrow to see some amazing artists perform - oh and me!
A colourful poster, the background is green at the top, with orange/red flower motifs, divided with a rounded, cloud-like line with light blue at the bottom. In the centre is a purple-collired image of me with a guitar. The words say "Exposure Open Mic - Karolus Rex - Waterstones, Canterbury - free to attend - 11th April 19:00"
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Seirian Sumner @waspwoman.bsky.social · 05/04/2025
How to create a #nature-literate society. My latest article @theconversation.com Revaluing naturalists' skills is essential for a future where we work with, not against, nature. Notice Name Nurture #GreenJobs theconversation.com/heres-how-to... @uclnews.bsky.social @curlewaction.bsky.social
theconversation.com
Here’s how to create a more nature-literate society
Nature literacy has inspired creativity and innovation for thousands of years.
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Karl Mercer @karlantmercer.bsky.social · 04/04/2025
I am going to engage in domestic archaeology today.
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Karl Mercer @karlantmercer.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
Over there they probably call him "Hank Hog" or something...
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Atlas Mugged (N95 Duckbill 😷)✊🏿🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️ @pamacious.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
"The traditional, medicalised view of autism leads people to overlook any possible advantages and look in the wrong places for possible solutions to problems. It is no wonder that so many autistic people (and families, and professionals) are sick of it."
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Karl Mercer @karlantmercer.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
I should say something for autism awareness or whatever - so I'll say this. At this point I'm sick of making you aware. I want a reverse autism awareness day, where society makes me unaware I'm autistic just for one damn day.
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Dr Cora Beth Fraser @corabeth.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
I'm working for free, and I'm exhausted! But soon I'll have something ready to show, and I hope it will make a difference to autism understanding and acceptance in the UK. 'Awareness' is a start - but 'understanding' is what we need to aim for. 💖
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