The Lens: Archaeology & The Biography of Objects Drawing on May’s background in Applied Landscape Archaeology, this session treats the Fiji Mermaid not as a hoax, but as an artefact with a complex stratigraphy of meaning. We begin in Edo-period Japan, analysing the ‘Gaff’ through the lens of yōkai folklore and spiritual protection, before following its migration to the West. May will deconstruct how P.T. Barnum commodified ‘wonder’, transforming a sacred talisman into a work of the ‘experience economy’. We will ask: How does the museum display’s context change an object’s ontological status Speaker Bio: May Ho is an interdisciplinary researcher whose research integrates landscape archaeology, business management, and sustainability. She holds an MSc in Applied Landscape Archaeology (Distinction) from the University of Oxford and an MA in Managing Archaeological Sites (Distinction) from University College London.