It’s been nearly two years since we hosted our first community consultation session as part of our transformational Sound and Vision project. Since then, we’ve spoken with over 270 local people, including community leaders in BD3 and BD5, young people, neurodivergent people and people with lived experience of being d/Deaf, blind or partially sighted. We discussed everything from storytelling on gallery, types of text panels, accessibility of museum spaces through to what a ‘warm welcome’ should look like. Most recently, we invited groups to think about the museum’s public programme—the family ..read more

The Hubble Telescope turns 30 today. But long before this technology was available, astronomers used astrophotography to map the position of the stars and to research the chemical makeup of the universe. The Science Museum Group collection holds the cameras and equipment of the astronomer and chemist who invented photographic dry plates—William de Wiveleslie Abney—at our National Collections Centre in Wroughton. In this video, Head Curator Charlotte Connelly and Assistant Curator Saquib Idrees share a behind-the-scenes peak at some of the early photographic technology used to photograph the st ..read more

In my first post for Blog from the Basement, I detailed the work the collections team had done to de-install all the objects from our Animation and TV Heaven galleries. While this work was going on, we were also decanting one of our large storerooms to prepare the space for a new conservation lab, and an adjacent logistics room to temporarily store incoming and outgoing objects. The storeroom halfway through the decant with some packed objects on the shelf ready for transport.Once all the objects were removed, the shelves were taken down ready for new flooring to be laid. The decant of this st ..read more

We know that there are gaps in our museum offer at the moment, and we’re really keen to do our best to try things that are new for us, to improve the museum experience for everyone. Our Sound and Vision project is an opportunity for us not just to upgrade two floors of our museum, but to really look at how we do things. My job title may be Interpretation Manager, but my role is not really about translating things into other languages. I work with curators to find interesting ways to interpret our objects so that visitors can find out what they want to know about them. We have been looking at h ..read more

Everybody learns in different ways, especially when it comes to using our senses. Seeing, hearing, touching, feeling and even smelling are all ways of discovering stories from the past, and thinking about the future. In preparation for when the National Science and Media Museum reopens, we are making it our priority to create a rich experience for everyone. One way we will be doing this is through audio description, which can make museum experiences more enjoyable for everyone. It can bring objects to life through description, historical context and personal experiences. We’re still learning a ..read more

The learning team spent the week going out into Bradford and delivering a range of space-themed activities for families of all ages. We’ve had rockets, astronauts, and even some aliens making an appearance to give everyone an experience that was out of this world! Launching a stomp rocket. Picture © Jason Lock To kick off the week, we ran community days at SHINE West Bowling in BD5 and the Thornbury Centre in BD3, hosting a wide range of activities throughout the day, and providing some very tasty lunch too. The biggest highlight—and I do mean literally—was the mobile planetarium, a seven-metr ..read more

I’d like to talk about women in esports, the challenges they face in this typically male-dominated industry, and the inspiring people working to level the playing field. I was lucky enough to get some insights on this from Alice Whorley, Head of Operations at the British Esports Federation and Co-Founder of Women in Esports. There is a common misconception that women are not interested in gaming. In truth, there are approximately 3.1 billion gamers worldwide, a staggering 1.39 billion of whom identify as female. This accounts for about 45% of gamers, a figure that only seems to increase year o ..read more

But what have they worked on during that time? Read on to find out. Alex Earle Alex is this year’s host and he’s worked on a number of games, including recently announced Southfield which will be coming to early access later this year. Southfield is no ordinary island, and this is no ordinary farming game. Combine cartoony crops with chaotic effects and customise your farm with fun toys and machines to automate your harvest. Whether you’re a solo explorer, or you’re looking for a new destination to play with friends, Southfield is the place to be! Alex has also worked on several other ga ..read more

Hi Alex! Can you introduce yourself and tell us about any games you’ve worked on? Hey, my name is Alex Earle and I’ve worked in the games industry for the past eight years and I’m currently a Producer at a studio called Radical Forge. I’m a big fan of virtual reality, both personally and professionally and have worked as a developer on numerous indie VR titles, including Gun Jam VR, Orbeats and Spaceteam VR for Meta Quest headsets. Alex Earle What is Virtual Reality? In 2024, I’d say that virtual reality (VR) applies to any Head-Mounted Display (HMD) that a user would wear and use to interact ..read more

After a successful first month across the road for our off-site programme Pictureville Presents: Cinema at The Studio, we’re thrilled to announce our March programme. It’s been a terrific start with lots of friendly faces old and new, and we’re excited to welcome more of you for this wonderful bunch of films. Keep scrolling for what’s coming up, with everything from Romeo + Juliet to Bend it Like Beckham. FFF We’re celebrating Women’s History Month in style with a season of Triple F-Rated films. That means the film is written and directed by a woman and focuses heavily on female characters. T ..read more