UKC leisure
Thinktank Museum ‘We made it’ gallery on course for 2013 opening This exciting new gallery will cover the fascinating science of materials and manufacturing in the region. It will be a hands-on science gallery, showing just how and why Birmingham became known as ‘the workshop of the world’, and demonstrating to visitors how innovation remains part of the region’s cultural identity. The gallery will be an important new addition to Thinktank, showcasing some of the city’s most outstanding contributions to manufacturing and including hundreds of items from Birmingham’s stores that have not been on display for decades, if ever, alongside modern products made by today’s manufacturers in the Midlands. The exhibition will take visitors on a journey from raw materials to finished product, demonstrating how everyday goods are produced. This journey will be illustrated by around 1,200 intriguing objects from Birmingham’s world-renowned manufacturing and natural science collections, and contemporary products made or designed in Birmingham. Throughout the exhibition, the science that lies behind materials and manufacturing processes will be revealed through handson multimedia exhibits.
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The gallery will contain four distinct areas, each focusing on an area of manufacturing for which Birmingham is renowned: 1. Nuts and Bolts – Birmingham’s role in making iron and steel goods for the world. 2. Treasure – Precious possessions made from precious metals and gemstones from Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. 3. Tins and Things – Packaging for food and drink using glass and aluminium developed and made in the West Midlands. 4. Gadgets – Inventions that changed everyday life, focusing on the use of plastic and wood. ‘We made it’ is being created with funding provided by a range of charities and foundations including the Heritage Lottery Fund, Millennium Point and SITA Trust. The gallery design and graphics are by At Large, with lighting design by Light Perceptions. Interactive exhibits are being constructed by Paragon Creative, while the fit out is by Beck Interiors. As materials are the underlying theme of the gallery, across four thematic areas, small quantities of products and finishes from numerous suppliers are being used to reinforce and differentiate the themes. The thematic design means that a far wider
range of products is being used in the fit out than would be typical for a museum gallery. Examples include recycled glass worktops in the section about packaging and minimising waste, reflective metallic panels to cover the walls of the historic silversmith’s workshop exhibit, a stylised wooden tree made from many different woods, and benches made using reclaimed tractor seats in the section on shaping and forming metal. The new hands-on science gallery at Thinktank is scheduled to open in February 2013. Also coming to the museum is Kids’ Park, a vibrant and intriguing outdoor play area within the new eight acre Birmingham City Park at the front of Millennium Point. Opening later this year, the play area will feature 14 science interactive exhibits specifically designed to encourage children under seven and their families to explore science while having fun playing outdoors. The fun exhibits will encourage children to learn about sound, light, touch and movement.