Marking the culmination of a £6.8 million transformation, the National Science and Media Museum’s Sound and Vision galleries – spanning two floors – showcase world class collections of photography, film, television, animation, video game and sound technologies. Following on from the museum’s 18-month closure and partial reopening in January 2025, the Sound and Vision galleries will welcome their first visitors on 10 July.
Thanks to a transformational gift from The National Lottery Heritage Fund – made possible by money raised by National Lottery players, the new galleries feature over 500 exhibits, a new art commission and a range of multi-media content. Designed by award-winning AOC architecture, the galleries mark the completion of the Sound and Vision project and they explore globally significant stories of technological innovation and social change.
The displays have been created in collaboration with key audiences and community groups, ensuring that they resonate with a range of visitors.
In the first section, ‘Innovation’, visitors encounter some of the earliest examples of photographic, film and sound technologies and Europe’s first IMAX projector, first installed in the museum in 1983, providing a gateway into the evolution of visual technologies. From William Henry Fox Talbot’s earliest photographic negatives to Louis Le Prince’s single lens cine camera – a world first which captured moving film footage in Leeds – visitors can explore the origins of media technologies. Other highlights include the camera used by Herbert Ponting to document Scott’s Antarctic Expedition in 1910 and John Logie Baird’s groundbreaking ‘television apparatus’ from 1926. These pioneers found new ways to explore and share our world through the media technologies they developed, just as creators and inventors continue to do so today.
The ‘Identities’ section explores the countless ways that media technologies help us express who we are. Tracing the development of photography from early portrait studios to the first popular cameras and the ongoing development of digital imagery, photographic technologies have given millions of people the opportunity to capture their lives. This gallery also tells the story of home-made gadgets and communities that bring people together through tech. In Gig Zone, visitors can explore the ways in which media technologies have enhanced our shared experience of live music, showcasing a mixing desk used by The Prodigy and the iconic Marshall amplifier stack.
As well as telling our own stories, sound and vision technologies enable us to create rich, imagined worlds. The ‘Storytelling’ section of the galleries takes visitors on a journey through visual effects workshops, the sound worlds of Doctor Who via the Radiophonic Workshop, and the meticulous, technical work of some of the world’s leading animation studios. Iconic horror film props are brought to life in an evocative display featuring Dracula’s fangs as worn by Christopher Lee and a model of the eponymous Alien head and torso from the 1979 film.
Stories can be entertaining, but media technologies have also been used to trick and manipulate and the displays challenge visitors to think about what they can and can’t trust as they navigate them. At the intersection of entertainment and manipulation, the museum’s prized Cottingley Fairies cameras and photographs take centre stage in a special interactive installation.
Today’s museum visitors are used to sound and vision technologies being ever-present and the ‘Everywhere’ section asks how we got here and how media technologies have changed society. At the heart of the gallery is a newly commissioned artwork supported by Art Fund, ‘Circus’ by Nayan Kulkarni. In this playful experience, visitors move around a room of ‘digital mirrors’ - momentarily becoming part of the museum’s displays, highlighting our role in modern media technologies as both subject and creator. ‘Circus’ sees a double height space opened up between the galleries on levels 3 and 5 and by linking the two floors vertically through this central installation, Kulkarni’s work invites visitors to experience the gallery as one connected, dynamic space.
Visual media have been used across the world to share stories with and for communities – be it through travelling magic lantern displays in the 18th century right up to the present day with community shadow puppet shows. Radio has been a popular tool for the dissemination of national messages as well as amongst grassroots communities and this section of the galleries explores the rich tradition of commentary by the people for the people, with an authentic – and interactive – recreation of Bradford Community Broadcasting’s radio studio.
The Sound and Vision galleries have been shaped by the voices of people from Bradford and beyond. Through extensive collaboration, local communities have helped to influence not only which stories are told in the new galleries, but how. The museum’s Youth Forum and Access Panel played a key role in shaping the space, offering fresh perspectives and encouraging the museum to think differently about how to present star objects and stories from their collections to make them accessible and engaging to all.
Partners such as Allstar and BCB Radio have brought vital local perspectives to the galleries, reflecting the creativity and diversity of Bradford’s cultural scene whilst creating narratives that are relatable to people both from the district and those visiting. Individual contributors such as Paul Seal, a disabled gamer who developed a gaming setup that enabled him to continue to play through adapted technology, also shared personal insights that bring depth and authenticity to the galleries, highlighting how innovation in media technology can empower individuals. Collaboration with the Marshall Factory, a renowned name in sound technology, further added industry insight and national perspective to the galleries. Together, these contributions have helped make the galleries more inclusive, and representative of both local communities and wider society.
Marking a new era and launching during a momentous year for Bradford, these object rich and interactive gallery spaces confirm the museum’s position as a national museum rooted in its community. As well as spotlighting hundreds of previously unseen exhibits, visitors who know the venue well will sense echoes of the museum’s past, with a Dalek greeting them on Level 5, a delightful new exhibit on loan from Aardman animation studios and charming film footage of the magic flying carpet, captured by the legendary Bradford Movie Makers.
The Sound and Vision Project is generously supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund thanks to money raised by National Lottery players (Lead Supporter), Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture (Major Supporter), City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council (Associate Funder), DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund (Associate Funder), Art Fund, David Family Foundation, Sovereign Health Care, Spectacle Makers Charity and Shenward LLP.
Jo Quinton-Tulloch, Director of the National Science and Media Museum commented: “We are thrilled to be launching our new permanent Sound and Vision galleries this summer. They have been a true labour of love and collaboration, and they showcase our incredible collections in new and innovative ways. Our collections and the rich narratives they tell touch upon all our lives, from the first photographic negative and film footage to the advent of radio and television, and the power of sound technologies to bring us together. Our Sound and Vision galleries showcase how everyday objects have the power to be extraordinary.
We have worked closely with a huge range of people to develop the galleries, ensuring these spaces work for everyone and that our visitors feel represented in the stories we tell. Consultation with our local communities has been central in the development of Sound and Vision and it feels especially significant to launch the galleries during Bradford’s year as UK City of Culture. We hope the galleries will be a key focal point in our city’s momentous year and for a long time to come. And we are incredibly grateful to the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the support of National Lottery players for making Sound and Vision possible. We can’t wait to welcome visitors to explore our new galleries soon.”
Helen Featherstone, Director, England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund added: “We're incredibly excited that the Sound and Vision galleries at the National Science and Media Museum are going to open soon! Showcasing iconic objects that tell the story behind the photographic, film and sound technologies, that have played such a big role in our lives. In 1995, the museum was one of the first transformational projects in Yorkshire that received National Lottery funding from the Heritage Fund, and after 30 years we're proud to have supported the museum with another transformational grant for these fantastic new galleries."
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