The Science Museum opened Wonderlab, its interactive gallery which invites visitors to think like a scientist. The £6 million permanent gallery features unique exhibits, specially-commissioned artworks, explosive demonstrations and immersive experiences led by the Museum’s talented team of science communicators. Wonderlab: The Statoil Gallery was officially opened by The Right Hon. Matthew Hancock MP, Minister of State for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries on Tuesday 11th October 2016 in the presence of Dame Mary Archer, Chairman of the Science Museum Group; Helen Sharman, the first Briton in space; George Osborne MP, sponsors Statoil, and several hundred guests. Dame Mary announced that the Science Museum Fellowship was conferred upon former Chancellor George Osborne MP for “freeing the museum from the swathe of Whitehall regulation and for liberating the entrepreneurial spirit of this country’s great museums”.
Science Museum Group Director, Ian Blatchford, said: “The Science Museum Group’s core purpose is to ignite curiosity in our visitors. We’re confident we will do this in spades with Wonderlab: The Statoil Gallery – a perfect mix of curatorial flair, scientific clout and joyous imagination.”
The Museum’s goal is to see 200,000 young people in school groups visit the gallery for free each year, twice as many as the previous Launchpad interactive gallery could accommodate. Other visitors will be able to buy an annual pass from £14, allowing unlimited entry to the gallery for 12 months, or a day ticket from £8. Since June 2016, almost 30,000 visitors have already booked on schools visits to Wonderlab.
With over 50 exhibits across seven zones, visitors to the gallery will explore the incredible phenomena that occur around us every day, with topics as diverse as sound, forces, light, electricity, maths, matter and space. Wonderlab is also home to three live demonstration areas and a 120-capacity showspace inspired by the Royal Institution’s world-renowned Faraday Theatre. Amongst the gallery’s many highlights, visitors can ride on a giant rotating model of the solar system to learn why we have seasons, experience forces on a large friction slide, and take part in live science shows full of electricity, rockets, space and more.
The gallery is designed by award-winning practice muf architecture/art, which is renowned for working with artists on innovative projects celebrating the social and playful aspects of public spaces. Wonderlab Curator, Toby Parkin, said: ‘We set out designing Wonderlab to reveal the wonder and beauty in science and maths and to get our visitors to think like a scientist with close attention, curiosity and creativity. It’s been a real joy to work with talented architects and artists to put these ideas at the heart of everything from the most spectacular exhibits in the gallery right down to the smallest details in the furniture. I’m incredibly excited to see our visitors flood in and hopefully come back to explore Wonderlab for years to come.’
As the home of human ingenuity, the Science Museum’s world-class collection forms an enduring record of scientific, technological and medical achievements from across the globe. Welcoming over 3 million visitors a year, the Museum aims to make sense of the science that shapes our lives, inspiring visitors with iconic objects, award-winning exhibitions and incredible stories of scientific achievement.
Statoil is the Title Sponsor of Wonderlab: The Statoil Gallery and URENCO is Major Sponsor. The gallery has additional support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, Simon and Kate Reid alongside Science Museum investment made possible by a loan from the Department for Culture, Media & Sport.
Tickets are £8 for adults, £6 for children and £22.50 for a family of four. Annual passes allowing for repeat entry are £14, £10 and £39 respectively. Tickets are available to book now at sciencemuseum.org.uk/wonderlab or on 0333 241 4000, and school groups can book a trip to the gallery through the Museum’s Education booking line on 0207 942 4777.