Science Museum
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South Kensington, UK, October
21, 2023 to September 1, 2024
Doug Boilesen, 2024
The interactive exhibit "Turn It
Up: The Power of Music" at the Science Museum in South Kensington
had "a hugely popular initial run and was extended until 1 September
2024." It asked the questions "Why does music have such
a hold over us? What is it about music that drives us to create, perform,
feel, connect with others?"
A review of the exhibit in Mummytravels,
26th November 2023, noted that this exhibit was a great option to
visit as a family:
Walking in, the first thing you
see is a display of various different ways to listen to music over
the ages, from a gramophone to a ghettoblaster, not to mention a
walkman, portable CD player, and some of the earliest MP3 players,
alongside a Fisher Price cassette player.
From nostalgic throw-backs to the
latest technology, experimental instruments, the way music can affect
everything from our hormones to our driving ability, plus plenty
of chances to get hands on, the exhibition looks at all aspects
of music.
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The Science Museum's On-Line Collection
of Phonographs can be visited HERE.
Most Friends of the Phonograph know
that Science Museum was in possession of Thomas Edison's original
tinfoil phonograph after he loaned it to them in 1884. Edison displayed
it as part of his exhibit at the 1889 Universal Exposition in Paris,
but it then went back to London where it stayed until the 1920's.
At the Edison Golden Jubilee of the
Phonograph in 1927 Edison repeated his December 6, 1877 recitation
of "Mary had a Little Lamb." (Source: Public
Domain Review).
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This replica was commissioned
by Thomas Edison to replace his original, which was returned to him
in 1928 after having been loaned to the Science Museum since 1884.
Courtesy of Science
Museum Group.
See the Science
Museum Group Journal, Spring 2017, for an interesting article
by Jennifer Rich on curating and displaying sound in museums titled
"Acoustics on display: Collecting and curating sound at the Science
Museum."
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Phonographia
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