Inkha is a reactive robotic head that tracks movements, speaks and interacts with people in a lifelike way. by Matthew Walker, 2003 2 © Science Museum Group

A replica of the “Maria” robot designed and built for Fritz Lang’s film Metropolis (1927). Produced by prop maker Klopserkel 2 © Science Museum Group

On October 6th, the Science Museum will open its most ambitious exhibition yet. Science Fiction: Voyage to the Edge of Imagination puts the visitor at the center of his interactive sci-fi story. This story is full of objects that explore how the scientist and his sci-fi creator interacted through innovation and imagination.

Science fiction invites us to boldly explore unknown new worlds. Visitors embark on a space adventure aboard an extraterrestrial spaceship accompanied by an AI guide, land in unexplored worlds, and stare at planet Earth. Featuring a specially developed alien language, the immersive experience is designed by award-winning creative studio Framestore and curated by Science Museum Group.

SF exhibition notice © Science Museum

Through more than 70 objects collected for the first time in the UK, Science Fiction reveals fascinating links between important scientific breakthroughs and famous works of science fiction. The exhibition showcases classic literature that has inspired and inspired new understandings of the world around us, and iconic films and television that have envisioned new forms of life and other worlds. Incredible set pieces and props – from the Lieutenant Uhura costume used on screen, from Star Trek: The Motion Picture, to Doctor Who’s Dalek, created for Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back From Darth Vader helmets to contemporary artworks from around the world exploring alternative futures for humanity.

Gelatin silver print entitled ‘Unpublished Photograph of Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Explosion’ published in 1947 © Science Museum Group

Sir Ian Blatchford, Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Science Museum Group said: Our ambitious exhibition is one of a kind and we can’t wait for visitors to join us on this immersive and interactive journey through the extraordinary world of science fiction and scientific discovery.

Dr. Glynn Morgan, lead curator of the exhibition, said: Visitors will see the bright future envisioned by the genre, facing some of the greatest threats to our existence, including climate change, ecological devastation, and nuclear war. To imagine and create a more utopian future.

Human support robot created by Toyota Motor Corporation, Japan, circa 2012 1 © Science Museum Group

Upon entering the exhibit, visitors explore the spacecraft’s expansive exploration deck. Packed with iconic items identified from science and science fiction by AI guides, this deck delves into the human desire to travel beyond the world. Through the technologies we imagine and build, such as scale models of the radio telescopes used by SETI scientists in their attempts to detect intelligent life, models of the Saturn V rocket, and replicas of the Apollo 17 spacesuit, we take you there. Worn by Gene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon, space travel, and other intelligent civilizations we might find, from the Daleks to Darth Vader to third-kind aliens. Visitors will also see the first edition of Jules Verne’s From the Earth to the Moon, a replica model of Star Trek’s USS Enterprise signed by Nichelle Nichols and George Takei, the Hypersleep Chamber of Prometheus, Sunshine’s gold spacesuit, Pan-African, can also be seen. Flag and Traveler his suit from artist Larry Achiampong’s Relic Traveler series.

In the ship’s bio lab, explore what it means to be human, using objects that explore how science fiction imagines the evolution and replication of human forms through depictions of cyborgs, AI, and gene editing. increase. Visitors will discover everything from Frankenstein’s monster, to Robby the robot on the Forbidden Planet, to Darth Vader’s helmet created for Star Wars Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, to Iron Man’s iconic armor, and everything else in the sci-fi flicks. You can see the giant of At Biolab, the prosthetic hand developed by Open Bionics, the Medtronic Micra, the smallest pacemaker ever made, the DxtER medical diagnostic unit, and XPrize are inspired by the medical tricorder used in his Star Trek franchise.

Yao Lu welcomes spring at the old wharf Yao Lu (c) Yao Lu

Visitors take part in away missions that use wormhole jump gates to visit alternate worlds. Upon arriving on Earth, they enter a strange subterranean world where they encounter swarms of beautiful bioluminescent creatures that interact through the intelligent communication of their collective hive mind, inspired by various depictions of aliens in science fiction. .

Returning to the visualization deck, visitors are encouraged to think about how science fiction reflects contemporary concerns and challenges. Works by artist Yao Lu, such as Passing Spring on the Ancient Docks, will be on display. This is a photo collage that at first looks in the style of traditional Chinese landscape painting, with motifs of natural beauty, but upon closer inspection it is a landscape full of waste and modern construction sites. A poignant metal urn from Hiroshima, warped by the heat of the atomic bomb, is also on display alongside the original Godzilla poster, highlighting how the development of nuclear weapons shaped post-war anxieties. Visitors explore climate change, from societies depleted by water scarcity in the Kenyan film Pumzi, to increasing flooding engulfing Manhattan in the novel New York 2140, to food shortages and poverty in the graphic novel version of Octavia. You will encounter movie objects that Butler’s Parable of the Sower. Both science and science fiction also offer hope that global challenges can be overcome or mitigated. Visitors watch short films featuring scientists and futurists to examine the importance of creativity in finding solutions to the grave threats we face.

Shackleton gas chromatograph used by Professor James Lovelock on board the RSS Shackleton expedition in 1971 to measure CFCs © Science Museum Group

Visitors finish the journey looking down on the earth through large windows from the observatory. Few people have ever tasted this unique view from space. This extraordinary view offers visitors a moment to reflect on our place in the universe and the limitless creativity and imagination that exist on the blue planet we call home.

The exhibit was designed by BAFTA and Academy Award-winning creative studio Framestore. The design plays with the idea of ​​how alien life forms communicate with each other through innovative audiovisual design interventions in space, giving visitors an otherworldly journey. An alien language specially developed for the exhibition adorns various sections of the ship, evoking the feeling of leaving the familiar behind. Bo, an alien language, appears mechanical as if generated by machine intelligence, has a unique vocabulary of thousands of words and a unique grammatical structure, unique to the exhibition. Bhaux’s phrases also appear in the exhibition’s soundscapes, woven throughout the design, adding to the immersion of Science His fiction.

Science Fiction: Voyage to the End of the Imagination is accompanied by a diverse program of events that explores the impact of science fiction literature, television and film on the modern world. Live events range from science fiction-themed lates (popular after-hours public events for adults), where attendees can spot Arthur C. Clarke Prize winners, to collaborations with Radiophonic , expert panel discussions and live music performances. Workshop and Stealing Sheep, and his sci-fi-themed Astronights, are favorite sleepovers for kids.

Science fiction is an ever-evolving genre that seeks to make sense of our ever-changing world. Recognizing the importance of honoring the creators of science fiction, the Science Museum will host the Arthur C. Clarke Awards celebrating the best science fiction writing on his October 26th at the Museum’s Science Fiction Rates.

Carbon dioxide-powered prosthetic hand 2 © Science Museum Group

Accompanying the exhibition is the book Science Fiction: Voyage to the Edge of Imagination, published by Thames & Hudson on September 29th. Edited by the exhibition’s lead curator, Glynn Morgan, this compelling, fully illustrated companion book covers the various themes explored in the exhibition. Essays by international sci-fi writers, experts, classic ephemera, graphics and reproductions of objects.

The exhibition is curated by the Museum of Science and designed by BAFTA and Academy Award-winning creative studio Framestore. Science fiction is generously supported by the Blavatnik Family Foundation (primary funders) and Bridget and David Jacob (supporters).