The Challenge
The Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) explores how ideas can change the world, from the Industrial Revolution to today. MSI is part of the Science Museum Group (SMG) and shares in its overarching mission to inspire futures.
MSI was working towards a set of new experiences named ‘Revolutionary Railroad’ that would engage audiences with the history of the site at Liverpool Road station, and its surviving Grade I listed structures – the 1830 passenger station, warehouse and railway viaduct. The challenge was to create an exceptional visitor experience that could open the museum up to the city with new entrances and routes. In view of a major capital project delivered in around 5 years’ time, MSI wanted to start telling this story by experimenting with creative interpretive techniques and exploring the frontiers of practice in heritage interpretation.
The Project Team
- Zakiya Leeming, PhD researcher in Music Composition (Royal Northern College of Music).
- Aleksandra Besevic, PhD researcher in Materials (University of Manchester, Science and Engineering)
The Solution
The project team explored the concept of historic storytelling through music while communicating some historical information on the Revolutionary Railway’s project as away to offering a unique museum experience.
The project created an original music composition describing elements of the Revolutionary Railways project. The piece consists of five movements telling the story of: the history of the passenger railway station, the freight service, the site, technical innovations and legacy.
The team created a blog documenting the process of composition of the piece and the rehearsals, discussion of the topics included and description of key items from the collection and how they inspired the musical piece and extended information about the Revolutionary Railway’s project.
See more on this project
Project’s blog documenting the process of composition
REAlab 