The South Kensington Museum is revamping its Making of the Modern World gallery.
The Science Museum in South Kensington is preparing for a major transformation, as one of its best-loved spaces is set to be reinvented. The museum's long-standing Making of the Modern World gallery will be overhauled and relaunched in 2028 as Ages of Invention: The Serum Institute Gallery, a new permanent space dedicated to the ideas and innovations that changed the world.
This ambitious project is being made possible by a landmark gift from the Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer. The eight-figure donation is the largest international contribution in the museum's history and will fund the complete renovation of the 20-year-old gallery. When it re-opens, visitors can expect an elevated experience that remains rooted in the museum's rich collection while reimagining how stories of science and technology are told.
At present, the Making of the Modern World gallery is divided into six zones, each one showcasing objects that shaped modern life. Highlights include the first Apple computer, a porcelain bowl from Hiroshima, penicillin from Alexander Fleming's laboratory, the world's oldest surviving steam locomotive Puffing Billy, and Tracy, one of the world's first transgenic sheep. These star exhibits will remain central to the revamped space, which will continue to span 250 years of scientific and industrial progress.
Design studio Lawson Ward, led by architects Hannah Lawson and Georgina Ward, has been appointed to lead the transformation. The practice is also working with the Courtauld Institute of Art, the Wallace Collection and the Natural History Museum, and will draw on the existing architecture of the Science Museum gallery, making the most of the abundant natural light, soaring ceilings and generous floor area, the largest of any gallery in the building.
Sir Ian Blatchford, Director and Chief Executive of the Science Museum Group, said: "Through our ambitious new Ages of Invention: The Serum Institute Gallery, we will create the most significant display of objects from the history of science anywhere in the world. Visitors will be able to journey through 250 years of innovation and explore the scientific ideas shaping our lives today."
GO: Visit www.sciencemuseum.org.uk for more information.