At the museum

Here’s a question you probably haven’t been asked: in a game of museum object charades, how would you act out an ornate 19th century glass lamp shade?

You may be surprised to learn that our ‘Great Western Warehouse’ (formerly ‘Main Building’) has been renamed ‘New Warehouse’. What’s so new about it?

Curator of Engineering Sarah Baines takes a look at the innovative thinking of James Joule, whose ideas on heat and energy were initially thought to be so revolutionary they were rejected by the scientific establishment.

Consultant curator Paul Bonaventura talks about the thinking behind the amazing artworks that were specially commissioned for Electricity: The spark of life.

Years of work by curators, archivists and designers go into making each of our exhibitions a reality—but very few people have the chance to speak to them in person about the ideas behind each show. 

We take a look at the work our conservation team did with two of the more unusual objects in our Electricity exhibition, the electric eel and the red phonebox.

Michael Bailey, author of Rocket: A history of a pioneering locomotive, talks about the engineering that set Rocket apart from its rivals.

What the heck is a hackathon? We chat coding competitions with HackManchester’s Claire Foster.

You’ve heard about it raining cats and dogs, but a levitating frog? If you’ve been to see our new exhibition Electricity: The spark of life, you may well have seen a video featuring a frog suspended in space. And you may well be wondering what artist John Gerrard was thinking when he created his levitating frog. Let us explain.

Electricity. It is central to our existence. We use it without thinking about it, and only notice it when it is not there.

When is a magical illusion not a magical illusion? When it’s a maths trick that will make you see the world in a new way.

Ben Ingham, from power network operator Electricity North West, shares the key innovative kit that keeps power flowing.