An exhibition coming to London invites visitors to make music, regardless of whether they can play an instrument or not.
As a fun thing to do with the family or friends, Turn It Up: The power of music is the interactive exhibition coming to the Science Museum that explores why music is the powerful force it is.
Backed by rigorous research and coloured with personal stories from the likes of Elton John and singer-songwriter Anne-Marie, the exhibition is made up of interactive installations, unique instruments and pioneering inventions.
Running from October 19, 2023, to May 6, 2024, it looks at why music can have such an impact on our emotions, tapping into psychology and our wellbeing.
The exhibition also looks at the future of music, in term of the impact of AI and the technological advancements that being used to develop accessible ways to create music.
Turn It Up will also demonstrate that anyone can make music, whether you’ve got a musical bone or two or not, as it reveals there is no right or wrong way to make the stuff.
Lead Curator Steven Leech said that through the exhibition, he hopes people discover that everyone is musical.
He said: “We are excited to bring Turn It Up to London and bring to life the mystery of music and the incredible ways that it impacts all aspects of our lives.
“Although we know that some people may lack confidence when making music, we hope visitors will discover through this exhibition that we really are all musical.”
People can discover play with beat, melody and harmonies through a specially commissioned Musical Playground, or assemble LEGO-style Musical Building Blocks to experiment with different instruments, pitch and tempo.
Music players, both new and old, will be on display, exploring just how individual our relationships to music are.
The MiMU gloves, worn by Ariana Grande and Kris Halpin and which use gestures to control electronic music-making software.
The Robo-recorder, worn by musician Liza Bec after they developed a rare type of epilepsy triggered by the way their fingers moved when playing an instrument is also on display.
AI also gets a look in, including Haille the AI musical robot, invented by Georgia Institute of Technology in America, which was designed to collaborate with human musicians, and Headspace a virtual instrument controlled by head movements and breath created by inventor Rolf Gelhar and Clarence Adoo, a professional trumpeter who was paralysed from the shoulders down by a car accident.
Guest Curator, Dr Emily Scott-Dearing said: “Music is both a seemingly unremarkable part of everyday life and an incredibly powerful force. Through this lively, hands-on, ears-open immersive experience, we hope visitors will have heaps of fun and come away thinking about their own relationship with music in a way that never have before.”
Tickets start from £10.
Address: Exhibition Road, South Kensington SW7 2DD
Website: sciencemuseum.org.uk
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