The Science and Industry Museum will be throwing open its doors for a very special after-hours evening next month.
The adults-only Amazônia: Late has been inspired by Sebastião Salgado’s breathtaking photography exhibition, which is currently in place in the museum’s award-winning Special Exhibitions Gallery.
Visitors will be able to celebrate the Amazon region in an evening filled with creative activities, demos, music and special events.
It will take people on a journey of discovery around Amazonia, exploring how scientists are tackling the challenges facing this immense ecosystem – and the mark that’s leaving on the people who live there.
MetMunch will be on hand serving up a taste of the Amazon rainforest, while Peruvian-born musician Tocha will be performing.
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Visitors at the new Amazônia exhibition at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester / Credit: The Science Museum Group
You’ll also be able to speak to world-leading experts from the University of Salford to learn how satellite technology is used by the European Space Agency to track forest biomass and changes across Amazonia.
Some of the activities at Amazônia: Late have been developed with Festival Brazil Footprint 00, highlights of which include the UK premiere of THEMÔNIAS (a series of four short films) and Amazônia Mapping (a newly-commissioned audio-visual artwork by Roberta Carvalho).
There’ll also be a display of personal objects, crafts and contemporary sustainable designs made in the region, all of which highlight the importance of ‘making’ within spiritual and economic prosperity.
The adults-only Amazônia: Late has been inspired by Sebastião Salgado’s breathtaking photography exhibition / Credit: The Science Museum Group
The acclaimed exhibition Amazônia will also be open throughout the evening, bringing together more than 200 powerful black-and-white photographs, interviews with indigenous leaders, and a soundtrack evoking the sounds of the forest by renowned composer Jean-Michel Jarre.
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It’s the first UK exhibition of this scale outside of London for over 20 years from the world-renowned Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado.
Salgado worked in the Amazon for seven years with 12 different indigenous communities to create the exhibition, capturing photographs that show a forest on a crucial tipping point in the fight against climate change.
You can book your ticket for the Late – and remember to add on your free Amazônia ticket too – through Science and Industry Museum’s website here, or by calling 033 0058 0058.
Featured Image – The Science Museum Group
City Centre
Vogue’s immersive ‘Inventing the Runway’ show is coming to Manchester
Thomas Melia
A Vogue immersive show titled ‘Inventing the Runway’ is coming to Manchester, and it’s even co-created by Anna Wintour herself.
Ever fancied learning more about the fashion world? Well, now’s your chance to hear everything you need to know from global fashion leaders and lifestyle magazine Vogue.
The Anna Wintour-approved immersive experience comes alongside the announcement of Factory International‘s Winter lineup, which features another new event all about voyaging to the moon.
This Vogue-fronted experience will incorporate interviews, visual media and more to help attendees visualise fashion shows of the past, present and future.
As well as understanding how fashion shows became the pinnacle of a designer’s vision, this runway-themed display also includes looking back at iconic moments of fashion and pop culture.
‘Inventing the Runway’ by Vogue is focusing on outfits worn by models and A-listers alike, with narration from the one and only Cate Blanchett.
You can expect to see curated pieces by significant creative minds in fashion history like Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood and lots more.
Throughout the Vogue experience, as well as coming visually face to face with fashion, you will also hear a soundscape that perfectly reflects this innovative industry with a fusion of classical and pop music.
This fashion exhibition uses the same Lightroom technology behind the impressive David Hockney experience that opened back in December.
Vogue is using this show to honour anyone who has made an impact in the fashion world.The Met Gala has become a staple in everyone’s calendar year in and year out.First Northern Quarter’s Chanel show, now this… Très chic. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons/GoodFon)
Anna Wintour, Chief Content Officer, Condé Nast, and Global Editorial Director, Vogue said: “At Vogue, we’ve been lucky enough over the decades to see many incredible runway shows, which have often told the story of fashion as much as the clothes themselves.”
“This Lightroom experience is a wonderful opportunity for a lot more people to experience first-hand the thrill of watching the history of fashion unfold right in front of them.”
You can experience Vogue’s ‘Inventing the Runway’ immersive show from 18 December to 10 January when it visits Aviva Studios this winter.
Find out more information and grab your tickets HERE.
Manchester Museum saves a ‘national treasure’ to ensure it stays in the UK
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Museum has made a stunning new addition to its natural history collections, and in the process has ensured a ‘national treasure’ stays in the UK.
Not long after claiming the coveted title of European Museum of the Year for 2025, Manchester Museum has done it again – this time working together with John Rylands Library to acquire Henry Dresser’s unique personal copy of his anthology A History of the Birds of Europe so that this ‘invaluable resource’ can remain in the UK for future generations.
The beautifully-illustrated collection of books provide an important historical record to help understand how and why bird populations have changed over time.
Dresser’s personal copy is heavily-annotated with personal notes and observations.
These books are deemed to be of ‘outstanding significance’, not only for scientific purposes but also for their aesthetic value, as they have also been illustrated by some of the leading wildlife artists of the day.
The volumes were recognised as a national treasure by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest, which is supported by the Arts Council, and this meant that the Government placed a temporary export deferral on them to allow time for UK buyers to raise the funds to keep them in the country.
Brilliantly, the acquisition of these books reunites them with Dresser’s own bird specimens that are already cared for by Manchester Museum, including species such as the Slender-billed curlew, which is now believed to be extinct.
The now-extinct species’ presence in both Dresser’s beautifully-annotated volumes and the ornithological collections at Manchester Museum highlights the vital role that historical records play in tracking biodiversity loss over time to uncover the long-term impact of environmental change.
Manchester Museum has saved a ‘national treasure’ to ensure it stays in the UK / Credit: Manchester Museum
“Threats to the natural world and biodiversity have never been greater and while this anthology has historical value, it also speaks to the urgent issues of the present,” commented Esme Ward, who is the Director of Manchester Museum.
“These books are breathtakingly beautiful, and by bringing them together with natural history collections, we believe they will not only provide scientific benefit, but also capture the hearts of future ornithologists and conservationists.”
A History of the Birds of Europe will be officially unveiled at a private view on Friday 27 June, before being displayed to the public for the first time in Manchester Museum’s ‘Living Worlds’ gallery from Saturday 28 June 2025 right through until Sunday 25 January 2026.
Daisy Jackson -
21st June 2022 
