An exhibition exploring Stephen Hawking’s life and work will open in Manchester this summer, with recognisable objects on public display for the first time.
Stephen Hawking at Work is part of the Science and Industry Museum’s packed schedule for 2022.
Objects from Hawking’s office will be on display to the public for the first time, including his spectacles and an invitation to a time travel-themed party he hosted.
The display will show how Hawking used science and technology to aid communication after his diagnosis with motor neurone disease (MND).
The renowned scientist lived with MND for more than 50 years despite an initial prognosis of only two.
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The Revolution Manchester Gallery at the Science and Industry Museum. Credit: Drew Forsyth
He used a voice synthesiser from 1986 following an emergency tracheotomy, and had an analogue cheek sensor attached to his glasses to control the voice software.
Stephen Hawking at Work will also feature the latest generation of wheelchair he used, a Permobil F3 model.
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Visitors will be able to study Hawking’s rare PhD thesis too.
The exhibition will take over the striking new £5m Revolution Gallery, before heading on a national tour over the next two years.
The popular museum will also be running a year of events and exhibitions marking the 100th anniversary of the BBC, and continuing its cancer exhibition.
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Visitors to the Manchester Science Festival in 2019. Credit: Science Museum Group
The Cancer Revolution: Science, Innovation and Hope exhibition, which explored how science is revolutionising cancer care, will remain in the Special Exhibitions Gallery until March 27.
From spring, the Revolution Gallery will host the Celebrating 100 Years of the BBC in Manchester exhibition.
There’ll be a bumper programme of exhibitions, displays, online content and events across the country exploring how trailblazers shaped broadcast technology and look at what the future may hold.
The Science and Industry Museum will host Amazonia, a photography exhibition that celebrates the indigenous peoples and varied landscapes of the Brazilian rainforest this summer.
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Then the Musical Mind exhibition will arrive in October, exploring the science of why humans connect with music.
In 2022, updates to the Experiment Gallery will be revealed, including the additions of a thermal image camera, large-scale shadow box, a buzz wire game and a collaborative ball run wall.
There’s some FREE festive craft workshops taking place at MediaCity this Christmas
Thomas Melia
A handful Christmas-inspired workshops are happening down at MediaCity, and lots of them are free to take part in.
Starting tomorrow (11 December), anyone who’s looking to get artsy in the run up to the big day can try their hand at three different Christmas activities, and have a go at making and creating items to keep and treasure forever.
There’s a free ‘Bauble Bar’ where you can learn how to make those brilliant hanging ornaments that make your tree gorgeous.
This workshop is suitable for all skill sets, which means you don’t have to be the next Da Vinci to design one of these little trinkets, as a friendly host will be walking round the class to help everyone make a beautiful creation to take home with them.
The second free event is a Christmas card making workshop, where there will be stationery provided for you to create some cute and snazzy designs, so get ready to freestyle your own drawings if you’re confident, or hone your craft by following the range of patterns and templates that will be on-hand for you to trial.
This final crafty class gives visitors the opportunity to create a two-layer wreath that’s sure to become part of your annual festive decor.
The ‘Christmas Wreath Making’ class provides all the materials you could need, but due to the cost of this, this isn’t a free event and tickets are a reasonable £10 instead.
/ Credit: | Ksenia Ya | Jonathan Borba (via Unsplash & Pexels)
All of these fun Christmas activities are happening at innovative event space, Hot House, which is designed to host creative workshops like these festive-themed crafts.
Although the ‘Bauble Bar’ and the ‘Christmas Card Making Workshop’ are both free, booking a ticket to secure your space is still required.
Step inside the incredible immersive David Hockney experience that’s opened in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Mancs can now step inside the work of one of the world’s greatest artists, with a new immersive David Hockney experience in Manchester.
The magnificent warehouse space at Aviva Studios has been taken over by the legendary artist,
David Hockney’s Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away) has opened in Manchester today, with huge projections bringing his life’s work to life.
Running all the way through to 25 January, this dazzling digital exhibition cycles through six themed chapters and features some of his most iconic images.
Spanning six decades, there’ll be lesser-seen images and new work, plus a running commentary from the artist himself and an original score by Nico Muhly.
His most famous artworks, including A Bigger Splash and plenty of his Photographic Collages, are animated and drift across Aviva Studios’ huge walls and floor.
Visitors can view the spectacle from up on the balcony or take to amphitheatre seating and benches to see it up close.
David Hockney Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away) is now open in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
In part of the rotating exhibition, you can even see the work of David Hockney taking shape before your eyes, as he paints on an iPad.
From the hills of LA to the Grand Canyon to Yorkshire to Normandy, the work follows Hockney around the world and back here to his homeland in the UK.
Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away) affords unparalleled access to the mind of one of Britain’s most loved artists.
David Hockney said: “I’m very happy that my exhibition is going to Factory International in Manchester and that more people in the UK will be able to see my pictures bigger & closer than before. LOVE LIFE DH.”
Standard tickets are on sale from £20, with affordable options available from factoryinternational.org.
Daisy Jackson -
12th January 2022 
