Opening on Thursday at the Science Museum is an exhibition that offers an opportunity to see more than 30 early science and nature documentaries. Tracking the developments from ‘Cheese Mites’, by Francis Martin Duncan and Charles Urban, made in 1903 and believed to be the first of the genre, to the start of ‘Tomorrow’s World’ in 1965, the exhibition also celebrates early stars of science film – characters such as Percy Smith, who produced hundreds of nature films in his own Southgate back garden, improvising much of his apparatus from household items and bits of Meccano.
Describing the exhibition as ‘a real treasure-trove of British science and nature documentary filmmaking,’ Dr Tim Boon, chief curator at the Science Museum says: ‘Some of these films’ beauty inspires awe; some can claim to have helped change contemporary thought; while others illuminate the continuing struggle for science’s voice to be heard in the clamour of the modern media. It will also help to throw light on why we have the kind of science films we do, and ask visitors to consider whether we have the science filmmaking we need to address the great issues of today.’
