OUR STORY

We are eight students, currently undertaking a Masters degree in Museum and Gallery studies at the University of St Andrews, and one of two groups given the task of puttng on an exhibition with roughly six months to prepare.

Given the choice of two topics for an exhibition, our group is made of the eight students who chose the science of sound as theirs. Though daunting at first, we soon realised that within this collection, were some very special objects that we had the opportunity to showcase, and some very interesting stories to tell. This immediately made the task less frightening, if only by a little. The objects we have chosen represent an exciting time in scientific innovation and discovery; scientists studying how we perceive sound and figuring out ways to measure or demonstrate it, resulted in the creation of instruments that are still relevant in the world today. They have also come to influence a huge range of fields, from musical acoustics, to using sonar to study underwater.

Our exhibition at the Gateway Galleries, St Andrews, will run from 15 March to 17 May, but that’s not all! During that time we will be hosting a range of events, from a ‘Music Lab’, during National Science and Engineering Week, to a series of fascinating talks by experts in the field, and lots more besides.

Publications Team: Rosemary and Steven

Education Team: Charlotte and Charlie

As the education officers for the group, we are responsible for putting together a programme of formal and informal events which will complement the exhibition. These are designed to appeal to a variety of age groups. For example, we are holding a adults lecture series which will cover a wide variety of topics, ranging from the great physicists of the 19^th Century, to the use of sonar to find underwater wrecks today!

For younger generations, we are creating a series of fun-filled arts and crafts activities which will help bring the science of sound to life.

We also are responsible for organising a schools programme in order to help bring pupils of all age-groups into the museum, thereby allowing them to experience the exhibition in a interactive and vibrant way.

Marketing and Sponshorship Team: Kelly and Anna

As the marketing and sponsorship team, we do the jobs you don't always immediately think of when you're visiting an exhibition.

We are responsible for raising money to make sure the exhibition can be done, through bakesales, themed events, grant applications and a raffle with some excellent prizes in store.

We also have to spread the word about the exhibition to as many people as possible, through the radio, newspapers, social media, posters and flyers and of course this very website!

Through our blog and regular updates on the website, we keep you up to date with what everyone in the team has been doing and let you know when all the fabulous events will be happening and where.

Display Team:

Madeline and Emma

How do you pick which objects from a Recognised Collection are displayed in an exhibition? This is the conundrum facing the ‘display’ team.

It is our job to deal with the physical look of the exhibition and ensure that it looks professional and dynamic. We are lucky to be able to let our creative sides show, making decisions from where to put each object to which colour to paint the walls.

We are also responsible for designing an audio-visual component and for solving the logistical problem of moving our items safely across the town. Our role is therefore extremely varied and it is exciting to be able to learn so many different skills!

As the publication team in the group, we are responsible for putting together all the printed materials for our exhibition. We design posters and invitations that are fundamental in communicating with our audiences. These will be the first contact some people will have with our exhibition. It’s a great chance to be creative, but it’s not an easy task.

We also have to do a lot of research and work closely with the beautiful historical, scientific collection to tell its story in our accompanying booklet. It will allow people to discover more about these fascinating objects, their visionary inventors and their journey to recognised status.

Publication is not just graphic design and creative writing though. We have to search for quotes and liaise with printers so publishing can go as smoothly as possible. We are also constantly updating and redrafting our work to make sure it achieves our exhibition team’s goals. We are always working to deadlines and, unfortunately, they are never far away.