The Elements: From Actinium to Zirconium exhibition (2014-present) in the Ulster Museum, Belfast (part of National Museums Northern Ireland), is unique in the UK or Ireland. It provides an informative, accessible and attractive overview of many aspects of “hard science” seldom addressed in museums. Centred on a visually stunning display of the Periodic Table, the exhibition explores some fundamentals of physics and chemistry while showing the profound relevance of even some of the most obscure elements to modern life.
The exhibition, which has objects ranging from familiar everyday items to the downright weird, has drawn material from across the entire breadth of the museum's collection. This means that even the most narrow-minded visitor is likely to find at least a few items to capture their interest and draw them in.
Each object, or group of objects, is directly accompanied by a simple explanatory label that requires no broader knowledge of the subject, while each themed section (there are 12 themes that visitors can easily relate to, such as Earth, Death, or Colour) has explanatory back panels providing both an overview of the theme and additional information for those who seek it.
The exhibition has proven attractive to everyone from the casual visitor to the dedicated scientist, and it is especially relevant to school groups.
Key strengths of the exhibition are its simple modular design within five large cases, and its relatively low cost (less than £40,000). A substantial part of the cost of the exhibition and associated events programme has been provided by the Foyle Foundation, PowerNI, and Friends of the Ulster Museum.
Each object or group stands on its own merits (and often on its own plinth) within each theme, with no need to refer to any others. As such, objects and their labels can be substituted easily for others without affecting the integrity of the display as a whole. This innate flexibility allows us to refresh parts of the exhibition at frequent intervals in response to new acquisitions or to relevant news items in the media.
Visitor feedback (with more than 600 survey responses) has been overwhelmingly positive since the exhibition opened.
Mike Simms is the senior curator of natural sciences at NMNI, and devised and curated the Elements gallery
The exhibition, which has objects ranging from familiar everyday items to the downright weird, has drawn material from across the entire breadth of the museum's collection. This means that even the most narrow-minded visitor is likely to find at least a few items to capture their interest and draw them in.
Each object, or group of objects, is directly accompanied by a simple explanatory label that requires no broader knowledge of the subject, while each themed section (there are 12 themes that visitors can easily relate to, such as Earth, Death, or Colour) has explanatory back panels providing both an overview of the theme and additional information for those who seek it.
The exhibition has proven attractive to everyone from the casual visitor to the dedicated scientist, and it is especially relevant to school groups.
Key strengths of the exhibition are its simple modular design within five large cases, and its relatively low cost (less than £40,000). A substantial part of the cost of the exhibition and associated events programme has been provided by the Foyle Foundation, PowerNI, and Friends of the Ulster Museum.
Each object or group stands on its own merits (and often on its own plinth) within each theme, with no need to refer to any others. As such, objects and their labels can be substituted easily for others without affecting the integrity of the display as a whole. This innate flexibility allows us to refresh parts of the exhibition at frequent intervals in response to new acquisitions or to relevant news items in the media.
Visitor feedback (with more than 600 survey responses) has been overwhelmingly positive since the exhibition opened.
Mike Simms is the senior curator of natural sciences at NMNI, and devised and curated the Elements gallery
