Cracking Contraptions!

By John Freeman on January 4, 2009

(with thanks to Katie Bleathman): London’s Science Museum has announced a new Wallace & Gromit-themed exhibition, which will run from Friday 27 March until Saturday 31 October 2009.

From Techno-trousers, the Telly-scope and the Shopper 13, Wallace is famous for his wacky contraptions and now he and Gromit will guide visitors through the world of well-known inventions to discover how simple ideas can transform into life-changing devices.

Intended as a fun family experience, it’s an opportunity to see some of the greatest objects ever invented, from the printing press to the telephone, plus some of the first ever patented inventions from the Science Museum’s collection. The exhibition has been put together by the Science Museum in collaboration with Aardman, supported by the UK-Intellectual Property Office and produced by SGA.

What device in your house could you not live without? Let Wallace’s expertise inspire you in the ‘create your own’ workshop and develop your own idea for the next big thing.

• You can book your tickets online from 7 January 2009, cost of tickets yet to be announced. More info on the Science Musuem web site.

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John Freeman

John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.

He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.