Marvellous Machines

Last week, my mum had to work in Banbury. Me and my boyfriend got in the car with her and spent the day there. We went to the Banbury Museum where they had the 'Marvellous Machines' Exhibition.

The exhibition was really fun, with different sorts of mechanical machines to see and twist and press and play with. Some had handles for us to twist, we could change accessories on the things and get really hands on into what was there. Some were in display cases but they moved when buttons were pressed. This was really fun, as you could watch the mechanics work and see the animation take place. There were some steampunk machines that were on display, such as a hair waxer and the first (two person) hoover.

The exhibition also had a steampunk style dress up area which we also had a go at. This was probably for children however it had to be done! My favourite part of the whole thing was a piece based on Baba Yaga, by Keith Newstead in 2015. The piece was so magical, with movement, lights and music. I have attached a video above.

Here are some photos of the event:

Overall, I think the exhibition was really exciting and made you think about how things had to work in order to make other things work. The designers of the machines and toys must have been very creative and clever to come up with their inventions and be able to create them. Some were simpler than others but overall they were all really fun and tied together into one lovely exhibition.

Thanks for reading!

Katie Xx