Interview with Darren Barnes - Exhibitions Director

BS. what about the Science Theatre? How does that fit in to what you do?

((long pause))

DB: It gives us a diversity of the organisation, and, keeps people longer at Techniquest. It's the opportunity to - present - probably some of - You know we said about ((laughs)). It, it probably gives us the opportunity to present - a more structured learning environment and science experience than you can possibly free standing on the exhibition floor.

You can be far more sure of people leaving the Electricity Show, which I think it's questionable about the cow at the moment that, you know, cows have to face a certain direction or you have to, or, stand in a certain way that you then won't be hurt by the lightning as much. More people will go from that show remembering that. I think more people will actually remember the images of the demos that happen. So within all of the demos that we have, we always try and have more of the demos, three or four larger demos that are sort of spectacular. Those are things that people remember when they take away, they don't remember that one comment "oh electricity is dangerous" but if they see something EXPLODE because of electricity they might think "Wow! Dangerous". So, from, a visitor attraction, the Science Theatre gives the visitor, something that's different, a different experience within what is a very small space. I think perceivably gives people more value for money.

If we had an extra 200 exhibits or an extra 50 exhibits you get to the point with larger centres where people feel they haven't done all the exhibits. We could be marginally bigger but I don't think we would want to be much bigger. We should change our exhibits more often in the exhibition but the Science Theatre gives us an environment where you can, you can change an awful lot, for each time they visit, relatively cheaply. There's an awful lot of work writing the shows but then from a comparative cost point of view there's an awful lot of work creating a new exhibit.

The exhibition - the Science Theatre is there, through the education programme. And is essential for the education programme but for the, the visitor, I would love, to have every single visitor that comes to Techniquest to have had a Science Theatre show. Different people have different ideas on that particular point. But, I think, it's such a great environment a controlled environment for us to do some really good stuff. And, I love the sort of history and the sort of Royal Institution and the whole idea that it's going back to how these sort of scientists "make touch with people." They used to have all those lectures that people went along to and ( ) about it. But it's science in everyday life, you know, I don't think, we don't want "This is my research, this is what I'm doing" some closeted research establishment somewhere, you know, it has to be how, electricity works and how lightning works and stuff like that, for the public.