Gallery: A Sleek New Exhibit of the Telecom Inventions We Take for Granted
Andrew Meredith for Universal Design Studio01Science Museum Information Age photos by Andrew Meredith for Universal Design Studio--Panorama3
*Information Age* is the newest permanent collection at London's Science Museum. It covers 200 years of telecommunications inventions, like the Soviet BESM-6 supercomputer from 1960s.
Andrew Meredith for Universal Design Studio02Science Museum Information Age photos by Andrew Meredith for Universal Design Studio--Panorama1
The giant wooden Rugby Radio Station tuner is in the 'Broadcast' section. It was used in England in the 1920s.
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The 2L0 was the BBC's first transmitter, and sent out the corporation's first radio program in 1922.
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A replica of the Shabolovka radio tower is in the 'Broadcast' section of the exhibit. Built in Moscow in 1922, it was commissioned by Communist leader Vladimir Lenin. The original was often called the Eiffel Tower of Russia.
Andrew Meredith for Universal Design Studio05Science Museum Information Age photos by Andrew Meredith for Universal Design Studio--Panorama2
To guide visitors through the exhibit, Universal Design Studio and the museum divided the artifacts into six sections. 'Exchange,' the rise of telephone networks, and 'Constellation,' a look at satellite technology, can be seen here.
Andrew Meredith for Universal Design Studio06Science Museum Information Age photos by Andrew Meredith for Universal Design Studio--Panorama4
Behind the exhibit is an elevated wraparound walkway that gives visitors a chance to escape "gallery fatigue."
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The Eurostar communication satellite 3000, designed to provide Europe with communication to South America, hangs above the 'Constellation' section.
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On the left, you can see colored cables from the 1968 'Empress PCM tandem telephone exchange’.
