My favourite exhibitions of 2025. Space: could life exist beyond Earth - Natural History Museum; Pictograms: Iconic Japanese design - Japan House London; Secrets of the Thames - Museum of London Docklands; Magdalena Abakanowicz, the Thread of Existence - Musée Bourdelle

I do like an interesting map - and there are interesting maps aplenty in the British Library's current exhibition Secret Maps. Fully of intriguing detail and thought-provoking ideas. Well worth a visit. #museum #museums #exhibition

If you are looking for something to do in London over the Xmas break I highly recommend the latest Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum. Stunning display of photography that is moving, thought-provoking & intriguing.

Day 30 #museum30 Why museums? Because they are fun - and we all need a bit more fun right now #museum #museums

Day 29 #museum30 #water one of my favourite exhibitions of 2025 was Secrets of the Thames - mud larking London’s lost treasures, at London Museum Docklands. Beautiful design, fascinating objects - who knew the sorts of things that get thrown into the Thames- and full of intriguing stories.

Day 28 #museum30 #mural. Herculaneum is one of those archaeological sites that not only lives up to its reputation but exceeeds it. Among the many wonders you see are some striking murals. It is one of those 'must visit if you ever get the chance' type of places. #museum #museums

Day 27 #museum30 #achievement. One of my clients this year has been Highgate Cemetery which I guess is all about memorialising achievement. It is one of my all time most favourite places in London and I highly recommend visiting if you get the chance.

Day 26 #museum30 #moving. Some of my favourite exhibits from the Migration Museum in London. The museum is currently closed but will be reopening in a new location in 2028

Day 25 #museum30 danger. And things are not looking good for the lamb. I do love a museum diorama and the Booth Museum of Natural History in Brighton has many examples like this one. #museum #museums

Day 24 #museum30 specialist. Well I guess this would count as a specialist museum. Sadly the day we were there the World Bags & Luggage Museum was closed. #museum #museums

Day 23 #museum30 animal. Or vegetable or mineral? This is the Barometz on display in the Garden Museum London. Collected in the 17th century, it was claimed to be a creature from the Caucasus that was half lamb, half plant. It was actually the roots of a fern, made to look like the body of an animal

Day 22 #museum30 Walk. A set of replica items of clothing that a medieval pilgrim might have worn when they set off on foot to visit a shrine. These were developed for the new Discovery Centre at Bath Abbey. #museum #museums #visitorexperience

Day 21 #museum30 Career. Was struggling with this one, so I did a bit of research into the word 'career'. Apparently it comes from the Latin carrus “chariot” & the Vulgar Latin cararia “road for vehicles”. So I thought I'd post this splendid Roman mosaic from the Lugdunum Museum in Lyon

Day 20 #museum30 Diary. What was I thinking? A day per page work diary for 2026! This year has been tough the worst in 20 years of freelancing. Museums are being financially squeezed & there isn’t much work out there. So why that diary? Perhaps like Mr Micawber I am thinking something will turn up

Day 19 #museum30 Magic. I came across this interactive in the Twist Museum, London. The model of four playing card symbols appears in the mirror as 4 hearts. Rotate it through 180 degrees & the effect is reversed. Turn the model less than 180 degrees & you can investigate how the illusion works

Day 18 #museum30 Photograph What a difference a photograph can make to an exhibit, conveying valuable information about time, place and people plus a sense of drama. These are some of my favourite examples from the Imperial War Museum, London; RAF Museum in Hendon & Kelvingrove Museum & Art Gallery

Day 17 #museum30 Making The other month I visited the Millennium Gallery in Sheffield which includes this lovely display about the history of steel making in Sheffield. Beautiful, thought-provoking and inspiring, I especially liked their simple interactive exhibits #museum #museums #exhibitiondesign

Day 16 #museum30 Last 12 months. Just some of the places I've worked over the last year. Royal Museums Greenwich, Francis Crick Institute, Highgate Cemetery, Wallace Collection, National Portrait Gallery, Royal Academy of Engineering. The itinerant life of a freelancer.

Day 15 #museum30 Kindness. In a display case in the city of London church of St Stephen Walbrook is a 1950s telephone. This was one of the first used by the Samaritans a charity that provides emotional support to people who are struggling to cope, are at risk of suicide, or are feeling isolated

Day 14 #museum30 Heavy. David Rickard's artwork A Room of Air uses a stack of concrete blocks to represent the weight of air contained in the exhibition gallery. It's a brilliant example of how art can bring to life the imperceptible and overlooked. #art #museum #museums

Day 13 #museum30 Background. Sometimes the main character is in the background. In Dawson’s painting Charles I raising his standard, in Nottingham Castle Museum & Art Gallery, Charles & his retinue are tiny figures set against the backdrop of the castle as if it foreshadows their coming defeat

Day 12 #museum30 Digital I love well-designed digital interactive exhibits, as do museum visitors. A recent favourite was this one developed by Clay Interactive for the @nhm-london.bsky.social exhibition Titanosaur: Life as the Biggest Dinosaur. Watch out for that T-rex!

Day 11 #museum30 Reflection. Katie Paterson’s artwork Totality. A mirror ball comprised of over 10,000 images of solar eclipses. I saw this in her exhibition at Turner Contemporary, Margate.

Day 10 #museum30 Rainbow. In this room at Woolsthorpe Manor in 1665-6 Isaac Newton created rainbows that revolutionised our understanding of light. Oh and bye the way, that's THE apple tree in the garden outside. #STEM #heritage #museum #museums

Day 9 #museum30 Map. This map is from a project I worked on some years ago with ABG Design & Parc Signs. It comes from the Minions Visitor Centre - no nothing to do with mischievous yellow creatures, but rather the history, geology, fauna & flora of Bodmin Moor in Cornwall. #exhibition #map #maps

Sun loving penguins

Day 8 #museum30 stitch. I saw these knitted neurons in the lovely Hello Brain exhibition at the Francis Crick institute. #STEMengagement #exhibition #visitorexperience

Day 7 #museum30 Box In the exhibition Looks delicious exploring Japan's replica food culture, you could create a replica Bento Box. Great example of a simple interactive exhibit. Unlike many things labelled interactive this is the genuine thing, a creative challenge with multiple options & outcomes

Day 6 #museum30 Clay. Triumph of the Immaterial - one of Phoebe Cummings' beautiful and thought-provoking empheral sculptures made from raw clay. Each day water was run through the sculpture gradually wearing it away. This one was displayed at the @vamuseum #museum #museums #art

Day 5 #museum30 Sharing. In the 1970s & 80s the Exploratorium in San Francisco published these Cookbooks - instruction manuals providing step-by-step guidance for building interactive exhibits including design drawings & explanations of the background science.

It’s not often that you see a wild sheep wearing a jumper #museum

Here are the prompts for #museum30 2025 - the ninth year! If you would like to join in all you need to do is share an image, inspired by each days' prompt, throughout November. Don't forget to include #museum30 so other's can find your posts.

Day4 #museum30 sketchbook a digital recreation of John Hunter’s sketchbooks in the Hunterian Museum. The new museum brilliantly interweaves the story of Hunter into the collection. I work on the front-end evaluation & it was great to see the issues raised by audiences being so effectively addressed

Day 3 #museum30 Eyes. This is from one of my favourite museums - the American Folk Art Museum in New York City. It’s an early 20th century optician’s shop sign. #visitorexperience #museum #museums

Day 2 #museum30 Signage. The design of signage requires a deep understanding of the purpose and ethos of the site. The signage at Sheffield General Cemetery are a great example striking just the right balance between being noticeably but not intrusive, informative but not overwhelming & respectful.

Day 1 #museum30 Introduction the second hardest bit of exhibition text to write, the first being the conclusion. It was inspiring to see an excellent example of introductory text at the City Wall museum on Jewry St, London. Powerful and poetic, it’s a great introduction to a marvellous little museum

Recently visited the newly restored Great Hall at St Barts Hospital. The Hall is gorgeous & there are 2 Hogarth paintings on the staircase. As a museum person I had to take photos of the interpretation. Great example of design that is simple, effective and in keeping with the historic surroundings

This is a example of a simple interactive - simple in design & construction but also embody the characteristics of more complex interactive exhibits. There’s physical manipulation, multiple options leading to multiple outcomes, discovery, delight, discovery & scope for creative expression

One of my guilty pleasures is the Ironwork Gallery at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Is it the craftsmanship? Is it the shadows? Is it the feeling of being inside a Jan Pieńkowski illustration? I don’t know but I do know it’s a magical experience #museum #visitorexperience #exhibitiondesign

This might be the original Angry Bird. A piece of 15th century stained glass recovered from the ruins of Coventry Cathedral.

Every now & again you finally get to see somewhere you have been meaning to visit for ages & it turns out to be even better than you had expected. That happened to me recently when I visited Coventry Cathedral, one of the most beautiful & moving places I have ever seen #heritage #visitorexperience

Love the new street art - very evocative of South East London #art #publicart #london

I got a preview of the new exhibition at Japan House, London, Pictograms Iconic Japanese Designs. It's full of visual delights, fascinating insights plus simple but effective interactivity. Especially liked the 3D versions of classic pictograms & the new designs created by local schools

I so love Folkestone Triennial. It is like a treasure hunt combined with delightful, funny, sometimes disturbing but always thought provoking art. And a great way to explore one of Britain’s historic seaside towns #creativefolkestone #folkestonetriennial #publicart

London can be beautiful. Poppies at Hampton Court Palace

The antidote for despair is to revel in the wonder of it all

Absolutely love the new exhibition at @nhm-london.bsky.social Space: Could Life Exist Beyond Earth? How often do you get to touch a piece of the Moon, find out what asteriods smells of, feel the surface of one, see the oldest dust on Earth plus loads of cutting-edge science. Highly recommend a vist

My oh my London can be beautiful

In one of those “was in the are with time kill” moments we visited Weston Park Museum in Sheffield and came across the delightful and deeply moving exhibition The Boy with a Leg Named Brian: Memoirs by Pete McKee. Highly recommend visiting especially if you grew up in 1970s & 80s Britain

Fanstastic opportunity to lead the audience research team at one of the world's gratest museums & participate in groundbreaking work in STEM engagement & museum interpretation #museum #museums #museumjobs #audienceresearch #evaluation #STEMengagement www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/42...