Oxford museum hosts immersive mining and techno installation

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 24 Oct, 13:02 · Archive

The Oxford University Museum of Natural History is hosting an immersive installation exploring critical materials used in modern technology.

MECHANIMAL, an award-winning creative company, is staging its immersive Megalith installation at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History from October 24 to 31. The installation collaborates with the museum's exhibition 34: The Critical Raw Materials Shaping Our Future, blending performance, sound, light and interactive play to explore mining and the materials that shape modern society.

Developed with researchers from the University of Oxford's Department of Earth Sciences, the installation examines copper, cobalt, lithium and tin, asking where these materials for batteries and renewable technologies come from and what a sustainable future for their use might look like. The interactive experience allows visitors to extract stone using antlers like Neolithic miners, listen to underground soundscapes, and move 'magic stones' around a giant stone circle to trigger responsive light displays.

Janet Stott, head of public engagement at the museum, said the immersive format gives audiences 'a completely different, creative way of engaging with questions' about humanity's dependence on Earth materials, the energy transition and the choices society faces about extraction and consumption. The installation culminates in live performances on October 30 and 31, featuring MECHANIMAL's Tom Bailey and sound artist Xavier Velastin.

How it is being reported

• Oxford museum to host immersive techno and mining experienceMECHANIMAL, an award-winning creative company, is taking over the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.Oxfordshire Guardian · 24 Oct, 12:30
• Oxford museum to host immersive techno and mining experienceMECHANIMAL, an award-winning creative company, is taking over the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.Oxford Mail · 24 Oct, 12:30

In this story: MECHANIMAL · Oxford University Museum of Natural History · University of Oxford · Janet Stott · Tom Bailey · Xavier Velastin · Oxford

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