Gunnersbury Park Seeks To Crowdfund Sci-Fi History Display
Exhibition would celebrate the area's links to the genre on screen
Original Doctor Who villians would feature
June 16, 2023
Gunnersbury Park Museum is planning an exhibition about the links of the local area to the creation of classic Sci-Fi films and TV programmes.
It is seeking public support for the event by launching a crowdfunder to raise £15,000 for the event which is due to take place in the Autumn.
‘Set to Stun: A celebration of Sci-Fi film and television design’, which will be a free to enter exhibition, will aim to turn the camera around and focus on the designers and technicians who brought the shows to life.
There will be an interactive showcase of the costumes, sets, work and imagination that goes into building some of the best known moments from the genre dating back a century.
The exhibition would provide an opportunity to get up close to original daleks, cybermen and other well-known villains. The museum is also commissioning a specially made one-off set for visitors to explore, designed by Jeremy Bear, a veteran of the industry who created early Dr Who sets. Original props, monsters, interactive mirrors, community curated art, smoke machines and more can be expected.
West London has been home to a hive of studios and workshops that fed into some of the country’s most iconic Sci-Fi films and TV shows. Local set designers, model makers, and costume designers played a pivotal role in creating films and tv shows which would go on to become household names, including Doctor Who, the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Red Dwarf.
The Museum is working with the Art Fund in an attempt to raise money in a month long campaign to realise the exhibition which will be the first large-scale one since the venue got National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) status.
Previous exhibitions have included those celebrating everything from Women’s Football to the Acton Top Quilt.
Professor James Knowles, Chair of Gunnersbury Museum and Park Development Trust said, “Please do help us celebrate west London’s unseen sci-fi heritage. A donation of any amount would be incredibly helpful: even £5 will help us rocket off! And to reward our donors’ generosity, we’ve assembled a huge range of exciting gifts. Pick from prints, postcards, totes, and even exclusive tours and explosive escape rooms. Plus, we also have a reading and Q&A with David Learner, aka Marvin the Paranoid Android of BBC’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy to grab your galactic fancy.”
To donate and browse the rewards follow this link.
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |