A Monument to our Way of Life

Set in a vast redundant steelworks in England’s industrial heartland, Magna is a striking monument to our way of life. More than just an interactive centre of scientific learning, it is a site of spectacle and wonder, where science and imagination meet. Hands-on interactives deconstruct scientific phenomenon and theatrical demonstrations show how man has harnessed the elements that fuel our world.

Magna is a remarkable fusion of exhibition and architectural design. The foreboding blackened steel building, a third of a mile long and 120 feet high, is the inspiration and raison d’etre for the experience within. In close collaboration with the architects, WilkinsonEyre, we devised an experiential thematic journey through the belly of the building that fuses its steel making heritage with the science that underpins it. The project went on to win the Stirling Prize.

The building’s old industrial fixtures, decommissioned long ago, still stand in a powerful testament to its past. They act as showpieces along the narrative journey. At the epicentre of the experience is The Big Melt. At intervals throughout the day, the building’s old steel furnace is brought to life through media installations. It appears to emit sparks, belch steam and blast out warm air.

Four pavilions punctuate the cavernous space. Each is dedicated to one of Aristotle’s four elements: earth, water, air, fire. They offer a multisensory exploration – sights, sounds, smells fusing together. Go underground to touch and feel rock formations in the Earth. Be splashed and sprinkled with raindrops in Water. Climb up to Air, suspended in a blimp, to play with air jets. Enter Fire through a curtain of projected flames and smoke to see live hot metal demonstrations.

Magna was one of Britain’s most talked-about millennium projects and it remains as impressive and relevant today as it was at the turn of the century.