Artist Bedwyr Williams was commissioned to create an artistic response to the construction of a new publicly accessible home for the Science Museum Group Collection at the National Collections Centre in Wiltshire. Following an open call to be part of the project, Phil Olsen was selected as one of 22 writers invited to contribute to the Science Fictions anthology.
Despite the anthology being titled ‘Science Fictions’, it is not actually a collection of science fiction. The ‘Science’ refers to the fact that it is a Science Museum project, and the ‘Fictions’ refers to the variuous stories and object interpretations conjured by the group of writers.
The photograph of the robot on the front cover perhaps further obscures what was always intended to be a pun. There may be some science fiction to be found in the mix, but there are other genres too, as well as some less definable writing.
Writers
Science Fictions features an introduction by Bedwyr Williams & Sally O’Reilly, and short fiction by 22 writers plus a story by Bedwyr, ‘The Wrong Thing’, that was adapted into a 30-minute short film (directed and animated by Ewan Jones Morris and Casey Raymond).
- Carmina Bernhardt
- Kelly Best
- Dorothy Burrows
- Charles Ebikeme
- Tracey Fuller
- Ruth Goldsmith
- Eloise Govier
- Hamish Halley
- Sassy Holmes
- Ellie Hoskins
- Susan James
- Dave Key
- Camilla Langdon
- Mob
- Phil Olsen
- Marion Parish
- Mags Parker
- Emma Puranen
- E. Saxey
- Izzy Squire
- J. Turnock
- Bedwyr Williams
- Jayne Woodhouse
This book forms part of Science Fictions, a participatory artwork by Bedwyr Williams, commissioned by the Science Museum Group in collaboration with Foreground, to celebrate the relocation of 300,000 objects from London to the Science and Innovation Park in Wiltshire.
Many of the objects had previously been in storage at Blythe House.
The new Hawking Building will also provide a climate controlled environment for large objects that had been stored in former RAF air hangars elswhere on the Wroughton site.
Anthology publication credits — The Science Fictions anthology was published by the Science Museum Group and Foreground (first edition; Edition of 700 copies).
Curation: Bedwyr Williams
Editing: Sally O’Reilly
Design: PageMasters, London
Printing: Bell & Bain, Glasgow
Cover images: Jordan Taylor
Reference images: Science Museum Group
ISBN: 978-0-9567002-8-5
About the project
Phil got involved in Journey Through Objects following a call-out by the Science Museum Group in 2020. They invited applicants to select three items from their online collection database (or use their random object generator or Never Been Seen tool) and write 100 words about what they find exciting about them.
The three objects Phil chose can be found below. One of these (the Babycham hologram) also ended up being included in his final piece for the anthology – the short story, ‘Lucky Stars Linoleum.’
‘The first item I have chosen is the gold plated BBC Micro Personal Computer. I have fond memories of one of these (not gold plated, sadly) being wheeled into the classroom on a trolley for some lo-res puzzle solving. I love the idea of the gold version being a prize awarded for imagining what computer magazine articles might be about in 3 years’ time (and the fact that future year of 1988 is now more than 30 years ago). It’s also interesting how tech depreciates in value (this one less so!) but then becomes rare and collectible.’
‘My second item is this embossed rainbow hologram of the Babycham fawn. I’m fascinated by the cycle of new technology going from ‘out of this world’ to cheesy fashion accessory. I remember my dad got my mum a reddish hologram of a field mouse on an ear of corn. He also invested in a 3D camera that produced lenticular photos using four lenses. I nearly selected the first successful argon laser hologram (1965), but Babycham freezes a ‘1980s future’ perfectly – like Blade Runner with its giant neon Atari and Pan Am logos. It’s the future that didn’t make it to the actual future.’
‘For my third item, I’ve made use of the excellent random object generator and thankfully – for the sake of variety – this time I haven’t landed in the year 1985, but rather 1878-79 with Sir Joseph Wilson Swan’s incandescent electric lamp. It looks a bit like a Heath Robinson contraption that combines a Morse code button with a lava lamp. It’s interesting to learn from the description that Swan and Edison invented these independently. At a time when the possibilities were endless, we got a matching pair of incandescent lamps on opposite sides of the Atlantic.’
Sally O’Reilly (writer, critic and RCA tutor) hosted monthly creative writing workshops over Zoom during lockdown, and the 22 writers, along with Bedwyr (who also attended as a participating writer), were put into smaller groups to give each other feedback in break-out rooms. Guest Science Museum curators and conservators hosted additional Zoom sessions to talk about the collection and provide historical context.
On Saturday 21 August 2021, with lockdown restrictions lifted, the group were able to meet in person for the first time and visit the Science & Innovation Park in Wroughton, Wiltshire. This included a tour of the former RAF hangars and a look at the new purpose-built National Collection Centre (NCC) before the objects were moved in. The NCC had the working name of ‘Building One’ at the time. A little over three years later, it would open as the Hawking Building.
Writers were free to create works of fiction that played fast and loose with any objects from the collection – whether delving into their history or function, or simply using them as prompts and jumping-off points.
The project began online in early 2021 when society was still being asked to stay indoors, and when thousands of Science Museum objects were still stuck in storage boxes. It concluded in late 2024 with the opening of the Hawking Building and the launch of the Science Fictions anthology, alongside Bedwyr Williams’ film, ‘The Wrong Thing’.
Film credits for ‘The Wrong Thing’ — Part of Science Fictions: Journey through objects with Bedwyr Williams
Commissioned by the Science Museum Group and Foreground.
Directed and Animated by Ewan Jones Morris and Casey Raymond.
Voice of CB Radio and Hairdryer: Sean Reynard.
Music: Icarus by Alan Sutcliffe, reproduced with permission from Nicola Sutcliffe.
Shozyg I &II, Quintet, Improvisation 4:2 for KPFA by Hugh Davies, reproduced with permission from Pam Davies.
Images: Science Museum Group Collection © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum.
Find out more
‘Bedwyr Explains’ on the Science Museum Group website’s project page.
Read the Science Museum Group blog: ‘Art and the NCC: Adapting Through the Pandemic’ by Jessica Bradford (15 August 2022).
Read a review of the new Hawking Building by architecture critic, Rowan Moore, in The Observer (1 Dec 2024).
Visit the Foreground Projects website.
Watch Bedwyr Williams’ 30-minute short film, ‘The Wrong Thing’ on YouTube.
View posts by Bedwyr Williams on Instagram.
Search the Science Museum Group collection online.
Explore the Science and Innovation Park’s dedicated website.