NEW MULTI-MILLION POUND M SHED MUSEUM OPENS IN BRISTOL
This week sees the grand opening of the £27million M Shed museum on Bristol’s waterfront. The counry’s media gathered at the old 1950s transit sheds opposite the Arnolfini for a sneak preview of the exhibits ahead of the official launch on June 17 and we were there to see what all the full is about. The museum’s world-class collection, includes 3,000 exhibits, telling the many stories that have been discovered through working with experts and communities across the city – a process that will continue for the life of the museum.
As well as the usual fare of old bikes, buses, phones, clothes, photos, books etc there are a substantial number of artefacts gathered from local people, including a genuine Teds jacket, old gig tickets and records. There’s interactive displays and photos of local folk (though no sign of Big Jeff…yet). The museum, which commands impressive views across Bristol harbour, is divided into three main areas – Bristol People, Bristol Places and Bristol Life. It showcases everything good (and bad) about Bristol including the creative industries and engineering innovations as well as the slave trade and tobacco industry.
The general vibe is less of a traditional museum and more of a celebration of all things Bristol. It’s not dissimilar to the Te Anau museum in Wellington, New Zealand, and is expected to ‘put Bristol on the world map’, that is according to the speakers at the launch. Councillor Simon Cook said: “Culture is absolutely essential to economic growth. The importance of lifestyle as a means of retaining talented people continues to rise. And we are very confident about our future success as a city.” Bristol poet Miles Chambers did an emotive and inspirational reading of his poem ‘I Belong Here’ and there were talks from council reps, Heritage Lottery Fund reps (as they put more than £11m into the project) and museum staff.
The M Shed launch party takes place this weekend (Friday from noon until 9pm, Saturday 10am until 9pm and Sunday 10am until 6pm). More info at www.mshed.org
