Airship Dreams: Escaping Gravity
10 July 2021 - 20 March 2022
Connections Gallery, Free Entry
Bedford Creative Arts, The Higgins Bedford, the Airship Heritage Trust and artist Mike Stubbs, have joined forces to launch this exhibition which celebrates Bedford’s airship heritage. It brings together new community sourced displays, presenting the pioneering vision of airship development over the decades.
Curated in partnership with the local community, visitors will discover community treasures, oral histories, artefacts, screened digital materials, animation, graphic design and young people’s responses to the themes.
Supported by National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England, Bedford College, Harpur Trust and Airship Heritage Trust.
Find out more here.
Click here to pre-book your FREE timed entry ticket online to visit The Higgins Bedford. If you are unable to book online, please telephone the Box Office on 01234 718044 - line available Monday to Friday from 11am to 3pm.
Virtual Exhibition
Now you can escape gravity in the comfort of your own home thanks to this amazing virtual exhibition of Airship Dreams: Escaping Gravity.
‘Step’ inside The Higgins, Bedford where you will enter the Connections Gallery to find airship artefacts from around the world, local history exhibits and items made by the budding Airship Dreamers Club.
As you ‘walk’ around the exhibition you will find hotspots full of information, videos and even worksheets which may inspire you to get creative.
As you move into the darkened auditorium of the Sir William Harpur Gallery be sure to catch a sneak peak of Escaping Gravity, a breath-taking immersive experience (open until 28th November 2021).
Audio Description of Airship Dreams: Escaping Gravity
This audio track describes the gallery space, some exhibition panels, photos and artefacts for those who may be visually impaired.
Listen here
Participant Survey
We would love to know what you thought about your visit to Airship Dreams: Escaping Gravity. This survey will take around 10 minutes and will really help us feedback to our project funders. All respondents will be anonymous.
Complete the short survey here.
Activities
History Pin
Explore the stories of the people featured in the exhibition on History Pin. You can also add your own airship stories and pictures to the collection by signing into History Pin or you can email them to lydia.saul@bedford.gov.uk and she will add them for you.
View the History Pin collection here.
History Hack Podcast
To mark the 91st anniversary of the R101 airship's demise, Lydia Saul, Keeper of Social History, and Mike Stubbs, lead artist for the Airship Dreams: Escaping Gravity installation, joined the History Hack podcast to talk about commemorating the 1930 crash and Bedfordshire's airship legacy.
Listen to the podcast here.