Otherworlds, Natural History Museum, Review. Culture Whisper says: ★★★★★
Undulating fields, twin crescent moons, pink clouds, red mountain ranges these are landscapes, but not as you know them. These landscapes are from space which is revealed in breath-taking high-definition in this exhibition of enhanced space photography at The Natural History Museum.
As it happens, space is enjoying something of a moment in vogue. Between Tim Peake’s historic journey to the International Space Station, the arrival of Cosmonauts at the British Museum, the highly-anticipated return of Star Wars to our cinemas and this half term, the Out of this World half term workshops at the Astronomy Centre, life and the universe are hot topics this 2016. None of these events are quite as enchanting, however, as Otherworlds.
Artist Michael Benson has made a name for himself by bringing the grainy footage captured on space missions to life. He starts by datelining the archives of NASA and the European Space Agency to find suitable images. The raw visuals - very rough, and mostly in black and white - are transformed by Benson into something extraordinary. They reveal the ethereal beauty of far-off worlds and uncover clues to how the solar system, Earth and life began.
Using filters, he is able to make an accurate impression, by compositing the images. The cameras are designed to capture light that is outside the visual spectrum. Therefore when restored, the images are startling, far beyond what the human eye would have been able to see.
One of the most notable of Benson’s images is of Jupiter’s volcanic moon lo, which looks like a ball of gold. We also loved the to see the tiny dark moon passing before of a deep-red and spitting 4.5 billion year old sun, and pictures of the of the Earth taken from space that show airborne sand sweeping from across the Atlantic from the Sahara Desert, ice rearing from Canada’s Hudson bay and a perfect spiral of Hurricane Carlos pirouetting off the southern Mexican Pacific coast.
You won’t have seen anything like this before. Take yourselves, take your children, and prepare to feel very small indeed.
Suitable for adults and all curious children aged 7-14
Undulating fields, twin crescent moons, pink clouds, red mountain ranges these are landscapes, but not as you know them. These landscapes are from space which is revealed in breath-taking high-definition in this exhibition of enhanced space photography at The Natural History Museum.
As it happens, space is enjoying something of a moment in vogue. Between Tim Peake’s historic journey to the International Space Station, the arrival of Cosmonauts at the British Museum, the highly-anticipated return of Star Wars to our cinemas and this half term, the Out of this World half term workshops at the Astronomy Centre, life and the universe are hot topics this 2016. None of these events are quite as enchanting, however, as Otherworlds.
ESA / Michael Benson / Kinetikon Pictures (c) All Rights Reserved
Using filters, he is able to make an accurate impression, by compositing the images. The cameras are designed to capture light that is outside the visual spectrum. Therefore when restored, the images are startling, far beyond what the human eye would have been able to see.
One of the most notable of Benson’s images is of Jupiter’s volcanic moon lo, which looks like a ball of gold. We also loved the to see the tiny dark moon passing before of a deep-red and spitting 4.5 billion year old sun, and pictures of the of the Earth taken from space that show airborne sand sweeping from across the Atlantic from the Sahara Desert, ice rearing from Canada’s Hudson bay and a perfect spiral of Hurricane Carlos pirouetting off the southern Mexican Pacific coast.
You won’t have seen anything like this before. Take yourselves, take your children, and prepare to feel very small indeed.
Suitable for adults and all curious children aged 7-14
| What | Otherworlds, Natural History Museum |
| Where | Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road , SW7 5BD | MAP |
| Nearest tube | South Kensington (underground) |
| When |
22 Jan 16 – 15 May 16, Open daily 10.00-17.50 Last entry to exhibitions 17.15 Closed 24-26 December |
| Price | £9.90 Child and concession £5.40 Family £26.10 Free for Members, Patrons and children under four |
| Website | Click here to book |
