Some may recall the excellent and quirky British Channel 4 TV series "The Secret Life of Machines" devised and presented by Tim Hunkin in the late 1980s. In this video, Tim looks back at a commission he subsequently earned from London's Science Museum to revitalise displays that he called The Secret Life of the Home, in which he deployed his unique sense of humour.

QUOTE: Tim looks back at his gallery at London's Science Museum. It opened in 1995 and finally closed in 2024. It housed the museum's fabulous collection of household appliances, sadly now back in store. The national museums have changed a lot over this time. An outsider like Tim would not now be considered for a commission like this but the 1990s were very different. At the time there was a particular funding crisis caused by the government's decision to make museum entry free of charge. This forced the museums to make radical cuts and also to be more adventurous about new ways of updating galleries. This was his entree.

This reminds me of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences in Harris St Ultimo. Was taken to this a couple of times as a 10-12 year old, and it did the same job of showing how things work in an interesting and entertaining way.

This museum was the predecessor to the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo, which was the former Ultimo Power Station built to power Sydney's tram network. This Museum is now expanded to Paramatta Powerhouse, and the collection has been digitised. So hopefully people will continue to be fascinated by what things there have been and how they work.