National Science and Media Museum to reopen with Hockney exhibition

The National Science and Media Museum in Bradford has confirmed a reopening date of 8 January, with a temporary exhibition showcasing David Hockney’s use of film and photography opening the following week.

The museum closed in June 2023 for a £6m capital project that includes two additional permanent galleries, a new passenger lift and improvements to the main entrance and foyer. Its phased reopening next year coincides with the Bradford 2025 City of Culture festivities.

From 8 January, audiences will return to the museum’s Wonderlab and Kodak photography galleries and enjoy a public programme of events, kicking off with a weekend of Wallace & Gromit screenings, model-making and workshops in partnership with Aardman. During this first weekend, the museum’s team of explainers will also be delivering free family-friendly activities with live science shows and object handling.  

The free Hockney exhibition will open on 15 January, showcasing the Bradford-born artist’s video installation capturing Woldgate Woods in the Yorkshire countryside through the four seasons, with each screen showing a different perspective of the country lane.

The exhibition also explores the artistic and technical parallels of Hockney’s early ‘joiner’ photocollages, two of which are part of the museum’s collection. One of the joiners on display shows the museum in its early days as the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television in 1985.  

“We are delighted to be reopening the museum on 8 January and can’t wait to welcome visitors back into the building,” said Jo Quinton-Tulloch, the National Science and Media Museum director.

“With newly transformed spaces, improved accessibility and exciting additions to our public programme, it marks the beginning of an extraordinary journey for both the museum and our community.

“As the year unfolds, we will unveil more exciting improvements to the museum, culminating in the summer with the launch of our spectacular Sound and Vision galleries [in summer 2025]. We couldn’t be more thrilled to be reopening the museum with the backdrop of an amazing Bradford 2025 programme, making this a once-in-a-lifetime moment.” 

Highlights from the National Science and Media Museum’s 2025 programme of events:

• The Yorkshire Games Festival (10–23 February), which includes a programme of talks and workshops from videogame developers.
• The vintage arcade Games Lounge has been redeveloped and rebranded as Power Up. Opening in March, Power Up is a hands-on gaming experience that includes a BAFTA Young Game Designers section, where visitors are invited to play previous winners’ titles and learn about the next generation of game design, as well as an opportunity to discover more about the history of the arcade.
• A new interactive and immersive installation by experiential artist collective Marshmallow Laser Feast in partnership with Bradford 2025. Opening in April 2025, the installation will take visitors on a multimedia ride through time and space, exploring who we are and what makes us human. With Bradford running through its DNA, the experience has been inspired by Born in Bradford, a major research programme that has been tracking the lives of more than 40,000 people across the district since 2007.