185 years ago, George Cayley opened the Royal Polytechnic Institution at 309 Regent Street with the aim of educating and inspiring the people of London and beyond. The Royal Polytechnic is now the University of Westminster, which continues to uphold its educational mission. To celebrate this anniversary, Westminster Animation BA Honours, Illustration BA Honours and Graphic Design BA Honours students took over the main Gallery on Harrow Campus to share some of the strange and wonderful stories from Westminster’s long and curious history.
The exhibition’s aim was to welcome the incoming students to the Westminster community and inspire the next generation of creative and innovative students. It ran from 18 - 22 September at London Gallery West, Harrow Campus. Works included student artwork inspired by the Royal Polytechnic’s history and several reconstructions and adaptations of historical demonstrations that once took place on Regent Street.
The exhibition reconstructed Professor John Henry Pepper's famous Ghost illusion. Professor Pepper became the Director of the Royal Polytechnic in 1854, where he showed this trick in the lecture theatre. The Ghost illusion reflects an image of an object off stage at an angle so that it appears to be present in front of an audience.
The exhibit showcased an adaptation of Professor Pepper's ground-breaking mirrored illusion the Proteus Box, as well as a replica of a diving bell where, for the price of a shilling, brave Victorian aquanauts once had indoor undersea adventures at the Royal Polytechnic. Visitors were also able to visit a reconstruction of Europe's first professional photographic studio, which opened at 309 Regent Street in 1841.
Visitors had the chance to experience the spinning "wheels of life" which were early precursors to cinema and to watch the Lumiere brothers’ pioneering movies, which premiered at the University’s Regent Street Cinema in 1896 and became the first showing of moving film to a paying audience in Britain.
Principal Lecturer at the School of Media and Communications Stephen Ryley said: “This 185th anniversary is a great opportunity for the students to find out a bit more about our amazing story, and this exhibition provides a chance for them to work on an innovative and unusual major live project. We are very grateful to the Quintin Hogg Trust who have funded this initiative. The students have worked effectively to help mark this historic moment in our story, and their eye-opening exhibition has been well received by our incoming students.”
Animation BA Honours student Felipe Paz said: “It was fantastic to work with all three courses on this live project, and I'm now looking forward to the next collaboration.”
Animation BA Honours student Aida Saktaganova said: “As an international student it was very interesting to know about the University and its history, and to work with very talented people.”
Learn more about Media and Communication courses at the University of Westminster.
