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Electricity: The Spark of Life

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  • Exhibition
Photograph of a young man looking at a video installation, part of the exhibition, Electricity: The Spark of Life at Wellcome Collection.
Electricity: The Spark of Life exhibition, Thomas SG Farnetti. Source: Wellcome Collection. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).

The story of electricity is the story of life itself. From the structure of the atom to the functioning of our brains, this invisible yet vital force is intrinsic to all human life.

For centuries, electricity has captivated inventors, scientists and artists alike, and in the modern era it has transformed our world. From the first breaths of Frankenstein’s monster to the brutal simplicity of the execution chair, this exhibition contemplated the conflicting life-giving and death-dealing extremes of electricity and traced the story of how humanity has striven to understand, unlock and gain control over this invisible yet all-encompassing force, which continues to mystify and amaze.

This exhibition was produced in collaboration with Teylers Museum, Netherlands and the Science and Industry Museum, Manchester.