Interactive museum
of Radio and Society
The extremely rich collection of historical radios, with their astonishing array of shapes and designs, is managed at MIRS using a flexible modular system, conceived to meet the combined requirements of display, archiving and communication to visitors.
The radios are held in large containers and exhibited to create a logical, thematic visitor journey. Exhibits are elevated by use of a cleverly thought-out technological component: visitors themselves, through a range of interactive lighting and narrative scenarios, bring the exhibition to life, in an engaging participatory experience that is designed to evolve.
Visitors can marvel at a highly detailed exhibit and discover what lies behind its design, test the behaviour of sound waves first hand at experiment points, pull open a drawer and listen to an unexpected song, browse through a thematic digital archive, relax in the cinema room with an outstanding short film or even virtually explore inside a radio set to reveal the secrets behind the technology. This interactive and multisensory journey is inspired by the countless applications of an extraordinary tool that has revolutionised the history of communication.
Have you ever wondered “what is a radio and how does it work?”… if so, this is the place for you.
From the history of the experiments and innovations leading up to the actual invention of radio itself, and on to the underlying principles of physics, this room traces the key phases in development of a technology that revolutionised 20th-century communication.
A thematic exhibition of important historical radios accompanied by interactive info-points and experiment points revealing the secrets of radio-wave technology.
This exhibition room at MIRS catalogues how radio has impacted, defined, narrated and shaped society, bringing the wider world into our homes. Visitors are taken on a thematic journey with interactive stations guiding in-depth discovery and experiences.
Here, the evolution of radio is documented: from a tool used by a handful of amateurs to a vehicle for propaganda, information and entertainment, it shaped the 20th-century and continues to play a defining role, in new forms, in the 21st.
Becoming a means of mass communication in the wake of the First World War, during the Second World War it played a fundamental social and political role.
Home entertainment was born, with growing demand for radio dramas and comedies, concerts and coverage of sporting events.
Radio provided a sense of mass, live participation in world events for the first time.
sit back and enjoy the radio on the big screen, with its many cult appearances.
Shapes, materials and media: throughout its evolution since the 1920s, radio design has marked the tastes and aesthetics of each generation, taking over from the fireplace in its early years as the focal point of the home. As it developed, with timeless collaborations between manufacturers and industrial designers, the radio has seen truly iconic designs.
New broadcasters, new methods and new audiences: “Radio: present and future” tells the story of how the device has evolved in our modern times and what it holds for the future of communication.
After more than a century of history, the evolution of the concept of “radio” seems unstoppable. From the arrival of web radios to podcasts, our relationship with this technology, now rooted in our daily lives, from our cars to our smartphones, is changing.
experience and learn while having fun.
Schools, families and businesses: group educational and workshop experiences, with experiments to discover the secrets of radio waves and the evolution of a technology that has revolutionised society.
Alongside radio technology, MIRS hosts Archeopoint, documenting the area’s ancient Roman origins and broadening the cultural and educational programme to include the world of archaeology.
AND EVENTS SPACE
MIRS is the perfect museum to enjoy through a group experience: its Learning and Events Space provides space for experiments, workshops and theoretical and practical lessons on Radio, Society, History and Archaeology.