New “Operation Ouch!” Interactive Exhibition in Manchester

(eap) The Science and Industry Museum in Manchester has recently opened a new hands-on exhibition entitled “Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You”, the focus is on the human brain and its fascinating functions. The experiential exhibition is the second of its kind dedicated to the children’s television program of the same name on CBBC (a BBC channel). The first edition, called “Operation Ouch! Food, Poo and You” premiered in 2023.

During their journey of discovery through the functional worlds of the human brain, visitors can playfully explore different areas by, for example, tapping on a giant eardrum, sniffing out scents in an “olfactory library”, examining the communication of nerve cells and getting “sneezed out” of a big nose. The museum also presents thematically appropriate objects from its collection, such as a “Jedi” helmet, as used in children’s MRI scans over 40 years ago, and an ear trumpet (a forerunner of modern hearing aids).

The experiential exhibition was produced by the Science and Industry Museum (part of the Science Museum Group) in collaboration with BBC Children’s and Education and Objective Media Group (part of All3Media). Furthermore, Sarner International was once again entrusted with the exhibition project – the also British company had previously provided services such as audiovisual design and systems integration for the Operation Ouch! experience. Sarner comments: “We are thrilled to have been entrusted with this repeat commission, a testament to the strength and continuity of our partnership with the Science Museum Group. This follows our recent work on a turnkey design and realization project for the immersive Flying Scotsman VR Experience, which was also launched in 2023.” (c.f. EAP news of 8 Aug 2022). ■