Exhibitions

The exhibitions of the Museums Office of the Velocity Interoperability Network fall into two parts: three travelling exhibitions shown at Network sites while the museums are in preparation, and the opening exhibition of each museum when it receives the public. Admission to every exhibition is free.

Travelling exhibitions, 2026 to 2027. The travelling exhibitions are drawn each from a single division of the national collections and are shown in public spaces provided by member organisations. Each runs for six weeks. The dates and places below are confirmed; any change is announced in the Newsroom.

Hosting a travelling exhibition. Member organisations may offer a space for a later tour of an existing exhibition or for a further exhibition drawn from the collections. The steps below describe the arrangement from offer to return.

1. 1

   Step 1: Write to the Office

   A member organisation wishing to host a travelling exhibition writes to the Office describing the space available, its security arrangements and the dates it has in mind.

2. 2

   Step 2: The Office prepares the objects

   The objects are selected with the host, their condition is checked in the conservation studios, and they are packed for travel with the mounts on which they will be shown.

3. 3

   Step 3: Installation

   The Office's exhibition staff install the exhibition with the works staff of the host, normally over three days, and the cases are sealed.

4. 4

   Step 4: The exhibition opens

   Admission is free and the exhibition is open on the days and hours agreed with the host. Attendants are provided by the host; the objects remain in the care of the Office throughout.

5. 5

   Step 5: Return to the store

   At the close the objects are repacked, returned to the store at which their division is held, and their condition is checked and recorded in the register.

The opening exhibitions. Each museum opens with an exhibition drawn from the division it holds. After opening, the galleries are redisplayed in rotation, and works on paper at the Gallery of the Network are shown for three months at a time in the print room so that they may be rested from the light. The temporary exhibition programme of the museums from 2028 will be announced in the Newsroom during 2027.

The Founding of the Network

The records, instruments and objects of the establishment of the Network, shown in six galleries on the founding collection.

Museum of the Network, Central Exchange · opens 3 May 2027

Power and Precision

Machinery, working models, tools and technical drawings from the industry and engineering division, in the former works buildings at Northgate Relay.

Museum of Industry, Northgate Relay · opens 6 September 2027

Drawn from the Collections

Paintings, prints, drawings and photographs from the art division, shown in the galleries and, for works on paper, in the print room.

Gallery of the Network, Meridian Court · opens 15 November 2027

Charts and Coastlines

Charts, survey instruments and vessel fittings from the maritime and survey division, on the working of the harbours and the survey of the coast.

Maritime Museum, Southbank Terminal · opens 4 April 2028

Order in the Natural World

Specimens, geological samples and herbarium material from the natural sciences division, with the study collections used by the Office's staff.

Museum of Natural History, Eastfield Campus · opens 12 September 2028

The buildings in which these exhibitions will be shown, and the dates on which they open, are set out on the Our Museums page; the planned opening hours of each museum on the Visiting page. Sessions for schools and families accompany each travelling exhibition and are described on the Learning Programme page. Offers to host an exhibition, and all other enquiries, may be sent to contact@museums.gov.vin.