We are thrilled to share that the new Discover South Kensington podcast is now live on Spotify! The podcast goes behind the scenes in London's cultural heartland, where art meets science, music meets technology, and design meets engineering.
Dr Sian Williams and JP Devlin meet experts working in some of the world's most inspiring museums and imaginative places here in South Kensington.
Episode 1: Versailles: Science and Splendour at the Science Museum Group Museum - delve into the extraordinary story of science at the Palace of Versailles with curator Dr Glyn Morgan.
The Versailles: Science and Splendour exhibition, on until April 21st 2025, showcases objects never displayed before in the UK, including Louis XV’s rhinoceros and one of the most complex and expensive watches in the world, made for Marie Antoinette.
Episode 2: Platform at the Design Museum - a new platform for leading designers with curator Esme Hawes and designer Bethan Laura Wood.
PLATFORM is an annual display dedicated to showcasing contemporary design practice. The first display in a series, presenting fascinating work of Bethan Laura Wood, is on until 26th January 2026.
Episode 3: The gardens at the Natural History Museum - the gardens taking us back to the past and forward to the future with Dr Paul Kenrick and Dr John Tweddle.
Since the Natural History Museum’s opening in 1881, its gardens have continually evolved. In 2022, the five-acre gardens were closed for another transformation. As part of a wider Urban Nature Project to support urban nature recovery across the UK, the new gardens will create a welcoming, accessible, and biologically diverse free, green space in the heart of London, opening on 18th July 2024.
Episode 4: The Serpentine Pavilion 2025 - this year’s Pavilion at the Serpentine with curator Chris Bayley.
The Serpentine Pavilion is an annual exhibition of temporary structures designed by renowned architects in Hyde Park. The 2025 Pavilion, designed by Marina Tabassum, is open until 26th October 2025.
Episode 5: Leighton and Landscape at Leighton House - a Victorian artist’s studio-home at Leighton House with curator Hannah Lund.
Leighton and Landscapes, on until 27th April 2025, is the first major exhibition of Frederic Leighton’s small landscape oil sketches, painted en plein air as he travelled and reveals the celebrated Victorian artist in a new light.
Episode 6: Dr. Sian Williams' pick of the week - Dr Sian Williams and JP Devlin in some of the world's most inspiring museums and imaginative places. In this episode, they find an eighteenth-century rhinoceros at the Science Museum, a favourite teacup at the Design Museum, the gardens taking us back millions of years at the Natural History Museum, a Capsule in Time at the Serpentine Gallery, and the landscapes in the house of artist Frederic Leighton.
