Our latest exhibition, Townscape, features work by local group, Example, taking inspiration from an object in the museum.

In choosing the iconic 1960s rotary dial telephone, Jackie Watkins felt inspired by personal memories of home and the installation of the first family telephone in early 1970. It’s easy to take the telelphone for granted but as Watkins points out, prior to the 1970s, for many the red public telephone box was the only option and then only for calls to the doctor or emergency services. Watkins’ beautiful three-dimensional works are delicately-constructed, almost woven, from shiny copper wire, the material that revolutionised communication and made it possible to connect people from across streets, towns, cities, countries and continents. Her work is a stunning homage to the extraordinary and rapid transformation of telecommunications from the humble rotary dial to the all-singing-all-dancing smart phone.