Masters of Spectacle

Available for over a year

Sir Ian Blatchford and Dr Tilly Blyth continue their series exploring how art and science have inspired each other with a focus on the drama captured in Phillipe Jacques de Loutherbourg's painting "Coalbrookdale by Night". Its theatrical portrayal of industry, at the centre of a beautiful Shropshire landscape along the River Severn, came to shape boldly the early conflicted impressions of Britain's Industrial Revolution. De Loutherbourg drew heavily on his talent for pushing the boundaries of thrilling spectacle. He'd designed sets for impresario David Garrick at Drury Lane, and built his own wholly immersive theatre, the Eidophusikon, that overawed audiences with scenes of infernal landscapes and the supernatural. Tilly Blyth travels to Shropshire to see the site of the industrial marvels in Coalbrookdale. And in the Science Museum Group Collection she finds a detailed mahogany model by Thomas Gregory of the single arch Iron Bridge. It's testament to the ironmasters' skills at stage managing a heightened emotional response to the forces of nature, and experienced by the many artists and tourists drawn to such new industrial wonders. Producer Adrian Washbourne Produced in partnership with The Science Museum Group Photograph: (c) The Board of Trustees of The Science Museum