You know you’re getting old when items from your youth start popping up as museum exhibits. The latest exhibition at the Grosvenor Museum features an original PlayStation, the classic Nokia phone and other historical artefacts including a floppy disk. Speed of Change charts the evolution of technology left behind by the rise of the mobile phone and the transformation of everyday life in a world ruled by apps.

I explored the clever “object rich” exhibition in early February and found much of interest with many local links represented. Adverts from the Royalty Theatre in the 1950s and a slide projector once used in the adjoining lecture theatre of the museum. A cabinet full of train timetables makes visitors realise how much has changed and how fast in the last 20 years. Another shows how camera technology has developed in the last century.

The exhibition skillfully contrasts the many uses of todays smart phones with historical technology. One such comparison is a phone’s torch with a 2nd century Roman oil lamp. A 19th century music box is displayed next to a Walkman and a portable CD player, themselves both now antique defunct technology. A bulky CRT TV from 2000 and a VCR player are other interesting highlights. An Argos catalogue is another timely inclusion as the Sealand Road branch prepares to close this week. A visit to the gallery makes you realise how much nearly every activity we do in life is now ruled by apps and the internet, ordering a prescription, checking train times, making purchases etc etc etc. There at least 2 hospitality venues in the city where purchases can only be made via app ( Although contrast that with The Boot where a friend of mine was recently ejected for phone use!)

A striking but subtle feature of the exhibition is the central placement of a modern cell phone, LED lights emanating from its position in the centre of the gallery, a clever comment on how our lives can now seem ruled by our devices. Have we gained everything in the palm of our hands but lost our souls?

This took all day to write because I couldn’t stop scrolling…

Speed of Change runs until the 23rd June

Speed of Change