Oxford’s Museum of Natural History will explore the origins and future of the materials used in modern technology through an interactive art installation and live performance examining mining, renewable energy and humanity’s relationship with the natural world.
Megalith, created by Bristol-based creative company MECHANIMAL, will run at the museum from 24 to 31 October, combining hands-on activities, sound, light and immersive technology. Two evening performances on 30 and 31 October will bring the project’s themes to life through electronic music, physical performance and visual projections.
The programme accompanies 34: The Critical Raw Materials Shaping Our Future, the museum’s exhibition examining the resources essential to modern life and the challenges of securing them sustainably and equitably.
Critical raw materials, including lithium, cobalt, copper and tin, are used in technologies ranging from batteries to renewable energy systems. As demand grows with the transition to electric transport and cleaner energy, questions about where these materials come from, how they are extracted and how they can be reused have become increasingly important.
Megalith approaches these questions through the relationship between geology, human history and technology.
An interactive encounter with the Earth’s materials
The free installation invites visitors to explore mining and geological processes through a series of interactive experiences. Participants can try extracting stone using antlers, listen to soundscapes inspired by the underground environment and move specially designed stones around a giant stone circle, triggering changes in light.
Developed in collaboration with researchers at the University of Oxford’s Department of Earth Sciences, the installation connects ancient methods of working with stone to contemporary questions about resource extraction and consumption.
The project also considers what a more sustainable relationship with the materials underpinning modern life might look like, encouraging visitors to think about the origins of the resources used in technologies intended to help address climate change.
Janet Stott, head of public engagement at the Museum of Natural History, said the installation offered audiences a different way to engage with the questions raised by the 34 exhibition.
She said the museum wanted to bring artists, researchers and audiences together to explore the connections between society’s dependence on Earth’s materials, the energy transition and the choices surrounding extraction and consumption.
Live techno in the Museum of Natural History
The programme culminates in two evening performances in the museum’s South Court on Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October.
MECHANIMAL creative director Tom Bailey and sound artist Xavier Velastin will combine electronic music, soundscapes and physical performance in a production that moves between prehistoric mining, geological time and contemporary technology. Projections are designed by Limbic Cinema.
The performance brings together Neolithic flint tools, rocks and laptops, using what the organisers describe as deep-time techno to examine the long relationship between people and the materials they extract from the Earth.
Bailey said the company hoped the project would offer audiences a tactile and engaging perspective on questions surrounding energy, climate and natural resources.
Megalith is presented by the Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities and MECHANIMAL, in collaboration with the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
How to visit Megalith in Oxford
The interactive installation is free to visit from Saturday 24 to Saturday 31 October, during the museum’s opening hours of 10.00am to 5.00pm. Sessions are available throughout the day; visitors should check availability and reserve a free place at the Welcome Desk on arrival.
The live performances take place on Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October, from 7.30pm to 10.00pm, in the museum’s South Court. Tickets cost £12, with concessions at £10, and advance booking is essential.
The performance is suitable for adults and young people aged 12 and over. Under-18s must be accompanied by an adult. Visitors should be aware that the show may contain loud noises, flashing lights and occasional explicit language.
The Museum of Natural History is on Parks Road in Oxford. Its exhibition 34: The Critical Raw Materials Shaping Our Future is free to visit and runs until 13 April 2027.
For installation and performance information, visit the Oxford University Museum of Natural History website.
