Museum Announces Science Fiction Costume Exhibit

Star Wars and Star Trek fans unite: the Museum of Natural History will host a travelling exhibit, Out of This World: Extraordinary Costumes from Film and Television, from May 18 to Aug. 26.

The exhibit will feature more than 40 costumes and objects from science fiction films and television programs like Star Wars, Blade Runner, Terminator, Star Trek, and Batman. Visitors will be able to learn how costume design uses colour, style, scale, and cultural and traditional cues to help performers and audiences engage with the characters.

The exhibit ties into new solar system programs the museum will launch in its Our Amazing World gallery.

"One of the things our museums do well is providing visitors with an opportunity to explore different aspects of culture," said David Wilson, Minister of Communities, Culture and Heritage. "The Museum of Natural History is taking a fun approach to helping visitors learn more about the solar system."

The Kids in Space program in the Our Amazing World gallery will focus on the planets and moons in the solar system. A separate, more-in-depth program will be geared toward older visitors.

The gallery uses a computer system, data sets and four projectors to display information and moving images on a sphere about two metres in diameter. The museum is one of 81 museums, science centres and organizations worldwide that use the technology.

The Out of This World exhibit opening marks the first time it has been displayed in Canada. Organized by the EMP Museum in Seattle, the exhibit has been on tour since 2008 and will end its tour in Florida later this year.

For information on the exhibit visit the Museum of Natural History website at http://nature.museum.gov.ns.ca .