Tomorrow, London’s Science Museum will open the doors to its brand new mathematics gallery, designed by the late architect Zaha Hadid.
The Winton Gallery will contain artifacts exploring the connection that maths has with every aspect of our lives. Spanning 400 years of developments, exhibits range from hand-held mathematical instruments to modern-day tools.
The first UK-based project by Zaha Hadid Architects to open since her untimely death in March 2016, the gallery is the only permanent public museum exhibition Hadid designed.
Prior to establishing herself as a leading figure within the field of architecture, Hadid studied mathematics, which remained close to her heart.
The dynamic design of the gallery, with its curved edges and illuminated floor to ceiling, is a stunning representation of Hadid’s award-winning oeuvre.
“Mathematics was part of Zaha Hadid’s life from a young age and has always been the foundation of her architecture. This gallery is an important part of Zaha’s legacy in London and I am sure it will inspire visitors for many years to come,” Patrik Schumacher, the successor of Hadid at the helm of the firm, told the Evening Standard.
The most striking aspect of the new gallery is the Handley Page aircraft, suspended above the heads of visitors. Surrounding the 87 year-old plane, which was built in 1929, is a curved structure representing airflow equations within the aviation industry, serving as an impressive frame to the display.
The gallery at the Science Museum opens on the same day as an exhibition of Hadid at London’s Serpentine Gallery, which will be displaying her rarely seen notebooks and early paintings.