City Of Invention
12 images
4 locations
7 new artist commissions
Illustrating over 300 years of inventive activity in Derby.
Derby: City of Invention is a series of 12 images which form a striking visual narrative. They tell a story about the history of Derby: a history formed by a series of strong characters with big ideas that changed the world.
Invention is part of Derby's DNA - past, present and future. These images portray inventive activity across arts, design, engineering, construction, physics, philosophy, astronomy, gastronomy, fashion and technology. They tell stories of personal, local, national and globally significant innovations which shaped our past and continue to inform our present and our future.
The ripples of Derby's global influence has not abated over the last 300 years, and can still be felt across artistic, academic and commercial spheres. Several ideas pictured in this series had potent, social and moral consequences. Thanks to Joseph Strutt, we are able to enjoy walking in public parks, and ships no longer set sail dangerously overloaded, thanks to Samuel Plimsoll.
Through these images, we are able to see behind the scenes and beyond the public exterior. St Pancras station - now the gateway to Europe with the Eurostar high-speed trains, can be seen as a slice of Derbyshire in central London. The station was built using Derbyshire steel, stone and brick, the trains were engineered and built in Derby. The engraved image shows the construction of the station around 1867.
Two of the images were created by students and these recognise our next generation of artists and entrepreneurs. They embody the spirit of the future potential - all that is yet to be thought and yet to be created.
These 12 images raise our awareness of our shared cultural and geographically specific history. They celebrate the diverse inventions and achievements, from the life-saving to the crowd-pleasing.
Creativity and ingenuity is part of the social fabric and structure of Derby. When you pass through the city and encounter these images, we hope they will inspire you - to recognise your history and to proactively play a part in shaping the future.
James Thomson
Derby Arboretum
The first public park in England.
Derby Museum & Art Gallery
Atlas Coelestis: Ophiuchus and Serpens
John Flamsteed's study of the stellar constellations - first published in 1729.
Derby Museum & Art Gallery
The Works on the Site of the Midland Railway Terminus on Euston Road
Engraving c.1867.
St Pancras Station was constructed using Derbyshire steel, stone and brick, and used by trains engineered and built in Derby and adorned by a Smith of Derby station clock.
Thomas Phillips
Herbert Spencer (1820-1903)
Derby-born philosopher, writer and Derby Philosophical Society Secretary.
Royal Crown Derby
Old Imari Solid Gold Band Litherland Vase
A masterpiece in the making.
Derby Museum & Art Gallery
Whitehurst's Franklin Clock 1750-1770.
An ingenious prototype clock exported to the British Colonies.
Smith of Derby
Whitehurst Mechanical Clock, 2009
18th-century technology informing 21st-century design and engineering.
Jon Legge
The Plimsoll Line
Samuel Plimsoll, Liberal MP for Derby (1868-1880) revolutionised the shipping industry with this life-saving graphic which prevented overloaded ships from setting sail.
Sally Lemsford
Harry M Stevens
The 18th-century Derby milkman who emigrated to America and invented the Hot Dog.
Anna Boyd
Body Sculpture
Fashion and architecture meet experimentation and innovation.
Adrian Riley
Cathedral of Steam
The Derby Roundhouse - architecture in praise of the locomotive industry.
David Booth
Sculptural Enlightenment
Cables that have the power and potential to transmit and communicate ideas.
Project venues:
- 30 Market Place, DE1 3AS
- The Joseph Wright Centre, Derby College, Willow Row, DE1 3PA
- Shot Tower Corner, The Morledge, DE1 2AW
- The Prince's site hoardings, Bold Lane, DE1 3NT
Derby: City of Invention was curated by Antoinette Burchill and Andrea Hadley-Johnson.
The project would not have been possible without the support and collaboration of:
- Derby City Council's Arts Team and Economic Regeneration Team
- Derby Museum & Art Gallery
- Smith of Derby
- Royal Crown Derby
- Derby College
- The participating artists.
The project was funded by Derby City Council and Section 106.