MAC is back and on the road to science in Fife

The Museum and Arts Coach (MAC) is a free exhibition that is set tour across Fife, with 2017 proving extra special as it marks its 21st year.

This year’s project is called ‘Wow! Incredible Inventions and Marvellous Machines’, a free exhibition which takes a hands-on look at light, sound, and movement – and how science has transformed our homes.

MAC goes out to primary schools across Fife, as well as a huge range of community centres, care homes and galas and David Caldwell, Fife Cultural Trust chairman, says it is completely unique in Scotland.

“We’re the only museum organisation in the country that is doing this,” he said. “It’s a great way for us in Fife to get exciting ideas out into the community. We’ve been doing it now for 21 years and we feel it’s been tremendously successful.

“It’s a considerable achievement to celebrate and it’s multi-generational. We would love to get it around more venues and we’re full of ambition to carry on doing so.

“This year’s exhibition is relating science to the home with televisions, washing machines and light, so that people who are young at heart, if not necessarily young, can see the relevance of science and what is behind all the things we take for granted.

“We also have some wonderfully quirky lab coats for the youngsters to put on when they arrive which have been made for us by a group of volunteers called the Sewing Circle.”

The launch of this year’s exhibition proved to be a bittersweet occasion for one of the team – MAC’s driver for the past 17 years, David Shields is to retire next month.

He said: “It’s kind of like my baby, it’s a job that I love.

“You get to meet and greet lots of different people every day which is fantastic and seeing their faces in the exhibition is wonderful.

“I see the young ones taking in something that’s new to them and then I go to the old folk’s homes where they see the same things, but for them they stir some memories – that’s the best part of the job for me.

“This year’s is exhibition is wonderful. It was put together for kids but it reaches out to the adults too.

“I will miss this a lot.”

Wow! is funded by Museums Galleries Scotland and the Friends of Kirkcaldy Galleries.

It can be booked for free by contacting [email protected] or on 01592 583204.

(Pics by Fife Photo Agency)