To mark the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence the Science Museum will be hosting a series of events that celebrate the science, technology, art and innovation from India. 

India Lates is an adult-only, after-hours event that will feature performances from acclaimed musicians, DJ’s and Q&As with experts from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and best-selling authors, hands-on workshops hosted by video game developers and much more.

In Folklore Retold Amish Tripathi, author of the fastest-selling book series in Indian publishing history the Shiva Trilogy, will be joined by Lucy Hounsom, author of bestselling fantasy Sistersong, set in ancient Britain, to discuss how legends from India and the UK are being re-told through a modern lens and explore their impact on contemporary literature.

Visitors can also meet the team behind Dreamachine, the world’s first artwork to be experienced behind closed eyes. 

Created with a team of leading technologists, scientists, philosophers, and Grammy-winning musician Jon Hopkins, Dr Roger Highfield, Science Director at the Science Museum Group, will chair a discussion about Dreamachine with Neuroscientist Anil Seth, Director Jennifer Crook and Dr Jane Hall in IMAX: The Ronson Theatre.

Throughout the evening, pioneering turntablist and former BBC Radio Presenter DJ Ritu will be performing in the Science Museum’s Energy Hall. As the manager of the UK’s longest-running South Asian club nights, Kuch Kuch and Club Kali, she was a key catalyst of the 90s Asian underground scene due to her unique mixing of genres, from soul to drum and bass.

In the museum’s Wonderlab Showspace, up-and-coming artist-producer Nikhil Beats will explore how Indian melodies and harmonies have been used in modern music and why these sounds still appeal to audiences today.

Attendees can grab a headset and step into Exploring Space for a drop-in silent disco, test their knowledge of Indian culture in the pub quiz or join museum curators on a tour to discover the fascinating stories behind Indian scientific objects.

Lates takes place at the Science Museum on Wednesday 31 August from 18.30 - 22.00.

For more information and to book free tickets please click here

Lates highlights:

BUILDING THE DREAMACHINE
IMAX: THE RONSON THEATRE 
19.30 - 20.45
Meet the team behind Dreamachine, an immersive experience that creates vivid illusions, kaleidoscopic patterns and explosions of colour behind your closed eyes. Designed to be the ‘first artwork to be experienced with your eyes closed’, hear from the minds behind the project, Director Jennifer Crook, Neuroscientist Anil Seth and Dr Jane Hall.
 
Entry £7 per person – tickets available at any ticket desk.
 
75 YEARS GRAND COLLAGE OF INDIA 
GALLERY CAFÉ
18.45 - 21.30 (DROP IN)
Take part in a mass participation artwork with artist Chila Kumari Burman, who designed Tate Britain’s Winter Commission in 2021 remembering a brave new world. You'll contribute to an enormous collage inspired by the intricate patterns of Indian fabrics and materials.
 
CANCER: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
WONDERLAB SHOWSPACE  
19.25 - 20.00
Cancer affects people across the globe, but how do cancer trends vary internationally, and why? In this talk by Clare Gilham from London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine you’ll hear how cancer trends and risk factors differ from country to country.
 
Free, but a ticket is required – available at any ticket desk.
 
EXPERIMENTS FROM ANTARIKSHA
THE ACADEMY
18.45 - 21.30 (DROP IN)
What does it mean to de-colonise a video game? Join the developers of the Indofuturist video game Antariksha to find out how they did just that through world building and play.
 
EAST MEETS WEST: INDIA’S INFLUENCE ON MODERN POP MUSIC
WONDERLAB SHOWSPACE
21:00 - 21:30
Nikhil Beats is an up-and-coming artist-producer, hailing from East London, who is carving out his own British-Asian sound. Join him to hear how traditional Indian melodies and harmonies are being used in modern-day tracks and why these sounds have such an appeal for listeners now.
 
OBJECTS AND STORIES FROM INDIA
INFORMATION AGE
18.45 - 21.30 (DROP IN)
Discover fascinating stories behind objects from India on a tour through the museum. Curators will explore what it means to house these objects today and how a single object can hold different values and significance to each of us.
 
PUB QUIZ
THE DINER
19.30 - 20.15, 20.45 - 21.30
Do you know your JC Bose from your Amar Bose? Test your knowledge and join us for a pub quiz on Indian science and innovation.
 
Entry £2 per person (card payments only) – tickets available at the Diner.
 
CANCER REVOLUTION: SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND HOPE
SPECIAL EXHIBITION GALLERY 2
19.00 - 21.30
From busting myths about the causes of cancer, to exploring how the latest science is advancing cancer care today, exhibition Cancer Revolution: Science, Innovation and Hope shows the incredible progress we have made in understanding this disease and highlights the important challenges that are still to be solved.
 
Free, but ticket required – tickets available at any ticket desk.
 
WONDERLAB: THE EQUINOR GALLERY
18.45 - 21.30
Fuel your imagination and immerse yourself in a world of wonder at the Science Museum’s spectacular interactive gallery. With 50 mind-blowing marvels of science to enjoy, Wonderlab is an experience unlike any other.
 
Special Lates price – only £5! Tickets available at any ticket desk.