Project What If

We The Curious (WTC) has a vision to ensure that ‘everyone is included, curious and inspired by science to make a better world possible.’ Thanks to the generosity of several funders (listed below), we have manifested that vision through the creation of Project What If (PWI). PWI comprises a far-reaching equality programme, an experiment in participatory working and the development of a community-led 1000m2 exhibition launched to the public in May 2021 that removes barriers to participation and learning.   

Our radical exhibition is based on the curiosity of Bristol’s diverse residents and has been co-developed with partner schools and community groups at every stage from early concepts and question interpretation to user testing final exhibits – with support from We The Curious, leading scientists, and artists. It comprises of 69 exhibits themed around 7 residents’ questions, shortlisted from over 20,000 questions collected on visits, online and in workshops. 

• Is there another me in the universe? - Chloe, aged 10 from Hareclive 

• Who was the first person to see sand? - Dahir, aged 8 

• Why do rainbows make people happy? - Sarah, adult 

• Can your soul be seen by science? - Kieran, aged 5 

• Will we ever find a way to prevent being ill? - Sophie, aged 11, from WECIL

• What controls our perception of time, and can we slow it down?! - Anonymous 

• How do we become invisible? - Anonymous 

The seven selected questions have informed seven exciting new exhibition areas -called ‘constellations’ – covering (some extremely topical) themes such as illness, rainbows, happiness, the universe, the soul, invisibility and time. Other questions have been used to create an interactive questions database for visitors to explore in the ‘John James Theatre of Curiosity’ and the exhibition will also feature ‘Open City Lab’, funded by the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, a collaborative working laboratory space which devoted to participation in scientific research as it happens. Both spaces are dedicated to democratising science, by opening up the scientific process for all, and meaning visitors can participate in world-leading real scientific research.

Collaboration and diverse participation have been a key part of the development of Project What If, a reflection of some of the pledges in the guiding Manifesto for We The Curious. Several of the question-askers themselves have been instrumental in the direction and development of the exhibit constellations – with ideas generation, exhibit prototyping and testing. Members, volunteers, researchers, schools and key partners such as WECIL (The West of England Centre For Inclusive Living), Creative Youth Network, work experience students from City of Bristol Academy and Curious Researchers from Bridge Learning Campus have all fed into the development of Project What If. 

Aims & Achievements 

Our overall aim was to create greater and more inclusive engagement in STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering and Maths) to tackle social and educational inequality. We created an exhibition based on the curiosity of marginalised communities and equitably shared decision making with them, rather than following a traditional hierarchical approach to knowledge dissemination. We wanted to discover whether this approach overcomes barriers to inclusion by encouraging a sense of ownership and deeper engagement with science as a relevant, emotional part of their lives. 

Part 1: Starting with people’s curiosity, respecting their knowledge, and sharing decision-making

Throughout Project What If, we developed a model of truly equitable, socially just practice in STEM: creating and disseminating evaluation tools with our academic, school and community partners via an international research practice partnership called YESTEM.  

Part 2: Creating ownership, engagement, and inclusion in science. 

We achieved our goals in linking representation, relevance, and ownership to a deeper engagement in science and strong learning outcomes for our co-creation participants. For example, teachers of our Curious Researchers (secondary school students from a deprived area who heavily shaped the exhibition over two years), reported that 88% students improved in their questioning and communicating science and technology issues. 

Other participants have reported moving from minimal interest and confidence with science to deep ongoing interest and confidence throughout their sessions at WTC. With their input we created an impact tool called the Curiosity Framework (now published by University College London) mapping their key outcomes: improved wellbeing, connection, learning and empowerment. Many participants have also since extended relationships with us by volunteering, employment or through research. 

We found that exploring residents’ own interpretations of the questions and using their chosen disciplines to explore them – from sculpture to philosophy - dramatically shapes what is represented in a science centre, as well as being hugely empowering for participants. For example, for Somali Girl’s Group, the ‘Am I The Only Me In The Universe’ question prompted a resounding “YES!” in protest against the stereotyping they face as the ‘homogenous Muslim women’. The question inspired them to create a film exhibit about their unique personalities, thoughts on race and identity, Black Lives Matter, and perspectives on the Colston statue. 

Impact on audiences 

Visitors have been hugely positive about PWI and the improved representation and relevance to their lives. As a result, despite severe Covid restrictions and early closure due to the fire on our roof in April 22, we exceeded our 21/22 forecasts, welcoming 146,560 visitors between May 2021 and March 2022, and a staggering 140,000 since reopening between July – December 2024, including 40,482 members, 2,828 community members and 13,791 educational visits. Excitingly, we have hugely increased visits from young people and the new exhibition has received our highest satisfaction scores from Disabled visitors.  

Dissemination across Europe 

We have shared our findings to over 20 different institutions across the UK and Europe so far - including academic, charity, culture, tech, and public health bodies. We have ran participation sessions and the future of exhibitions at Ecsite (European science centre conference), the Dutch Science Centre Network and at an international Touring Exhibitions Group webinar.  

Our participation staff have been drafted as consultants and fellow researchers for institutions such as the Association of Science and Discovery Centre (we created their online Inclusion Portal, and as Honorary Research Associates at UCL on the Youth Equity and STEM (YESTEM) project since 2017, that underpins the co-creation element of the exhibition. We are their co-authors of an equitable practice case study and co-creators of the Equity Compass tool to support other institutions to challenge themselves on inclusive practice. https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/yestem/2021/11/25/reflections-from-the-yestem-project-partner-we-the-curious/ 

What now? 

Project What If is open now for the public and schools to explore and enjoy! Staff are now working on our relaunch programme of STEM inclusion activities as well as developing plans for the next five years that build upon the PWI legacy. 

We’d like to give a huge thanks to our funders and supporters who made Project What If a very successful reality – Britford Bridge Trust, Charles Hayward Foundation, Fidelity UK Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, John James Bristol Foundation, Kirby Laing Foundation, Medlock Charitable Trust, Nisbet Trust, Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Wellcome Trust.