Funded: £20,375
Campaign: Bring back the magic of the Silver Swan
The Silver Swan is one of the finest examples of 18th century automata in the world: a life-size, solid silver replica of a female Swan containing 2,000 moving parts and three clockwork mechanisms. It is a product of the Enlightenment mind, significant to the international historical, horological and scientific sectors. It featured in Mark Twain’s book The Innocents Abroad, after the author saw the structure at the 1867 Paris Exhibition.
But during the 2020 lockdowns and restrictions, the Silver Swan’s daily performances at The Bowes Museum came to an end – meaning it needed essential conservation and restoration before it could perform again.
The Bowes Museum received a grant from the National Heritage Lottery fund, but still needed to raise the final £18,000 to bring the Silver Swan back to life.
They used the Art Fund’s crowdfunding platform for museums and galleries: Art Happens, and I worked via the Art Fund to provide additional support and guidance on the campaign structure. This also meant the museum could benefit from the Art Fund’s zero-fee fundraising as well as their support with creating and fulfilling rewards.
Since funding:
Experts at the Cumbria Clock Company completed painstaking conservation work on the swan, regularly sharing video updates on their progress as they took apart and reassembled some of the swan’s 2000+ moving parts.
In December 2023, the Silver Swan performed in a one-off performance for crowdfunding supporters, ahead of its return to full public performances in February 2023.