Around The World In 80 Rooms

A short post from me today. Science Communication dissertations are all handed in, but I will write later on what the Science Communication course has meant for me.

A subject which came up in the Pub t'other night - our ideas for documentaries. My idea begins with a tunnel.

There is a tunnel which runs from just outside the Science Museum, all the way underneath Exhibition Road to South Kensington Tube station. Distant voices and foreign tongues mix with buskers' notes as the sound bounces off the tiled walls. On a wet day, the concrete floor is slippery and dark, and the air is damp and cave-like. About half-way down the tunnel, a sign, mechanical and modern, directs visitors (or travelers) to the V&A Museum.

The journey could begin here... (Flickr, swh)

Unfortunately the V&A is the only South Kensington museum accessible by tunnel (although there is debate, particularly among Imperial College students as to whether there are more tunnels underneath Albertopolis). I find this tunnel accessibility fascinating - it means someone could travel from anywhere in London, have an entire day out at the V&A and travel back home without ever going outside. They would, in effect be in one great big building the whole time (even though for some of that time they would be in a moving, tube shaped building).

This got me thinking, how much distance could somebody travel without ever stepping foot outdoors? For instance, I could travel from my home in Putney to visit the V&A Museum without once popping my head out in the cold. This journey would be longer than it needs to be since I would not be able to get off the District Line at South Kensington (the platform is outdoors), and will instead have to change at Earls Court for the Piccadilly line.

But what about further afield? After visiting the V&A, I could get back on the Piccadilly Line at South Kensington, travel to Green Park, change for the Victoria line and find myself in Euston station. As long as I was careful not to move to the end of the platform at Euston, I could board a train here for Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool or Glasgow.

But I could go further afield while still staying inside. Lots of airports have railway stations, but these would need to be connected to the terminal buildings. Sadly, the platform at Manchester Airport station is outdoors, so I can't fly form there. I would also have to make sure that the plane I got would have a boarding tunnel, rather than steps on the tarmac.

Manchester Airport is a 'no go' for this trip since the station is outside. (Flickr, NeilT)

I would love to make a documentary in the vein of Around The World In 80 Days, or The Long Way Round, in which I never go outside. But is this possible? Well, I'm looking into that. And as for funding. I think it will be difficult to convince anybody that this project is worth funding. But I'll think more on this to see what arguments might put forward a good case for funding.