Daphne Oram (1925-2003) was a pioneering electronic composer who developed a technique that allowed her to draw sounds, which she called Oramics. The unique instrument which she developed, the Oramics Machine, was at the heart of the Oramics to Electronica exhibition on display in the Science Museum from October 2011 to December 2012.

Oramics to Electronica was the foundational project for the Research and Public History Department and took the topic of electronic music as a focus for the Museum’s first public history investigation. The Oramics to Electronica exhibition explored the history of electronic music through the work of three British studios: Electronic Music Studios (EMS), the BBC Radiophonics Workshop and the private studio of Daphne Oram. The exhibition was co-created with a group of musicians, local historians, subject enthusiasts and people who made electronic music in the 1960s. Students from the National Youth Theatre’s Acting Up 2 course and a group of women writers also supported the exhibition by providing their own interpretations of the life and work of Daphne Oram.

This collection houses the content of the Oramics to Electronica exhibition and supporting materials.