Reading's Digital Revolution Exhibition

Get switched on with Reading’s DIGITAL Revolution – a new and unique mixed-media exhibition celebrating the life and times of Reading’s digital industries.

Sixty years ago, a start-up American computer company called Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) opened its first office at 11 Castle Street. Beginning with just two employees, DEC grew exponentially with a workforce of more than 2,000. Since 1964 Reading has evolved into one of the largest tech clusters in the UK, with more than 11,000 ICT businesses calling the greater Reading area home.

The exhibition includes the DEC talk voice synthesizer famously used by Stephen Hawking whose account was with Reading DEC.

You can view a unique collection of rare and vintage computing equipment on loan exclusively from Bletchley’s Park’s National Museum of Computing and private collectors across the UK. A video wall installation features reflections on the growth of Reading’s ICT industry from key figures in Reading’s digital story. While innovative new digital artwork includes a large-scale mural exploring Reading’s digital future.

The exhibition is made possible by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and in partnership with The National Museum of Computing, Reading’s Digital Revolution traces the origins of Reading’s tech sector, sharing ideas about its influence on our town’s present and future.