Positioned at the heart of the gallery is the Handley Page ‘Gugnunc’ aeroplane, built in 1929 for a competition to construct safe aircraft. A dramatic installation set within show-stopping surroundings designed by Zaha Hadid and her team at Zaha Hadid Architects.

Inspired by the aircraft, the design of the Gallery is driven by equations of airflow used in the aviation industry. The layout and lines of the gallery represent the air that would have flowed around this historic aircraft in flight, from the positioning of the showcases and benches to the three-dimensional curved surfaces of the central pod structure.

The layout of the Gallery allows for the virtual lines of airflow to be manifested physically. The positioning of the 100+ historical objects, and the production of robust arch-like benches using robotic manufacture, all embody the mathematical spirit of the brief. The resulting spatial experience created by these components within the Winton Gallery enables visitors to see some of the many actual and perceivable ways in which mathematics touches our lives