WHO said pigs can't fly?

A new exhibition at Bradford Industrial Museum includes a soaring swine among nine exhibits of animals and objects made from recycled materials, including balti dishes and a supermarket trolley.

A six-metre-long whale and a canoe featuring a pair of gnus, or wildebeest, and a motorcycling thrush are among the creations for Beastly Machines.

The work is designed to be humorous and interactive and is influenced by current affairs, media stories and puns.

The free exhibition, which has been taken to sites across the UK, is the brainchild of artist Johnny White, 62.

Mr White, who lives in Derbyshire, was at the museum in Moorside Mills, Moorside Road, yesterday for the official opening of the exhibition.

He said: “There are all sorts of buttons to press and handles to wind up for people.

“It is quite appropriate to have it at the industrial museum as the pieces feature the use of industrial techniques.

“There is a lot of recycled stuff in it. It has thousands of components.”

The project has been funded by a National Lottery grant from Arts Council England.

Sonja Kielty, Bradford’s curator of exhibitions, said displaying Beastly Machines was a big boost for the area.

“They are very big exhibits," she said.

“He is a fantastic at what he does and has been going for years. It’s a clever exhibition and combines things including engineering, mechanics and robotics. It is our main summer exhibition and covers all aspects of the school curriculum.”

Beastly Machines runs at the the museum until Sunday, November 6.

Supplementary exhibition events include film screenings. Shaun The Sheep: The Movie is being shown as part of the Bradford Film Festival on Thursday, August 4, at the museum.

Rio 2 will be on the big screen in City Park on Wednesday, August 17, and on Saturday, October 29, there will be a showing of Frankenweenie at the museum.