Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Alien, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Star Trek, Independence Day, District 9… it’s a list that sounds like a sci-fi fanatic’s wet dream. Fantasy worlds that are so far way and yet so close. Because, as of tomorrow, elements of these films (actually, over 50 of them, plus more than 200 books) will be housed under one roof for the Barbican’s Into the Unknown: A Journey through Science Fiction.

Described as a “genre-defining exploration of one of popular culture’s most celebrated realms”, the exhibition will cover literature, film, art, music, comic books and video games and is curated by Swiss historian and writer Patrick Gyger. Illustrations, film clips, props, replicas, and miniature models included.

Set in the Barbican’s Curve, which adds to its otherworldly aesthetic, visitors are led through four curated categories that begin at “Extraordinary Voyages” continuing onto “Space Odysseys”, “Brave New Worlds” and, eventually, “Final Frontiers”.

For those less traditionally sci-fi inclined, spend 25 minutes watching Soda_Jerk’s Astro Black (2007-10) – two sisters from Sydney, Australia – incredible, Afrofuturist-inspired mash-up video that samples films such as The Matrix and an excerpt of a speech by Ronald Reagan with footage from Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power” (1989).

Alongside the exhibition itself, the Barbican has put together a stellar film screening programme, which includes Soylent Green (1973), Waning from Space (1956), Gravity (2013), Tron (1982), and, of course, 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).

Into The Unknown: A Journey Through Science Fiction runs at the Barbican until 1 September 2017