AJ’s Coffee House, Cardiff
Sat 15 July
****
In a week where Bill Nye has scored an Emmy nomination for saving the world, Cardiff’s very own science guy Neil Monteiro takes up residence in AJ’s Coffee House on City Road to lend a bit of magic to the science of spacetime. Boasting a background in physics and an earlier career as a sleight-of-hand magician, he describes his show as “a little bit of anarchy on stage; bringing a microwave, plasma ball, and doing things with ordinary objects that you wouldn’t have thought are possible.” A description which hits the nail fairly on the head. A self-proclaimed ‘mad-scientist’, Monteiro makes use of a swathe of household objects including the aforementioned microwave, disposable plastic plates, candle LEDs, and glasses of water to demonstrate the basic principles behind time-travel.
One semi-unintended highlight of the show was Monteiro’s use of a roped-up microwave dish to demonstrate centrifugal force: after one dodgy attempt with an empty cup and at the suggestion of a keen audience member, he filled the cup with water and spun it quickly around in the dish. In the cosy confines of AJ’s Coffee House there was a very real possibility that failure meant a quick soaking. Smoothly segueing in to an elaboration on the potential use of this principle in space-stations. Audience participation is a huge part of the act, something which distinguishes it well from the sort of high-school science experiment you’ll remember all too well, or the semi-interactive shows put on by Cardiff staple Techniquest. AJ’s itself sits neatly at the Newport Road end of City road with a friendly atmosphere and approachable staff, all of whom stopped to watch the show.
Participants are encouraged to soak Skittles, twirl lights, and answer questions as a part of the show. The option for interactivity mix perfectly with the smaller venue. Monteiro operates these shows professionally and it’s clear to anybody watching that he’s naturally gifted as a showman. With a manner and haircut not unlike television’s Brian Cox, his energy and positive attitude demonstrate a genuine interest in the subject matter and a passion for sharing it. Individual segments bleed in to each other quickly, and the show could benefit from tighter timing and more structure in the scripted segments. While the science is interesting, it’s Monteiro’s delivery which makes it accessible and interesting, and his personal likeability means it’s easy to forgive the occasional lack of planning.
The title of the show is How to Build a Time Machine, but in actuality it’s a much broader premise: fun, activity-filled demonstrations of how impossible it is to do just that. While Monteiro makes much of achieving his demonstrations with household objects, it’s difficult not to wonder what he could do with a proper scientific set-up, and one would hope to see him expand the show to include more visually stimulating experiments, while fine-tuning his patter.
At the show’s climax, all present were encouraged to touch their fingers to each other’s temples, effectively transferring enough electricity between them to move the Doctor Who theme tune from Monteiro’s phone to an amplifier at the other end of the room. Despite the somewhat ghetto set-up and unpolished nature of the show, the charisma of the host carries the room enough to have us all prodding each other’s foreheads without too much awkwardness – there’s something to be said for that.
Neil Monteiro is a ‘Science Communicator.’ He presents science shows, offers training programs, and travels with scientific expeditions. Info: www.neilmonteiro.com
words JOHN MCLOUGHLIN