After hosting the British Science Festival last year, Swansea University and the National Waterfront Museum are launching their own celebration of the scientific, which will be both free and the biggest science event held in Wales, with curiosity-piquing goings-on for adults and children alike.
The weekend kicks off with an afternoon of talks and discussions for adults at the museum. Topics under the scientific spotlight include extremism and the internet, a look at the workings of the web itself and how it can be used to perpetuate and spread dangerous ideologies, to Drawing Dreams, a somewhat lighter session, where the audience can share their weirdest dreams and as well as having them interpreted and also represented in pictorial form by an artist.
Following these talks is Friday night’s entertainment, and the chance for kids to be involved too. First up is the family-friendly Flying Atoms show by Powys Dance, at Taliesin Arts Centre, a performance that combines art and science to entertain and inform scientists of all ages. When the sun goes down there’s a cabaret on till late to keep the fun going for the hardcore partying scientists.
Saturday and Sunday are filled to the brim with hands-on experiments for everyone to get stuck into. There are a host of interactive exhibits, including making energy with the human body, a teddy bear hospital and the opportunity to get up (very) close with nanotechnology. The exhibits are complimented by a suite of shows and talks, like Friday’s offerings, but for kids as well as adults. CBBC’s Lizzie Daly will be getting us inside the mind of animals and help us see the world as they do, while BBC’s Ben Garrod poses questions about the dinosaur predators who used to roam the land.
So, if you want to learn more about what makes us fussy with food, what Star Wars meant to audiences 40 years ago, or simply see what balloons can do in some crazy experiments, Swansea seafront is the place to be for science fans, young and old.
Swansea Science Festival, Various venues around Swansea, Fri 8 – Sun 10 Sept. Admission: free. Info: www.swansea.ac.uk/swanseasciencefestival
words MAX HARVEY