GetOut EasterActivities
And now for the science bit . . . This year’s Edinburgh International Science Festival promises an explosive day out, whatever your age, finds Anna Millar
S cience is neither just for school kids, nor for stuffy academics – that’s the message at this year’s Edinburgh Science Festival. The annual event is seeking to rouse the interest of people in their late teens and early 20s, as well as the youngsters, by expanding its programme of events to include some spectacular demonstrations. ‘It’s a show stopping line-up,’ says festival director Simon Gage. ‘Whether it’s watching a cow autopsy, climbing into a giant artery or laughing at a night of stand-up, this festival lets you rip the white coat off science to reveal the bizarre, the intriguing and the occasionally mind blowing.’
truly
Showcasing more than 220 events over 14 days, the programme covers a lot of ground, answering a few puzzling questions along the way. There are events to explore human, animal and machine intelligence, discover how robots play football or learn about the psychology of comedy. And Gage is keen to emphasise that they will appeal to more than just the
science geeks.
‘It’s not for any one type of person, even people with just a passing interest in science can really enjoy this . . . As much as possible it’s about mixing it up and using entertainment to really help people think outside the box.’ Highlights from the bodily side of the festival include ER, which will allow children to scrub in as doctors and nurses and check out a gory Blood Bar where they can touch a real heart, and What Scientists are Made Of, where visitors can build their own virus. For those interested in the workings of the brain, comedian Robin Ince will be appearing at the Jam House to wax lyrical about what makes people funny, while at Seven Deadly Sins, audiences can look at the psychology of sinning and examine the neuroscience of what determines behaviour. Out at Edinburgh Zoo festivalgoers can take part in an Enrichment Workshop and learn about the natural behaviours of animals.
List favourites Grid Iron also get in on the act with Huxley’s
‘WE WANT PEOPLE TO COME AWAY EDUCATED AND INSPIRED’
Lab, presenting a specially commissioned piece exploring genetic perfection (see preview in Theatre, page 82), while at the Filmhouse, TV’s ‘rock‘n’roll physicist’ Brian Cox will introduce a screening of his show Wonders of the Solar System.
For more sobre, but no less enthralling, entertainment, the selection of talks this year includes Richard Dawkins on Darwin and natural selection and Raj Persaud hosting The Psychiatrist’s Chair. ‘We want people to come away educated and inspired,’ says Gage. ‘If we’ve done that, then the festival has served its purpose.’
The Edinburgh International Science Festival, various venues, Edinburgh, Sat 3–Sat 17 Apr. www.science festival.co.uk
THE FOURTH DIMENSION Get up close to the action, with Dynamic Earth’s latest 4D adventure
It wasn’t long ago that humanity had only two dimensions to enjoy when it went to the cinema. But, given the speed with which 3D has become a must for blockbuster success, it was perhaps inevitable that we would start dabbling with the idea of 4D. For Edinburgh’s Our Dynamic Earth, that extra dimension refers to the extra sensory elements of their new 4Adventure 4D cinema experience.
Visitors are invited to a briefing
in a mock Arctic research base before being taken on a ‘flight’ from the arctic tundra to the tropical rainforests. This involves donning a pair of polarised glasses to watch a state of the art 3D film while also being blown by wind machines, shook up by vibrating seats and doused by realistic snowfall. The cinema took three years to
build in a space between Our Dynamic Earth’s existing Polar and Arctic galleries. Commercial Director Douglas Walker is hoping it will be a big draw.
‘People understand what 3D is but this is the first 4D permanent attraction of its kind in Scotland, which makes it pretty special. From reindeers to hammerhead sharks, the audience will have wind blowing in their face, hear the sounds, smell the smells and feel the movement as we bring to life the story of earth’s diversity and how plants and animals survive in very different, and sometimes very extreme, conditions. Hopefully visitors will just get on board and enjoy the ride.’ (Anna Millar) ■ 4Adventure opens at Our Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh from Sun 4 Apr. www.dynamicearth.co.uk