Great National Science Week ARTS stories up for grabs now around Australia
- Award-winning theatre based on real stories of dementia, with neurobiologist-led audience discussion – Adelaide, SA
- Starlings flock; humans crowd; drones… zizz? Explore the swarm in this exhibition-cum-experiment – Parkville, VIC
- Explaining cancer biology to young people through pop-culture, art and augmented reality – online
- Antarctic explorers (both artistic and scientific) visualise their predictions for the future of an alien, vital continent – Wollongong
More on these highlights below.
Scientists, performers and event organisers are available for interview leading up to and throughout National Science Week: 13 to 21 August.
Read on for contact details for each event, or call:
- Tanya Ha – tanya@scienceinpublic.com.au, 0404 083 863 or 03 9398 1416
- Jane Watkins – jane@scienceinpublic.com.au or 0425 803 204
Visit ScienceWeek.net.au/events to find stories in your area using the event listing.
Media centre here. Images for media here.
Individual event details and media contacts
Alzheimer’s takes centre stage in acclaimed play – Adelaide, SA
The real-life stories of a care worker and residents of a local memory unit have inspired this award-winning play about Alzheimer’s.
Care worker Matthew Barker stars in ‘The Fish Bowl’, which won the Best Theatre and Physical Theatre Award and Holden Street Theatre’s Adelaide Fringe Award.
An audience discussion will follow the play, led by neurobiologist Dr Tim Sargeant who works with Alzheimer’s and the other dementias.
Currently more than 436,000 Australians live with Dementia. ‘The Fish Bowl’ speaks straight to the heart of how we can all better value and connect with some of the most vulnerable people within our society through telling their version of their story.
Date: Friday 19 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/inside-the-fish-bowl/adelaide
Media enquiries: Pete McDonald, 0402 293 078 or Pete.McDonald@sahmri.com
Matthew Barker and Dr Tim Sargeant available for media interviews.
Swarm – Parkville, VIC
From nanobots to native bees, superorganisms to social media – is it better to be part of a pack or go it alone?
Part exhibition, part experiment, SWARM uncovers the very essence of collective behaviour and questions what drives us to be social.
More than half of Earth’s 7.9 billion people live highly urbanised lives; increasingly connected through social media and digital interfaces, we share our lives to hordes of followers, crowdsource ideas, digitise our workforces, and become part of global political movements.
Swarming behaviour underlies nearly everything: swarms of social insects, murmurations of birds, molecular movements, swarm algorithms driving choices, and even swarms of drones and nanorobots helping (or hindering) the very essence of what it means to be human.
At a time of unprecedented societal upheaval due to the current global viral pandemic, Science Gallery Melbourne is delving into the science and art behind what it means to be part of a pack.
Saturday 13 August – Saturday 3 December. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/science-gallery-melbourne-swarm/parkville
Media enquiries: Katrina Hall, kathall@ozemail.com.au or 0421 153 046.
Available for interview:
- Tilly Boleyn – Head of Curatorial (she/her), Science Gallery Melbourne, tilly.boleyn@unimelb.edu.au
- Ryan Jefferies – Associate Director, Science & Academic Programs, ryan.jefferies@unimelb.edu.au
More information: melbourne.sciencegallery.com/swarm
Explaining cancer biology to young people through pop-culture, art and augmented reality – online
How do you engage a broader or younger audience with the science of cancer and the need to reduce the risk of developing the disease?
The ‘Cancer ARt Gallery’ is a new cancer-biology-themed art gallery overlaid with augmented reality (AR), adaptive soundtracks and videography. It presents a series of AR artworks using pop-culture and nostalgic themes to explain cancer biology. It’s the brainchild of Dr Ken Dutton-Register, a cancer researcher at QIMR Berghofer and founder of creative studio Excite Science.
Each artwork is the result of a collaboration between a cancer researcher and an artist, mutually exploring creative expression to form an immersive and memorable experience.
Saturday 13 – Sunday 21 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/print-and-host-your-own-cancer-themed-augmented-reality-art-gallery
Media enquiries: Ken Dutton-Register, ken@excitescience.org or 0435 931 961
Ken Dutton-Register is available for media interviews.
The future of the Antarctic envisaged by artists and scientists – Wollongong
What will the Antarctic look like in the future? Ask a team of artists and scientists who have been there for their research.
Antarctica affects the global climate and climate change is affecting Antarctica. For most people, it’s an alien landscape, but it’s also full of life and a vital barometer for climate change.
‘Another Antarctica: Envisaging Antarctic Futures’ is an interactive exhibition that presents Antarctic science, policy and different perspectives in a gallery space. It brings researchers and artists together to imagine potential futures for this important ecosystem. Guests will learn about Antarctic research with a series of interactive presentations and workshops within the gallery.
Date: Monday 15 August – Sunday 23 October. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/antarctic-futures/wollongong
Exhibition website: www.uowblogs.com/eco-antarctica
Media enquiries: Kate Mayhew, kmayhew@uow.edu.au or 0475 388 887.
Artist and curator Dr Brogan Bunt and scientists Dr Melinda Waterman and Georgia Watson are available for media interviews.
About National Science Week
National Science Week is Australia’s annual opportunity to meet scientists, discuss hot topics, do science and celebrate its cultural and economic impact on society—from art to astrophysics, chemistry to climate change, and forensics to future food.
First held in 1997, National Science Week has become one of Australia’s largest festivals. Last year—despite a global pandemic—1.3 million people participated in more than 1,750 events and activities.
National Science Week is proudly supported by the Australian Government, CSIRO, the Australian Science Teachers Association, the ABC, and Cosmos magazine.
National Science Week 2022 will run from Saturday 13 to Sunday 21 August. Event details can be found at www.scienceweek.net.au.