The Manchester Science Festival 2017 was launched at the Museum of Science & Industry on 18th October 2017 with the opening of the Robots exhibition. The programme for this year’s Manchester Science Festival included a library of fake news, an exploration of the human voice and an immersive insight into forensic science. The festival, which runs from Thursday 19th October to Sunday 29th October 2017, features more than 100 events at venues across Greater Manchester including Rochdale, Oldham, Stockport and Bolton as well as the city centre, making it the most bold, creative and ambitious science festival in the UK.
Headlining the festival is the blockbuster exhibition Robots, which explores humans’ 500-year quest to recreate themselves in robotic form, the immersive spiderweb experience Tape and Tomorrow’s World Live, looking at where the robot revolution will take us next. Complementing the headliners will be the Robots Playground – with sessions for families plus a very grown-up adults only late event – featuring Miro the RoboDog, Nao the dancing robot and a host of other metallic friends.
Tape, by award-winning artists Numen/For Use will transform the 1830 Warehouse at the Museum of Science and Industry into a giant spider’s web made from sticky tape, where visitors can climb through a translucent “stretched biomorphic skin” strung above the ground and crawl along winding networks of cocooning passageways.
Also in the programme is A Grand Exposition, a four-day celebration of the region’s diverse community of artists, makers and creative technologists, and Electrifying the Voice, on an exploration of the workings of the voice and how it can be adapted to different styles that will also be part of the BBC’s nationwide Opera Passion event.
There are a host of immersive experiences to enjoy, including Aeon: Patient X, a new theatre experience blending real science, augmented reality and a smartphone app to guide participants through the event, uncovering viral traces and working their way towards the source of the contagion: Patient X. Alternatively, step into the AquAIRium, an immersive dry aquarium experience that brings every sound, scent and surface of the ocean to life, hosted by the festival’s lead educational sponsors the University of Salford. And in CSI Manchester visitors can explore where science meets criminal justice and even take part in a mock trial where they are the jury and must interpret the forensic evidence correctly or risk convicting an innocent man.
Music-lovers can hear science raps at the Hip Hop Science Stop, get down and boogie with ravers Morning Gloryville, explore the eternal connection and differences between the art of music and the science of maths in The Music of Proof or enjoy sinewy synths and ethereal vocals in Sentinel, a captivating live performance inspired by climate change and forced migration. Hear pulsars sing in Musical Cosmos, see the Higgs boson dance in Science in the House and find out why the world’s biggest pop stars are all secret maths nerds in Born to Sum.
There’s every kind of film experience, from a celebration of the 30th anniversary of RoboCop and X-Files: The Truth Is Out There to the long-lost film footage of Dawson City: Frozen Time. Or if you prefer your science live, try 600 People, a stand up-meets-astrophysics show covering stellar wobble, the mirror test, capitalist chimps and murderous dolphins.
Some of the more unusual experience on offer include Under Glass, equal parts medical laboratory, museum exhibit and living art installation, meet a series of human specimens within a collection of giant glass jars and containers. At Hats off to vLeather you can learn how to grow vegan leather from kombucha tea, or grab your coconuts and do your best horse impression at The Art and Craft of Foley.
Away from the city centre, the University of Bolton hosts Messy Science, Gallery Oldham showcases its amazing collection of taxidermy in Stuffed, audiences in Rochdale can learn how to Build a Bug a Home and then take part in a Bat Safari, while in Stockport venture into the air raid shelters in Going Underground.
Antonio Benitez, Director of the Manchester Science Festival, said: “From an early-morning science rave to a science rap jukebox, this year’s programme is as bold, creative and ambitious as ever, and we can’t wait for you to join us for another city-wide celebration of science.”
The festival is produced by the Museum of Science and Industry. Museum director Sally MacDonald said: “Created with our valued partners from across Greater Manchester and beyond, this annual festival is a fantastic platform to test out new ideas in science communication and offers opportunities for audiences of all ages to explore science in the most creative, inspiring ways.”
About the Manchester Science Festival
Produced by the Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester Science Festival (MSF) is a creative, playful and surprising science festival taking place across Greater Manchester. We are the largest science festival in England and the North’s premiere cultural celebration of all things related to science and innovation.
This year’s Festival runs throughout half-term from Thursday, 19 October to Sunday, 29 October and is supported by Lead Educational Sponsor the University of Salford.
Dubbed ‘part laboratory, part playground’, the Festival invites over 100,000 visitors to join us at more than 120 unique and extraordinary events every year, ranging from art installations and theatre to comedy, debates and workshops.
To see the full programme, visit www.manchestersciencefestival.com
About the Museum of Science and Industry
The Museum of Science and Industry tells the story of where science met industry and the modern world began. Manchester was one of the first global, industrial cities, and its epic rise, decline and resurrection has been echoed in countless other cities around the world. From textiles to computers, the objects and documents held in the museum’s collection tell stories of everyday life over the last 200 years, from light bulbs to locomotives. The museum’s mission is to inspire all its visitors, including future scientists and inventors, with the story of how ideas can change the world, from the industrial revolution to today and beyond.
The Museum of Science and Industry is part of the Science Museum Group, a family of museums which also includes the Science Museum in London; the National Railway Museum in York and Shildon; and the Science and Media Museum in Bradford. The Science Museum Group is devoted to the history and contemporary practice of science, medicine, technology, industry and media. With five million visitors each year and an unrivalled collection, it is the most significant group of museums of science and innovation worldwide.
For further information visit https://www.msimanchester.org.uk/