September 27, 2010

2010 Highlights Reel

Highlights from Guerilla Science’s 2010 summer season at the Secret Garden Party, Lovebox and the Secret Cinema’s homage to Blade Runner. Featuring explosions, flame tubes, mad chemists, flavour feasts, neural maps and tasty experiments.

August 12, 2010

Mad pics of the mad scientist

Dr Szydlo cools his tea with liquid nitrogen.

Photographer Kevin Rooney, whose lovely portfolio can be perused here and his flickr site explored here (Pandy Cants – what a handle), has kindly said we could post his stellar pics of chemist Dr Andrew Szydlo’s explosive perfomance at Lovebox this past July.

Creating rainbow water with universal indicator and flair.

The wonderful Dr Szydlo not only wowed the crowd with fire, smoke, bangs, and booms, he happily let us bill him in the programme as a “mad scientist” who would “blow shit up”. We love him.

We were introduced to the wonderful Dr Szydlo by his assistant and former student Ben Dives, who had the good (some would say incredible) fortune to have the good doc for A-level chemistry. If only all teachers were like this.

More pics on our flickr site here.

Nonetheless, photos do not do this man justice. You will have to wait for the full video to truly appreciate the spectacle of Dr Andrew Szydlo: chemist, actor, and unparalleled showman.

He blew the lids off garbage cans. He made rainbow water. He played the violin. He showed us the beauty and the spectacle of chemistry. And he blew tennis balls so high into the sky we thought they might land far afield on the head of some unlucky hipster (if only).

Dr Szydlo: half chemist, half amazing.

By Zoe

July 8, 2010

Lovebox: Treehouse, July 17-18

Find us up in the Treehouse above the Gaymers bar the weekend of July 17 at the Lovebox weekend music festival in London.

Saturday July 17

Rhythm & The Brain, 1315-1345

Neuroscientist and classical musician Jessica Grahn reveals that regular beats are rooted in the brain and how rhythms really are the core of the soul. Make friends and discover that music is sonic social bonding.

Mastering Memory, 1415-1445

With memory maestro and Times columnist Ed Cooke and neuroscientist Adrian Owen. Explore the nooks and crannies of your mind and improve your powers of recall at the same time. Learn to keep the unforgettable unforgotten.

Ferrospikes by Steve Mould

Sunday July 18

Small & Beautiful Experiments With Steve Mould, 1245-1315

Our physics maestro reveals the extraordinary in the ordinary. Watch miniature explosions, make ferrospike patterns with magnets, and discover that magenta does not exist – only in your mind.

Is Gender An Illusion? 1445-1515

Boy or girl? The answer isn’t so simple. Up to one in fifty of us may be of an “ambiguous gender”, from “girls” who have male chromosomes (XY) to people who simply do not identify with one sex at all. Discover that nature does not come in binary systems and how sexuality spans a spectrum.

July 7, 2010

Lovebox: Exposed To The Elements, July 16-18

Photograph yourself in another dimension, eat some brain and learn to lie. Catch us all weekend rain or shine at a smattering of shaded picnic benches near the Gaymer’s bandstand at the Lovebox music festival in London’s Victoria Park.

Photography in Five Dimensions, Friday July 16 1430-1500

If parallel universes exist, what might they look like? Anab Jain and Jon Ardern of cutting edge design collective Superflux explore the possibilities with their 5th dimensional camera.

Flavour Feast, Friday July 16 1500-1530, Saturday July 17 1300-1330, and Sunday July 18 1300-1330

Come celebrate the manifold facets of flavour with our sensory smorgasbord. Sample from our menu of taste tests with expert food scientists and explore the tantalizing mysteries of your senses.

Liars Picnic, Friday July 16 1530-1600, Saturday July 17 1330-1400, Sunday July 18 1400-1430

How good are you, really, at spotting a lie? Forensic psychologist Lynsey Gozna will teach you to spot the telltale signs. Then put your newfound shifty skills to the test in a lying match. Prizes for the finest fibbers. Cheating is compulsory – no exceptions.

Jelly Brain Dissection, Friday July 16 1600-1630, Saturday July 17 1230-1300, Sunday July 18 1230-1300

Get to grips with the most complex thing in the known universe: jelly, set in the shape of your marvellous cerebrum. Neuroscientist Zarinah Agnew will be on hand to help you dissect, discuss and digest it.

Biohacking Live! Friday July 16 1630-1700, Saturday July 17 1430-1500, Sunday July 18 1430-1500

What does synthetic biology have in store for us? Will super slime moulds take over the earth? Designer Tuur and synthetic biologist James will give us an idea, performing live biohacking with yoghurt and electricity.