July 22, 2010

Secret Garden Party, Friday July 23: Music & The Mind

Music: a trick of the mind and the ultimate reason festivals happen at all.

11am Rhythm & The Brain, Jessica Grahn, University of Cambridge

Learn how regular beats are rooted in biology and why babies can pick up any rhythm. Make friends and discover how music is sonic social bonding.

12pm Why Beckham Chose The 23 Shirt, Marcus du Sautoy

Join mathematician, acclaimed author and Arsenal fan Professor Marcus du Sautoy on an exploration of the number 23 and why prime numbers rule supreme.

1pm Anthem for the Secret Garden Party, Gianna Cassidy, Glasgow Caledonian University & Robert Thomas of RJDJ

Music psychologist Gianna and music producer Robert invite you to create a festival anthem exploring how we experience music through technology, using nifty new soundsamples and apps they have developed for the iPad.

2pm The Synaesthesia game, Coney & Guerilla Science

The Professor needs your help! After making a musical brain that mixes the senses, he needs to feed it with visual stimuli hidden around the Secret Garden. Transform colour into sound and learn through play with Guerilla Science and agency of adventure Coney.

3pm Be Afraid, Dean Mobbs, University of Cambridge & Tim Maynard

Conquer your fears with neuroscientist Dean and insect and reptile specialist Tim. Volunteer for live experiments involving Mexican red-kneed tarantulas, snakes, scorpions and more.

4pm Waking The Dead? Adrian Owen, University of Cambridge

Are people in vegetative states really unconscious? Neuroscientist Adrian made history when he showed that sometimes people in comas are able to communicate. Fascinating, illuminating, and terrifying.

5pm History of Hypnosis, Darius Ziatabari

Discover the secrets of mind control, how Freud discovered the placebo effect and how mind can overcome matter with magician Darius. Witness live demonstrations of hypnosis and mind-reading.

And out and about…

10am The  Miniature  Zoo,  Tim  Maynard of the Living Classroom

Snakes. Tarantulas. Chameleons. Scorpions. Stick insects. Oh yes.

11am-1pm Kitchen Science, Nikolai & Pete

Roll up your sleeves, get your hands dirty and discover the extraordinary in the ordinary.

1pm Photography In Five Dimensions, Anab Jain & Jon Ardern of Superflux

If parallel universes exist, what would they look like? Design collective Superflux explore the possibilities.

2pm Rosie the Organ Grinder With Physics Maestro Steve Mould

Discover the secrets of sound with a hand-made street organ.

4pm Jelly Brain Dissection, Zarineh Agnew, University College London

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 your mind.

Secret Garden Party, Thursday July 22: The Mind

Devoting a day to the most complex thing in the known universe.

2pm The Neuroscience of Meditation, Emily Wright, University College London

Find out how advances in brain imaging technologies are teaching us what happens during meditation with an interactive workshop.

3pm Secrets of Sleep, Tristan Bekinschtein, University of Cambridge

Of all things human, dreaming is one of the least understood. Learn how to manipulate your visions and find out why we dream at all.

4pm Sonic fire, Steve Mould & Guerilla Science

We will literally change the way you see sound using a Reuben’s tube to reveal the shapes of sonic waves with a string of dancing flames.

5pm The Illusion Of Self, Tom Manley, University of Cambridge

Are you really you? How can you be sure? Neuroscientist Tom will run a series of live experiments to test the ultimate unknown.

And out and about…

2pm-5pm Kitchen Science, Nikolai & Pete

Roll up your sleeves, get your hands dirty and discover the extraordinary in the ordinary.

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.

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.