Scienceworks just unveiled their newest exhibition ‘Illuminate’ that transports visitors to a neon-filled festival-like environment where they can explore the science behind one of our most valued resources, light. I took my 10 year old son and it was incredible! Whether you’re 2 or 102 this exhibition will excite you, educate you and empower you to keep on exploring!
Exhibitions Experience Developer Mei Liu is responsible for nailing the concept, the audience experience and the science interpretation. Basically, what’s it about, what do visitors get out of it and what science do they learn through the experience? I had a chat to her about all things ‘Illuminate’!
Congratulations on an incredible exhibition! How did you come up with the idea?
For Scienceworks’ 30th birthday we wanted to inject our own brand of fun and whole-body learning through play to the topic of light and optics. We chose light because it’s something that’s all around us and we tend to take it for granted. If we delve a little deeper, we start to appreciate that not only is light the fastest traveller in the universe and crucial for high-speed communication, but it’s vital for life on Earth, completely necessary for our sense of sight and making discoveries both microscopic and galaxies away.
Is the festival vibe exactly how you imagined it?
After two years apart from our loved ones, we imagined a festive and celebratory atmosphere in Illuminate – a light and colour-filled reunion. We wanted to transport visitors to a bush setting at dusk where the lights are twinkling and the music festival is kicking off. The visitors being the main act: whether jamming with other Laser Beats drummers to explore how machines see or cutting shapes on the Shadow Stage to tinker with light and shade.
Like at any good festival, there are also moments of rest, quiet contemplation and creativity with collaborative art elements exploring the science of colour mixing. The mix of active fun, rest, contemplation and togetherness is exactly how I imagine a festival vibe.
How long did it take to create Illuminate?
Initial concept testing began over two years ago but I’ve been working on it since April 2021 through a variety of lockdowns. I recall lockdowns being announced and just grabbing all the lights, mirrors, bits and pieces in the office to take home to prototype and attempt to show my team over video. It’s a huge win to have this exhibition come together in the way it did!
Light is such a magical thing. We loved all the different activities you’ve come up with. Was it a fun process?
I loved it so much. I started exploring what was already out there, at science centres, galleries and online for ideas from around the world. I came up with concepts in the shower, when out for walks and on the train. I was thinking about, researching and talking about light so much I started noticing things I’d never noticed before, like how sunlight striking my window at just the right angle, split it into a vibrant rainbow or why I kept mistaking a blue hair-tie for black because I was grabbing it from a pink container. We took all these ideas and selected ones which best fit criteria around interactivity, collaborative play, creativity, fun and the core science concepts around the properties of light, seeing and innovation with light.
What are your favourite parts of the exhibition?
Every morning I have a boogie at the Laser Beats exhibit before work. It uses LiDAR which is an infrared distance sensing laser and one of the ways that machines like self-driving cars see obstacles ahead. It’s been such a joy watching visitors having fun breaking these beams to activate sounds and dance to their own drumbeat.
Who are the little characters we spotted at Illuminate?
The Photoons (cartoon photons) are friendly guides to help visitors understand the science behind each interactive. They’re dressed like festival attendees so you might recognise yourself or your friends’ styles in some of them.
Aside from all the fun, this is a fantastic opportunity for visitors to engage in real hands-on STEM activities. Tell us about the learning opportunities.
In addition to creating opportunities to practice core STEM skills like collaboration, discovery and experimentation, the exhibition explores fundamental properties of light such as reflection (with mirrors), refraction (light bending through lenses) and colour mixing as well as shadows.
Tell us some amazing facts about light you’ve learnt whilst working on this project.
Light is so fast that if you travelled at the speed of light, you could go around the Earth 7.5 times in one second!
Light isn’t just a blank beam of brightness; it always carries an image of the light source or of the objects it bounces off. If light enters a small opening like our pupil, the image gets flipped upside down. It’s so strange to think that all the images entering our eyes are upside down and our brains turn it the right way up again. It’s happening right now as you’re reading this article!
Illuminate: How Science Comes to Light transforms the special exhibition gallery at Scienceworks into a dedicated space for families to engage with science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) by tinkering with light in all its forms through hands-on, interactive play.
14 May 2022 to July 2023
Scienceworks, 2 Booker Street Spotswood