• Swindon & Wiltshire Culture
• Monday January 13 2025
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Festival of Tomorrow brings the whole world to Swindon

Science and technology bonanza the Festival of Tomorrow will be bringing the whole world to Swindon in February. The theme of this year’s festival is Our Future Earth, and one of the highlights of the festival will be Bristol-based artist Luke Jerram’s giant touring Earth artwork, Gaia, which will be presented at Steam Museum.

Organisers are promising their biggest-ever programme of family-friendly performances, immersive experiences, drop-in activities and hands-on workshops with more the 150 family-friendly events and activities to enjoy during half term (February 12 to 23).

Measuring six metres in diameter, Gaia features 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the Earth’s surface. The artwork provides a unique opportunity to see the planet on this scale, floating in three-dimensions.

Other attractions include a new interactive garden of 2.5m tall inflatable robotic plant sculptures from Bristol-based creative studio, Air Giants.

Hothouse will form the focal point of nature-inspired creative activities at the historic Carriageworks – including the Festival of Tomorrow’s first-ever Open Art Exhibition featuring submissions from talented local artists of all ages and experience.

Visitors will also be able to register to take part in a series of free workshops with Artist in Residence, Jo Beal and other creatives.

Shoppers at the Designer Outlet will journey into the heart of our blue planet with the Sea Creature Superpowers family trail, and immersive activities from Incredible Oceans – including the opportunity to get up close and personal with fascinating items like an orca skull, shark jaws and dolphin leg bones.

Meanwhile, Swindon-based Neon Dance will present a fascinating sound installation activated by the moving body – including wearable sound sculptures which bring together music, dance, art and technology.

And visitors are urged to look out for a team of young guerrilla street theatre scientists who will be enlisting the public’s help in their experiments.

Hothouse by Air Giants

The festival culminates in two action-packed days of discovery, innovation and creativity for all ages at the Festival Finale, hosted once again by the Deanery CE Academy on Friday 21 and Saturday 22 February.

Visitors can look forward to exploring four free interactive Discovery Zones packed with amazing demos, intriguing exhibits, hands-on activities, challenges and free workshops from organisations including the James Dyson Foundation, Catalent, the University of Bath, Swindon Paint Festival, the European Space Agency, Kings College London, the Woodland Trust and United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI).

And festivalgoers of all ages will be able to journey to the stars with a free planetarium show, imagine the technologies of the future through a space-inspired art workshop, delve into how the body really works, meet the organisations working to protect the planet, and meet T-1-FNY the only domesticated battlefield robot, in a special display from Swindon-based creative manufacturing company Podpadstudios exploring how AI and machine learning are changing the world.

UK Research and Innovation chief executive, Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, said: “The Festival of Tomorrow is an important part of Swindon’s cultural calendar. I have hugely enjoyed the festival over the last four years. There is always a great range of exhibits and activities, taking a hands-on approach to telling the stories of research and innovation.

“I’m delighted that UKRI is supporting the Festival, bringing together researchers and innovators and a wide range of people to learn from each other, and bringing to life the programmes and projects that we fund across the UK.”

Attendees are urged to visit www.festivaloftomorrow.com where tickets are being allocated for the bookable events – many of which sell out each year.

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