• Swindon & Wiltshire Culture
• Wednesday February 19 2025
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Sonic Spider makes a guest appearance at Swindon’s Festival of Tomorrow

Fifteen hundred children took the opportunity to meet the Sonic Spider yesterday (Tuesday) – one of the attractions at Swindon’s Festival of Tomorrow.

The four metre diameter ‘spider’ is a world first eight-legged musical instrument. Designed to demonstrate how spiders use vibrations on their webs to catch their prey, a group of musicians use the piano strings attached to the legs of the Sonic Spider to turn those vibrations into something humans can comprehend – noise.

With four performances throughout the day, the event – at Swindon’s STEAM Museum – attracted hundreds of young visitors.

Mid-way through, there is still plenty to entertain adults and children alike.

Gaia, a six metre diameter 3D sculpture of the earth, created by Bristol-based artist Luke Jerram, is in situ for the week at STEAM. Visitors are encouraged to sit on chairs or recline on bean bags to enjoy the world – created using NASA imagery – as it spins above them.

Also on all week is Hothouse, an interactive garden featuring six 2.5 metre tall plant sculptures brought to life through movement, light, air, and pioneering robotic technology by Bristol-based Air Giants.

The installation is interactive – the audience is actively encouraged to touch the robots, which will respond to sensory inputs. Hothouse can be found at Carriage Works in London Street.

There are demonstrations and talks running until Saturday, with many suitable for children – who are enjoying a half term break – and others aimed at older teams and adults.

Many events are free. Others ask adult attendees for a small financial contribution. Most seated events are expected to sell out, and booking is advised.

A full programme can be found at https://www.festivaloftomorrow.com