A 10-foot whale sculpture created by local children with scrap materials has taken up residence at the home of Dundee Science Festival.
The two-week celebration, which will run from 1-14 November 20201, will offer a packed programme of events and activities, both online and in-person, mainly centred around COP26 themes.
On arrival at Dundee Science Centre, visitors can explore four seasons in one day with the Weather Chalk Walk, a colourful weather-themed mural created by local artist and Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art student Briony Penrice. Children can jump from storms and sun to snow and rain through the chalk designs and then participate in the festival’s outdoor interactive weather trail.
This involves participants visiting different stations dotted around the exterior of the Centre equipped with various meteorological measuring devices and submitting their own weather report through QR codes. Those who complete the whole trail will automatically be entered into a prize-draw.
Heading inside, visitors can meet Moby, the second whale sculpture to be welcomed to the city in a matter of days! Moby was constructed entirely from recycled materials as part of a COP26 commission for Dundee City Council and Dundee Sustainability.
Created with materials supplied by Dundee group Scrapantics and designed and sculpted by Rhiannon Moore (Rio), Moby was created by hundreds of Dundee schoolchildren from Rosebank Primary, St Pius RC Primary, St Mary’s RC Primary and Craigiebarns Primary. He is accompanied by a beautiful swarm of jellyfish, also created by the children.
During the festival, visitors can also explore and enjoy a range of add-on exhibits and activities including the opportunity to take part in facial recognition research with The Face Lab from the University of Stirling and explore medical curiosities alongside brand new, state-of-the-art medical equipment developed by the University of Dundee.
Dundee Science Festival has also lined up an impressive programme of 35 free, online events, workshops and games including a live, behind-the-scenes sneak peek of COP26 in Glasgow with Rebecca Wade of Abertay University.
Visitors can also take control of a real robotic rover complete with cameras during a Mission to Mars workshop, create and play their own video game, take part in an Astronomy Scavenger Hunt or participate in a live Q&A with climate scientist Dr James Rae from the University of St Andrews - all of this from the comfort of their own homes!
Carlene Cura, Development and Fundraising Advisor, Dundee Science Centre said, “With COP26 fast approaching, we’re hearing talk of climate change and the climate emergency everywhere we go. Despite the gravity of the situation, it’s our job at Dundee Science Festival to bring this to a grassroots level, bring the topics to life and show their relevance to each and every one of us and this year’s programme does just that!!
“As well as having Moby in the centre throughout the festival, a perfect example of sustainability at its very best, we’ve got everything from climate-themed games, virtual shows and exciting activities to enjoy in-person or online, whatever your background and interest in science! And if you’d really love to sample COP26 for yourself, you can ‘be there’ without leaving home, with our live, behind-the-scenes peek at all the action.”
Dundee Science Centre will be open throughout the festival on Wednesday 3rd /10th, Thursday 11th, Friday 12th, Saturday 6th/13th and Sunday 7th/14th November 2021. To view the programme and book, please visit https://www.dundeesciencefestival.org/
Dundee Science Centre
Dundee Science Centre is a charity and lifelong learning resource for the community.
