Let’s make it a good one
DAVID WHETSTONE LOOKS AHEAD TO A TWO-DAY MAKER FAIRE EXTRAVAGANZA OF CRAFTING, INVENTING, SCIENCE AND SPECTACLES
UP to 10,000 visitors are expected at Newcastle’s Life Science Centre this weekend as it hosts Maker Faire UK, the annual gathering of people who make stuff.
Setting up stall at the two-day event, a showcase for the skills of people who like to construct rather than consume, will be 330 makers from around the country and overseas.
They will represent a broad spectrum of creativity with paper crafting and goldsmithing featuring alongside coding and inventing.
Among the special attractions will be Andrew Smyth, the Rolls-Royce aerospace engineer who made the final of last year’s Great British Bake Off, who will be doing some science-inspired baking.
Robot wars and drone racing are also on the agenda and among the makers will be 15-year-old Thanos Tziatzioulis from Athens.
He will be making his first trip to this country to attend Maker Faire UK and demonstrate his Hand of Rob, a humanoid hand that he designed, 3D-printed and programmed.
Linda Conlon, chief executive of the Life Science Centre, said: “The Maker movement originated in California about 12 years ago.
“There, they get about 100,000 people and they’re massive outdoor events. Then there are the national status events. We have Maker Faire UK which is quite a coup for us and something to be proud of.
“The first was in 2009 so it has been going a long time now. But it has become an accepted fixture and is something that seems to capture people’s imagination.” Linda said the success of the annual Maker Faire UK in Newcastle lay behind new plans for the Life Science Centre. “Our ambition has always been to try to embed maker activities in the science centre on a more regular basis. This is a two-day extravaganza, the glitz, but one of the reasons people come here is that they like to get stuck in and make stuff. “We don’t ignore digital but we are more about authentic, handson exercises including making.” Linda said there were plans to build a creativity studio at the Life Science Centre and a bid for £2.5m to the Wellcome Trust had been submitted. If granted, this would go towards the £3.5m estimated cost of the studio, intended for makerstyle activities, and an enhancement of the space science attractions centred on the Life Science Centre’s planetarium, the big- gest in the North. Linda expects to find out in June whether that application has been successful. Meanwhile some people are making travel plans. Linda said 41% of the makers taking part this weekend would come from outside the North East and 8% from abroad.
Ian and Thomas Beaver won’t be travelling as far as young Thanos but Pembrokeshire to Newcastle is still a long haul.
Dad Ian said: “We first came to Maker Faire UK in 2013 when Thomas was eight years old. We intended to visit for just half a day but it was so amazing that we stayed the whole weekend.” This time they are making their debut as makers r with StrandKRAB, a model crab that will be wandering around the Life Science Centre.
Maker Faire UK is at Life Science Centre, Newcastle tomorrow (10am to 6pm) and Sunday (10am to 5pm). Tickets can be booked at makerfaireuk.com/buy-tickets/