Shamabala Festival highlight: Guerilla Science

Being one of those special little festivals, growing through word of mouth and quality events, Shambala festival returns this year for another weekend and music and fun.

But there's also a lot more to the festival than just the sound, take for instance, Guerilla Science, who'll be bringing their twisted logic to the weekender this year for a series of intrractive events designed to open your mind, man.

We sat down with Zoe from GS to chat about what Shambala attendees can expect from their tent...

Can you give us a little break down of what Guerilla Science is and what you do?
We bring science back into the realm of the arts - something which people don't expect to see, hence our name; we practice science by stealth! We like to surprise people by popping up in the places where they least imagine they might see science, such as music festivals and art galleries. And we like to do so in ways that people don't expect; ways that are silly, celebratory, rebellious and explosive. We like to think that we set science free. A friend of mine always describes us as "rock and roll science" - that's always stuck with me.

Is there anything specific you want people to take away from you event?
A couple of things: One is a different view of science - and scientists! So many people come away from traditional schooling with an extremely negative view of scientists: mainstream education focuses so much on teaching to the test, and singling out the students who have an aptitude for memorizing words and completing calculations. As a result, the lessons can feel like assembly-line factory exercises, and the experience can feel very boring. Which is a shame because science isn't boring - it's about how amazing the world is.



Another thing I want people to come away with is an understanding that science isn't something we have to stick inside schools and labs - it's a form of culture, and one that all of us can enjoy throughout our lives. Don't feel that it's an elitist, exclusive world that you can't be a part of.

You've worked with Shambala before, what makes the festival so special?
We haven't been to Shambala before and we are so excited to be going this year! We've heard nothing but good things. I'm looking forward most of all to the vibe, to be honest - we've been to a lot of festivals since 2008 and I'm really excited about this one. I love fire shows, so of course I'm really looking forward to the Big Burn.

What can you tell us about the project(s) you'll be bringing the festival this year?
Anatomical Life Drawing - we're going to be hosting a life drawing class where the model will have her anatomy painted onto her skin. An artist will lead us through the steps of how to draw the human body, while a scientist will explain how the bits and pieces of our interiors work.

Miniature Zoo - Chameleons. Scorpions. Snakes. Tarantulas. Bearded dragons. What more could you ask for? Daily outside our tent.

Hacked Human Orchestra - This one is super cool - and the first time we'll be hosting this event! We have been working with tech artists MzTEK to design wearable musical instruments: using conductive thread, resistors, transistors, capacitors and miniature speakers, we will be turning people's clothing into pianos and samplers. Anyone can come and let us hack their outfit. Then musician Florian Tanant will host one-on-one studio recording sessions with our new human instruments, plus we'll have a jam session!

Particle Zoo Safari - Come on a quest for the fundamental particles of the universe! We're going to observe the mating rituals of quarks and electrons in their natural habitat. Who knows, we may find the Higgs!

Life On Other Planets - Astrobiologist Louisa Preston helps look for life on other places, such as the surface of Mars! On earth, bacteria thrive in the darkest, hottest, coldest places on Earth - these "extremophiles", or living things that like extreme environments, give us clues to how life could also life elsewhere in the universe where conditions are much hotter, colder, drier and more intense than on peaceful mucky earth. Louisa will also bring pieces of a meteorite, the moon and Mars!

For more info on the Festival and for ticket links, head to www.shambalafestival.org