Beakerhead 2024 will fuse science and art in a STEAM-packed weekend at Telus Spark
By Hannah Caparino, September 20 2024—
Beakerhead, Calgary’s science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) festival, is making its annual return and will be hosted at Telus Spark. On Sept. 20-22, visitors can take part in a number of science related activities and exhibits that will cater to those of all ages. Kyle Corner, the Vice President of Experience at Telus Spark, spoke with The Gauntlet to discuss how this year’s festival will approach a variety of topics under STEAM as well as how Beakerhead can continue to inspire generations.
“This is a celebration of STEAM, so we do think of it as a real party and a chance to celebrate all the amazing things in the world of STEAM,” said Corner. “In terms of the content, we really want to find a balance between elements that are really connected to, and have that science connection, and still maintain some element of spectacle and curiosity.”
This year’s lineup includes exhibits and activities that are aimed at creating conversations among guests, taking subjects like climate science and AI, and presenting it in a way that is digestible and thought-provoking. Interactive sections like Octopoda are meant to bring people together in a sensory experience that promotes curiosity. Telus Spark also collaborated with the University of Calgary to create programs and activities to host classroom level experiences to better educate and engage with visitors.
“There’s opportunities to thread in some dialogue around climate science in a fun and artistic way that brings together people and captivates your imagination, and get that dialogue going. The folks at Spark did a great job to raise funds and raise awareness, and blend the world of climate science and art together,” Corner said. “One of the areas we’re really excited about […] is the show that we have for our planetarium. It’s called AI Hallucinations and it is an art and video display produced by our own planetarium team, in collaboration with artificial intelligence. So the visuals and audio are generated through prompts. […] It’s a lesson in how maybe AI isn’t going to overtake human creativity but can be a great collaborator.”
Corner spoke on how Beakerhead’s move to Telus Spark allowed for the festival to facilitate a wide range of activities, exposing visitors not just to Beakerhead but Spark’s current exhibits. This new form of accessibility creates an open space for visitors to explore anything that makes them excited or inspired, emphasizing how the festival can inspire younger generations about science.
“The best part of Beakerhead this year is that it takes place at the science centre. So people aren’t just coming for the festival and the experiences, activities, and the presentations. Guests can visit the entire science centre as well as all of our traditional exhibits, displays, and other collections. It’s going to … provoke and inspire even the youngest minds to be curious in STEM.”
A presentation that is highlighted at this year’s festival is “The Science is Skill Trades Showcase”, which will explore the science behind skill trades like woodworking. Another presentation that will take place will be hosted by Anthony Morgan, the host of CBC’s, “The Nature of Things”, as he talks about new discoveries and research that will impact future generations. Through providing activities that will directly engage with current students of all ages, Beakerhead can continue fostering a community that supports research and learning.
“For next year we really want to learn how [to] build and respond to what our guests really find intriguing,” Corner said. “We’re still focusing on sort of the large scale and special pieces to inspire, and [finding] more and more ways that we hold strong to STEAM and keep the underlying STEM elements. So while art is important, we do want to find the science connection and so I believe we hit the mark this year. But I think we’ll even outdo ourselves in 2025, in the spirit of making sure that Beakerhead really does celebrate the best in STEM and mediate that science connection.”
For more Information about the Beakerhead lineup and tickets, click here.