Other practical considerations

EcoButtons: What, Where, Who, Why?...

Why?

For myself, I wish to further my experience in communicating science and creating interactive activities that attempt to do so. I see this as being an important step to take before taking the Msc in Science Communication which I intend to do in a year or two. For my local area, I wish to create something which will bring members of the community together and provide them with something we can work on together. Ideally, I am seeking to heighten peoples aspirations and their belief in themselves. I am also looking to increase public understanding of how ecosystems work. I believe in being able to present science as something that can be fully incorporated into everyday life and which fits in well with other things that young people are into, not as something that is estranged, meaningless, or perhaps unapproachable. Basically, in one way or another, striking a ‘can do’ attitude.

Who?

I’m looking to find new audiences, local audiences, children and families. I see this project as being something which all members of the community can get involved in

What?

It’s all about systems, about networks, about complexity. It’s all about learning lessons from nature. It’s all about being able to see beyond the confusion and seeming chaos of daily life and instead seeing the intricate organizations and pattern behind it all. It’s all about working together on hands-on activities to produce something real and tangible. To create structure out of chaos. It’s about having some fun too.

Who to Work With

My original intention to put this activity on at the Earth Centre, a centre promoting self-sustainable ways of living located near Doncaster, South Yorkshire, has met with a hitch with the unexpected closure of that centre… Nevertheless I am keen to bring this activity to my home town of Sheffield and I hope now to find a suitable venue within which the activity can take place. I intend to find others to help me on this project, I have already got the help of someone who is currently designing the characters for use in EcoButtons, and also potentially also another to help me put the project up onto the internet also. I hope to generate interest in this early stage of the project by putting up posters around the Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam universities. I hope in this way to gather together a group of people who will be committed to bringing the project to reality I will ensure to make sure that everyone involved is sure of their responsibilities and has an active part in the project

How Much Will It Cost?

The project is not greatly resource-heavy. The disks (the ‘buttons‘) could be made out of stiff card. The linking material will be something that isn’t going to get easily tangled up: I.e. not cotton. Thus something stiffer yet still suitably flexible will be needed. Research needs to be done in to this aspect and I will hope to try out a few different possibilities. Again, for the character/stats cards, more card will be needed. And crayons or colouring pencils too. Cushions for the participants to sit on while ‘battling’ it out. It would be desirable for me to have access to a computer or laptop during the activity. I am hoping that the best creature modifications that are made I will be able to scan in and display on the project website. The computer will also be an excellent showcase to display the numerous software-art projects that I have found that explore the same notions of self-organization and complexity of which I am interested.

How To Pay For it?

I hope to apply for funding from a variety of bodies.

How to Attract Audiences:

I will be making a proper publicity campaign some time before the event starts. I will be getting in touch with local and national presses about the project. I will make sure that organizations such as Sheffield Galleries and Museums Trust will be able to promote the activity as well. I would also promote the activity on radio, including Sheffield’s community radio station, Sheffield Live. Flyers and posters are also worth considering.

A Trial Day

Before the full week-long activity begins I would like to trial the activity for a day-long period to ensure that things are working out. I would then be able to make any amendments to the particulars of the project as appropriate, such as reassessing quantity of resources needed.

On the Day

I will arrive in plenty of time and, with some assistance, ensure signs, furniture, equipment, and facilities are correctly set up and working. The activity by its very nature will have to be continually monitored as long as there are visitors around. I intend to be around it as much as I possibly can over that period. The game, as it could be called, will certainly need a host…

Assessing What I Have Done

I accept the importance of evaluation, both for my own personal development but also for the continuing improvement of such science communication events in general- and I certainly hope to make sure that all the projects I work on improve in their delivery, objectives, and scope.

I hope to make details much more concrete after I’ve submitted my current ideas and received some feedback from them.

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