Super K Sonic Booooum!

 As it was the Science festival for the past two weeks, I helped out with an exhibition that ran in a dis-used lab in the John Dalton building opposite the BBC on Oxford Road. The installation consists of a 22 meter long ‘river’ of water running through a tunnel lined with thousands of gold balloons (photomultiplier tubes). Members of the public embark on a boat, pulled through the tunnel on a submerged track using a pulley system, with sound and lighting effects, and with an expert particle physicist navigator as a guide. On the journey they learn of neutrinos, their role in the Universe and how scientists detect them. This installation is designed to deliver physically thrilling experiences; emerging the audience on a journey through the physics of the Universe.

The idea was delivered by Nelly Ben Hayoun who was a lovely French woman who always checked to see how her volunteers were doing even though she was crazily busy herself. For the setting up of the exhibition I helped with painting a door, and some stairs black, as well as flyering and putting up posters to advertise the exhibition. When everything had been set up by her amazing team, and everything was completed it was on to facing the public. All the volunteers went on to help with different jobs, so we all got swapped round so we could experience every little bit. I helped with talking to a couple of members of the public to explain what it was all about upstairs in the video room, which had a confusing explanation all to do with science and stuff. I then went onto the pulling of the boat on either sides, and acting alongside Nelly to get the members of the public on the boat to go onto their ride of a lifetime. We all donned very attractive Tyvek suits & hard hats, but the people going on the boat also had to wear wellies. After the last day i volunteered, I was feeling exhausted, not because I had been working for about 6 hours, but because I had been working in such a dark place for so long, my body just wanted to go to sleep!

Many of the hundreds of balloons from the inside of the installtion.

...And from the outside.

Me in my white suit in a large neutrino model illuminated by ultra violet light.

Nelly in front of her installion.

Overall I thought it was quite a memorable experience, and seeing people's faces who have never experienced such a hands on exhibtion before was also quite interesting to watch, as i guess they didn't know how to act when Nelly was shining torches into their eyes! I would definately like to work on something as interesting as this again!