Half term activities as part of Brighton Science Festival, Feb 16- 23

Join us to explore the art and science of plastic waste. We’ll be hosting a range of family friendly art/ science activities in the gallery for half term, culminating in a citizen science beach clean/ plastic survey on Saturday February 20th.  

Tuesday 16th – Tuesday 23rd February: All ages welcome, free admission. Come and investigate polystyrene paintings by local artist Philip Cole

Tuesday 16 February, 2-4pm: Ages 7-12, suggested donation £3. Collective Comics Workshop with artist Sophie Wolfson. Learn about and visualise the journey of plastic through cartooning!

Wednesday 17 February, 2-5pm: Families welcome, suggested donation £3 per participant. DIY art workshop for families with sci-artist Nick Sayers making plastic plankton

6-8pm: Trash or Treasure – a peripheral view. An evening with Philip Cole and his peripheral paintings. Learn about the art and science of painting with polystyrene, and the tensions involved in this process. Nick Sayers, maker of extraordinary sculptures, will be there too to talk about his work with reclaimed plastic waste.

Friday 19 February, 2-5 and 6-9pm. All ages welcome, free admission. 

2-5pm: Plastic Free Your Life and discussion hosted by Stephanie Wright and Carrina Gaffney

• No need for microbeads: drop-in DIY face cream workshop

• Microbeads under the microscope: what’s in my toothpaste? Why does it matter? Come and use our hand-held microscope to find out.

• Good vs bad plastic – is there such a thing as good plastic? Why are some plastics better or worse than others?

• How can we eradicate single use plastic?

• The fundamentals of citizen science projects – come and get inspired prepared for Saturday’s beach clean!

6pm: Microbiologist Stephanie Wright will talk about her work on marine plastics and their impacts on the health of invertebrates and humans.

7pm: Film screening, free admission.  eXXpedition: Making the Unseen Seen, with talk from crew member Laura Coleman – ONCA’s founding director – and live link to the crew of Sea Dragon in Trinidad on the eve of their next research trip. This 40-minute film documents the journey of 14 women who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean on a scientific research mission to make the unseen seen – from the plastics in our oceans to the toxics in our bodies. Sailing for 19 days aboard 72-foot vessel Sea Dragon, the team sampled the ocean for plastics and pollutants, feeding these results into wider studies examining the impacts of toxics and plastic pollutants on personal and environmental health. The crew were also on a mission to create an inspiring narrative of female leadership and exploration, engage a wider audience on the consumer choices they make and explore these vital interconnections between human and environmental health. Above all, eXXpedition is a mission to inspire hope for a healthier future.

Saturday 20th, midday. All ages! BEACH CLEAN. Meet at ONCA to walk down to the beach with the ONCA team and our resident microbiologist Stephanie Wright for a citizen science beach clean with hand-held microscope and GPS tracking software. Back to ONCA for tea, biscuits and a debrief at 3pm.

Sunday 21st, 12 – 5pm. All ages, free admission. THE REPOSITORY: Join artist Philip Cole and friends at the gallery for a fun afternoon’s play and creative experimentation with found marine plastic waste. Can we turn our beach trash into treasure?