Beakerhead celebrates ‘STEAM’ innovation and creativity this weekend

If you see something prodigious in the city this weekend it might have to do with the Beakerhead Festival.

And if you and the family are looking for something to do over the weekend, this is a free festival that brings a spark of creativity, innovation, and ingenuity and is back for another year.

The Beakerhead Festival is an annual event that brings art, science, and engineering together at the beginning of every autumn, and this year’s showcase runs from Sept. 23 to Sept. 25.

Beakerhead will happen in downtown Calgary and will focus on science, engineering, and technology through art and children’s activities all day today and tomorrow.

The festival moves to several other locations this weekend including Century Gardens downtown Calgary today and tomorrow from 12 a.m. to 9 p.m.

And the big launch happens Saturday night at the Telus Spark Science Center, where prosthesis, a 14-foot 4000-kilogram human-powered racing exoskeleton will be on display.

It’s the flagship exhibit for Beakerhead 2022.

Century gardens will be filled with robotic exoskeletons, a giant art geodome, inflatable animal installations with a beaker bar, beaker eats live art, and the dark arts market.

Related Article: Beakerhead festival cancelled, organization says it will find new ways to bring fun

The executive director of Beakerhead, Parker Chapple, says there are all kinds of activities for both children and adults.

“So there’s two blocks of Century Gardens and over those two blocks we have everything from a 50-foot biodome, circus performers, we have a star wars orchestra, we have our 4,000 kilograms mechanical human-powered racing machine, we have artists doing live art, we have the speaker bar which is all ages as long as there is a parent or guardian with them, we have a fashion show, we have reading with royalty which is kings, queens, and monarchs reading story books to kids,” said Chapple.

Chapple adds they have other activities, for example, the Urban Society for Aboriginal children and a non-invasive feature that will allow children to move objects by using their brain waves.

For the latter, brainwave technology allows you to move objects with your mind.

Related Article: Annual science and arts festival returns to Calgary

“Basically we are using a commercial grade EEG headset which non-invasively measures the brain’s electrical activities using sensors that have contact with the scalp,” said Dion Kelly, Ph.D. student.

“So when you think about performing an action without actually physically moving, for example, when you think about pushing something, distinct brain signals are created in your brain. And the brain-computer interface can translate those signals into action to control the spheroball and you can drive it around through the paint to create art,” said Kelly.

Kelly adds it’s an eye-opening experience to see children being able to partake in this activity, especially for those with physical disabilities.

“The first time is always incredible because many of these kids haven’t been able to do anything on their own before. So it’s always very emotional seeing them being able to do something independently and control things using their minds,” said Kelly.

“Many of the kids that we work with in our clinical program out of the children’s hospital have severe physical disabilities but they are cognitively normal, very aware, and very intelligent kids,” said Kelly. “They just have no way of moving or talking so they can think perfectly well. So that allows them to create these distinct brain signals to control these external devices like the sphero.”

“It’s incredible to be able to see them expressing themselves creatively, participating in life, and just be independent. And it’s awesome to be able to facilitate that for them,” Kelly added.

The overall mantra of Beakerhead is to meld diverse ideas, people, and conversations which accelerate creativity and innovation towards equality, fairness, and accessibility in the community, according to their website.

The weekend event is free for all ages with dark art after party from 9 p.m. until 2 a.m. in the morning.