Flashing fairy floss, shadow puppet stories and late-night laser tag were just part of Questacon’s activities and performances for Enlighten, held over two weekends between 27 February and 7 March.
An enthusiastic crowd of around 6000 people enjoyed both free and ticketed events across both weekends, as well as enjoying spectacular projections that transformed Questacon’s exterior into fascinating works of art and light.
Questacon’s programme included an intriguing (and tasty) adult-only exploration into the Physics of Beer, night photography workshops for avid snappers and a unique chance to battle it out in Laser Tag inside the Awesome Earth exhibition.
Another highlight was ‘Swamp Juice’, a gurgling adventure about life in a swamp told using enchanting shadow puppets made entirely from rubbish and recycled objects. Swamp Juice puppeteer, Jeff Achtem from Bunk Puppets, also shared his creative talents with visitors in a shadow-puppet making workshop on Saturday 28 February.
Whilst many of the ticketed activities sold out weeks prior to Enlighten, there were plenty of free activities and entertainment on offer on all four nights. The Questacon foyer was always abuzz with people enjoying the Shell Questacon Science Circus interactive exhibits and demonstrations from the Questacon Excited Particles.
Outside on the Rear Science Court, visitors could enjoy even more explosive science demonstrations and browse from a range of glow-in-the-dark products from the Q Shop cart. On the first weekend, local artist George Rose created magnificent fluoro murals. On the second weekend, visitors could try playing video games, ‘Snake the Planet’ and ‘Brixels’, projected in large format on a wall.
Five different projections illuminated Questacon’s exterior amidst the other national attractions in the Parliamentary Zone. Questacon’s projections were themed to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Shell Questacon Science Circus and to mark 2015’s designation as the UN International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies.
As in previous years, Questacon was once again a key attraction for Enlighten and a popular, family-friendly venue for this unique festival.
