Darwin Festival
12th - 14th February 2010
Welcome to the seventh annual Shrewsbury Darwin Festival.
What an incredible year it has been. Over the past few months we’ve enjoyed a host of different responses to Darwin’s life and ideas and we’ve welcomed visitors from around the world to Darwin’s hometown.
As the dust settles from the bicentennial party, we set our sights firmly on the future.
This year sees another innovation as the festival squeezes itself into a long weekend. We hope to encourage many more visitors to Shrewsbury as a consequence. An equal amount of emphasis this year will be on the young.
Around half our programming is aimed directly at students. Comedy makes a welcome return to the festival just to underline that we’ve never lost our sense of humour. We’ll also be challenging the current interpretation or perhaps misinterpretation of Darwin’s central ideas.
Thanks to all our partners and volunteers and thanks to you for coming.
I hope to see you around during festival weekend.
Jon King, Founding Director of the Shrewsbury Darwin Festival
Brochure Download
To download the Darwin Festival Brochure 2010 please click here
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DARWIN FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Friday - 12th February 2010
12 noon Morris Hall Courtyard
DARWIN BIRTHDAY TOAST & WALK
After drinking our annual toast to Darwin, why not join the Festival Director for a guided walk around the town centre sites that the young naturalist knew so well.
Darwin Walk, approximately 1½ hours
Free Event. Places on walk limited. Booking essential 01743 281200
7.30pm St Julian’s Centre
ST JULIAN’S LECTURE
CHARLES DARWIN & THE ENIGMA OF EVIL
Dr. Chris Sinkinson, BA MA PhD
For centuries Christians have wrestled with the problem of evil and suffering in creation. This talk will consider the way that Darwin confronted these problems, tried to resolve them and the issues this posed for the church.
£5 on the door
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Saturday - 13th February 2010
The Wildlife Trust HQ Abbey Foregate will be open to all from 10am - 4pm, please bring a parent if you’re under 18. There are set times for workshops but displays and activities continue throughout the day.
Free Entry. But some activities may carry a small charge.
11.00am & 1.00pm Wildlife Trust HQ
THE BIG MIX
There’s life everywhere if you know where to look.
Discover what you’ve been missing and where to find it
in a series of workshops with the Field Studies Council.
Sessions last approx 75 minutes
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10.00am Wildlife Trust HQ
MONSTERS IN YOUR GARDEN
These popular sessions make a welcome return to the Festival. Discover some of the thousands of mini beasts that inhabit your own backyard. Explore miniature worlds and undertake your own mini beast safari.
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11.00am St Julian’s Centre
THE SELFISH GENIUS
Dr Fern Elsdon Baker author and Head of the British Council’s Darwin Now project in conversation with Toby Green of The Independent.
When does defence of scientific theory become entrenchment?
Has Darwin been hijacked?
Was Wallace the first neo-Darwinist?
Dr Elsdon Baker has written a powerful book questioning the approach of Richard Dawkins to defending Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection. She suggests that his ‘zero tolerance’ attitude to religion has had the reverse effect by becoming a recruiting call for proponents of intelligent design and creationism. She also argues that it has inflamed what is in essence an unnecessary conflict between Science & Faith.
£5 on the door
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12 Noon Wildlife Trust HQ
Café Sci
MAKING A DIFFERENCE – SAVING THE RAINFOREST
Pauline Fisk, author of ‘In the Trees’ a novel about the gap year experience set in the rainforest of Belize.
Erika Berengeur (Brazil) – Researcher for the Greenpeace Amazon Cattle Campaign.
Want to save the world?
Who says there’s no point in trying?
Come and be inspired.
Short presentations followed by group discussion.
Free Admission. Contribution towards refreshments appreciated
Suitable for ages 14 to 20 years
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1.00pm St Julian’s Centre
Society of Biology Lecture
OUR CHANCE TO SEE
Dr Gary Skinner
A personal view on the importance of Biodiversity, from an educator and wildlife photographer. An illustrated talk with stunning images from his many trips to such places as Madagascar, India, Sri Lanka, Arizona & South Africa.
£5 on the door
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2.00pm Wildlife Trust HQ
LET IT ROT – Shropshire Composters
The secret life of the compost heap. What’s going on in there?
A hidden world brimming with insect life or a super efficient factory for converting waste into turbo-charged fertiliser? Find out how to make your own mean, green, recycling machine.
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3.00pm Wildlife Trust HQ
THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF WORMS
Take part in a worm dance. Have a go at Darwin’s worm experiments. Make a worm puppet or a bookmark to take home.
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5.00pm St Julian’s Centre
The Kew Gardens Lecture
CARNIVOROUS PLANT RELATIONSHIPS & EVOLUTION
Professor Mark Chase, Keeper of the Jodrell Laboratory, Kew Gardens.
Charles Darwin loved natural history and he wrote many books about the subject, including one on the subject of carnivorous plants, which asked many questions about their structure and diversity.
In this lecture, Professor Mark Chase expands on some of Darwin’s groundbreaking ideas. He also illustrates how recent advances in molecular biology have begun to answer some questions on the evolution and definition of these fascinating groups of insect-eating plants; for instance, are there more carnivorous plants out there than we think?
£5 on the door
Suitable for 14 years +
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7.30pm The Old Post Office, Milk Street
Shrewsbury’s premiere comedy review team presents the ‘true’ story of Charles Darwin.
Comedy, Beards, Songs, Beards, Beards and Beards.
Caution: Contains strong language and scenes of mild evolution.
www.darwinshow.com
£5 on the door
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Sunday - 14th February
11.00am Wildlife Trust HQ (Car park entrance)
NATURE WALK
Blow away the cobwebs with a winter walk along the wildlife corridor of the Rea Brook. Please wear sensible footwear and dress appropriately.
Free. Booking essential 01743 284280
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2.30pm Shrewsbury Theatre Severn
Darwin Memorial Lecture
The Friends of Shrewsbury Museums
FILLING IN THE GAPS - BLACK, ERASMUS DARWIN AND THE MIDLANDS JAUNT OF 1788
Dr Robert Anderson former director of the British Museum.
Recently Dr Anderson has been researching into eighteenth century science with particular reference to Scotland. The focus of this talk will be on Joseph Black, the founder of thermochemistry, and his links with scientists in England of this period including Erasmus Darwin.
£10 Booking essential 01743 281281
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Wednesday 24th February - 7:30pm
Charles Darwin and Christian Faith: Friend or Foe?
FREE LECTURE
The Right Revd Dr Lee Rayfield,
Bishop of Swindon,
St Chad’s Church,
Shrewsbury
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Festival Shop
Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery
Rowley’s House, Barker Street, Shrewsbury
SY1 1QH
Imagine what treasures Charles Darwin returned home with at the end of his extraordinary five-year voyage. Inspired by this notion Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery has created a unique shopping experience promoting local suppliers, British design & fairly traded goods. This special shop offers a wealth of gifts and collectibles to enchant and entertain.
Displayed against a backdrop of period packing crates, baskets and barrels, visitors to the Museum will find fossil specimens and exquisite shells, duckbilled platypus and cuddly dodos, musical instruments, beetles, birds, baskets, toys, tortoises, hand crafted jewellery, gems and more…
Open from Saturday 21st November to Saturday 13th February 2010,
Mon – Sat 10am to 5.00pm
PLUS free activities for families - special Young Collector’s trails through the museum galleries (with prizes!)
01743 281205
www.shropshire.gov.uk
Map of Darwin Festival 2010 Event Locations
To view a map of the Darwin Festival event locations in Shrewsbury, please click here
Contact
Festival Enquiries: 0345 678 9000
To discover more about Darwin’s Shrewsbury and for information on short breaks log on to:
Brochure Download
To download the Darwin Festival Brochure 2010 click here
