Science and Engineering Week 2012 (by sarah)

It is National Science and Engineering Week here in the UK, this marks a festive sort of atmosphere in the science and tech communities where they try and reach out to the general public and show them just how much science, engineering and maths does for them, how exciting it is and what the future may hold.

Not being active in the science community as a researcher anymore I have hovered around things like this the last few years but with the inclusion of my artwork in the Science OnLine 2012 conference and being asked to do a second piece of textural science art for the visually impaired I feel I have something to offer back. Part of what I had wanted to do with science was to make it more reachable, exciting and loved by well everybody. This is why the first tentative steps I took into poetry after my degree tended towards science and technology.

So this week I am going to be posting some of my science-art on here and hopefully will complete the week with my science-art web site being back up and running!

To start today off - here is Celestial Montage which I created for the ESA Create Your Space competition a while back (and good an ESA goody bag for my efforts as runner up). The poem part of the piece also appeared as part of the In Braille Exhibition at Centre Arts last year.

The theme this year is Our World in Motion which I shall use as stimuli for various creative projects. Enjoy and see if there are any events you can mussel in on in your own areas 🙂

Did Life fall into this cradle
This Earth, this home -
We now attempt to climb out of?
Or is it more than a cradle
Some crucible or potters wheel
Shaping and baking us in forms renewed?

Maybe in truth it is a bit of both
And as humanity takes its first toddler steps
We begin to see the variety that our world holds

LIFE -

Life here investigated
In case of alien brethren
Life searched for by the heart if not the mind
As the astronaut steps out into the void
For themselves, for us, for a future
A future - As yet unknown
A future for us all
As we grow too large for this world to contain
A cradle we have explored from end to end

But it is only with eyes freshly opened
To the wonders beyond
That we begin to see what we have missed
That which hides in plan sight
The beauty of our world
We seek its twins, our mirrors -
Its twisted folly of form

OUT THERE

And if we are on our own?
Then look at the wonders the search has wrought
And if we are not?
Then maybe we will truly see ourselves
For the first time

Until then the void is calling
And all these things?

These investigations
These satellites
And images -
Are our jumping off point
Our call to the unknown

Do you wonder what it will answer?

And Now…. an Organ! (by sarah)

So we are on a strict budget for the house - so we went to the charity shop to get a sofa bed... we ended up with an electric organ - a Hammond with Liesel Chorus and stuff!

Alaric is as ecstatic as me and Jeany is really excited and Mary has discovered foot pedals!

Alaric says he knows where this is going though - he envisions Jean pressing down keys and Mary pushing down peddles whilst I reciet poetry and him holding microphones in various rediculous poses.

Part of me does wonder weather I should have taken the piano instead though - but this just has more functionality and wacky electroness that I am just itching to sample.

Sarah’s Easter Collection (by sarah)

I have produced an audio book which I am selling to raise money to buy books for Jean's School Library (they get the profit). The disc contains The Little Book of Easter Poetry, The Little Chicken Song and the story Ester Rabbit - there is even me playing the recorder 🙂 It costs £5 with £1 p&p. There will be an online order form eventually but you can send cheques made payable to Sarah Snell-Pym

50 Newton Avenue

Gloucester

Glos

GL4 4NU

There will be a download version soon too (it will be £3) - there is currently no print version of this and probably wont be until next year. I managed to buy two books with the taking from The Little Book of Festive Poetry which the school are very happy with but they do basically need to restock their whole library.

Obviously if you are going to see me before/around Easter just pre-order what you want 🙂

And if anyone has a shop or anything that wants to stock a couple then let me know 🙂

Jean’s First Audition (by sarah)

Today Jean is going to school with her home made poetry book - she has written and illustrated the poems herself as part of this months WoPoWriMo challenge (World Poetry Writing Month). She is nervous and excited and asked me yesterday if I would make her an outfit if she gets through!

The poems are lovely especially the one about Monster Mary who wants everything of Jean's even her school things 🙂 There is also one about how the Moon is light and dark but not made of cheese 🙂

Going for…. Gloucestershire Poet Laureate (by sarah)

This Sunday the 4th of March at Gloucester New Inn there is the monthly arty chill which I have been attending to read my works poetic. This Sunday however is slightly different as they are running a competition for Gloucestershires Poet Laureate. The first phase of which is audience votes so I would like some people to come and vote for me - please.

Yep that's right I am going for this - I doubt I will get it as there are going to be like well know poetry types there - I am hoping for a few votes though so that I can continue to show my face in the arty circles of Gloucestershire and in fact the UK!

It costs £5 on the door to get in for non-performers and starts 3pm and ends at 9pm. There are lots of musicians and comedians and things there too and it's a really good event and I wont sulk if you vote for someone else (honest!).