Tours like this are an accessible and enjoyable way to increase our state pride.
Presented by MOD
Reviewed 19 February 2022
UniSA’s prized Museum of Discovery (MOD) takes it to the street with a 90-minute walking tour that stretches the length of our cultural and scientific boulevard, from the Royal Adelaide Hospital to the Botanic Gardens.
The template for this relaxed, educational tour was born from high school students doing work experience at the museum. Fine-tuned and developed further, Science on the Streets has evolved into an interesting glimpse into the unseen research and achievements of South Australia.
The tour is a fitting addition to MOD’s current interactive exhibition, Invisibility, which shines a spotlight on the things we don’t see, from the hidden depths of icebergs to the data mining and tracking of tech giants like Google and Amazon.
There’s so much unseen that Science on the Streets limits its focus to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) sites along North Terrace, led by two very capable university students, Chealin and Brooke, in this instance.
The duo talk about the robotics in the Royal Adelaide Hospital, the research of SAHMRI (SA Health and Medical Institute), including the meaning behind its distinctive “cheese grater” design, and how art and science connect at the Lion Arts Centre. Further down the road, there’s the politics, funding and decisions coming out of Parliament House, the Jubilee 150 plaques in the pavement of North Terrace, the behind-the-scenes work of the South Australian Museum, and the futuristic work taking place at Lot Fourteen.
Participants are encouraged along the way to share any additional facts or trivia they may know, and kids are welcomed to participate in the dialogue too. It’s a family-friendly event that winds up in the Botanic Gardens for a brief discussion on the research and cataloguing projects we never hear about.
It’s a hard call to capture everything happening in South Australia and, even with the narrow focus, a lot of exciting behind-the-scenes work is missed. But Science on the Streets is a good appetizer to whet the appetite for wanting to know more. It’s a concept that could easily grow and evolve if it is repeated in the future, and as South Australia continues to expand its global presence in medical, technological and space research, tours like this are an accessible and enjoyable way to also increase our state pride.
Reviewed by Rod Lewis
Twitter: @StrtegicRetweet
Venue: Tour begins at MOD (adjacent Morphett Street Bridge), North Tce, Adelaide
Season: 19 February & 5, 19 March 2022
Duration: 90-120 minutes
Tickets: $15-$20
Bookings: https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/science-on-the-streets-af2022
Rating out of 5: 3
#Adelaide # ADLfringe @MOD_museum
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