DIY Festival of Creativity and Innovation Returns to NYSCI Sept. 17-18, 2011
QUEENS, NY—World Maker Faire, the ultimate 21st century fair, makes a triumphant return to the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) this September for two unforgettable days of science, art, and DIY culture in a festival atmosphere. Attendees at last year's inaugural Faire were treated to an experience that the New York Times described as "carnival sideshow meets science fair, with robots, engineers, rockets, computer geekery and body paint." This year's Faire features over 500 makers as well as a crafts pavilion, a village devoted to 3-D printing, a massive celebration of the new Arduino microcontroller, and a special emphasis on innovations in health care. As always, Maker Faire salutes the youngest makers, those geniuses of tomorrow who will be at the NYSCI in full force with their inventions. Slated for Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 17-18, this exciting weekend of fun centers on creativity, ingenuity, and resourcefulness in all forms.
Created six years ago in northern California by the publishers of MAKE magazine, Maker Faire showcases the best of do-it-yourself science and technology. Last year, they joined forces with NYSCI, New York's center for hands-on fun and learning, and a fitting host for the Faire. World Maker Faire is an indoor/outdoor event on NYSCI's 20-acre site inside Flushing Meadows Corona Park. In addition to the more than 500 makers on display, NYSCI's 450-plus hands-on exhibits, science demos, and art-technology pieces will be open to all World Maker Faire attendees.
Some highlights of the second annual World Maker Faire include:
- The return of ArcAttack! A unique musical experience generating an 'electrifying' audio visual performance, with dual-resonant solid state Tesla Coils as synchronized instruments.
- The Brooklyn Aerodrome: Fly remote-control planes and learn how to build your own planes from scratch using foam board, clothes hangers, and recycled signs.
- The Wonderfall! Watch water drop through 16 programmable solenoid values in such a way that images form in the falling water. Better yet: It glows.
- The Anywhere Organ: An interactive musical sculpture in which each note is computer-controlled. Its elements can be distributed across any space -- from a park to a secret cave -- to capture its unique sound.
- Sprite Chase: Use your smart phone to assemble and build classic MAKE Magazine projects by scanning QR codes hidden all over the festival grounds.
- Deconstruction Zone: Want to wreck some stuff? Crack open, take apart, and see the insides of computers, VCRs, radios, and all kinds of electronics provided by the NYSCI. For ages 6 and up.
- Sashimi Tabernacle Choir: An "art car" decorated with over 250 electromechanical singing fish and lobsters, 300 pounds of batteries, and five miles of wire to make it all, well, sing.
- Dirt = Power! Learn how plain old mud and the microbes in your fridge can make electricity.
- Lockpick Village: Tinker with locks and locksmith tools and take the first step towards becoming a secret agent.
- The Ever-Popular Coke Zero & Mentos Fountains: Now in its second year at World Maker Faire, this mysterious combination of pop and candy creates geysers of soda that shoot over 20 feet into the air in a spectacular mint-powered version of Las Vegas' Bellagio Fountains.
- Robots: Robots that drum, robots that dance, robots that talk, robots that serve hot dogs, robots that make pancakes, robots that fight other robots -- you get the picture: World Maker Faire is bot-tastic.
Touch a dress that talks, have your dreams painted onto your face, "erase" history, make squishy circuits, craft a zombie doll, dance on a bike, enjoy scented cartography (yes: a smell map!), and leave yourself and your family open to hundreds of other things that you've never thought to encounter at this year's World Maker Faire.
World Maker Faire is presented by RadioShack and includes the following sponsors: Cognizant, Microsoft, Atmel, Digi-Key, AutoDesk, ShopBot Tools, Epilog Laser, Sparkfun Electronics, Clif Kid and Etsy.
Calendar Editors
Ticket prices include admission to both World Maker Faire and NYSCI. Tickets are $25 for adults (18-61), $10 for youth (2-17), $20 for seniors (62+), and $15 for students with a valid ID. Two-day passes are also available. Tickets are available at www.makerfairetickets.com. See the Maker Faire website for more details www.makerfaire.com. Hi-res photos available upon request: pr@makerfaire.com.
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About Maker Faire
Maker Faire's mission is to inspire, inform, connect and entertain thousands of Makers and aspiring Makers of all ages and backgrounds through the public gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkers, hobbyists, science clubs, students, authors and commercial exhibitors. The inaugural Maker Faire was held in San Mateo, CA and just celebrated its sixth annual Bay Area event with some 100,000 people in attendance. As Maker Faire continues to grow in popularity and relevance, it expanded to Detroit and New York City in 2010. Maker Faire is supported by MAKE Magazine, makezine.com, craftzine.com and O'Reilly Media, the premier information source for leading-edge computer technologies. The company's books, conferences and web sites bring to light the knowledge of technology innovators.
About the New York Hall of Science
NYSCI was founded at the 1964-65 World's Fair as a showcase for the science of tomorrow. NYSCI is New York's center for hands-on fun and learning with more than 450 exhibits, science demonstrations, and programs for families, students and teachers. NYSCI conveys the excitement and understanding of science and technology by galvanizing curiosity and offering creative, participatory ways to learn.
About O’Reilly
O’Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O’Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying “faint signals” from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.