This year’s British Science Festival is taking place here in Leicester at De Montfort University from 13 – 17 September. Alongside the inspiring programme of free events, the festival will also welcome the world premiere of The Compass in Jubilee Square.
This is your opportunity to immerse yourself in a unique and mesmerising walk through the various strands of scientific discovery. The Compass is a spellbinding installation driven by British research pioneers bringing to life how we navigate knowledge, and how scientific research can be a compass to guide our curiosity.
The Compass has been commissioned and created for Leicester and specially built to fit on Jubilee Square. The journey will offer attendees an opportunity to enter The Compass and interact with it using mini projectors, making each person’s experience of The Compass unique.
The Compass has been designed and created by Illuminos, with the concept selected from a competitive call for proposals, with the British Science Association supported by Leicester-based social enterprise, Inspirate. During the process Inspirate brought in a local youth panel to help support the final decision, which saw Illuminos chosen to bring The Compass to life.
Antonio Benitez, Director of the British Science Festival, commented, “The British Science Festival is the perfect host to showcase such a truly exceptional installation as a celebration of British science, research and innovation.
“Bringing The Compass to life with Illuminos, Inspirate and other partners, alongside input from local community groups and pioneers in British research, has been such a unique project which we’re very excited to open to the public.”
As visitors walk through The Compass, British science researchers are revealed as pioneering explorers, on personal voyages of discovery with new horizons to explore. They will interact with scientific stories that are projected as flowing, animated journeys as The Compass shows us how scientific endeavours and processes resonate directly with our own lives.
The Compass will be open until 10pm, transforming from its internal installation format in the day into a spectacular 360 degree projection experience after dark, giving two exciting and connected experiences for audiences to enjoy.
The Compass has been designed by Illuminos, who are brothers Matt and Rob Vale, together they have been creating visually inventive, memorable projection artworks and experiences for over 10 years. Working on large scale projections and illuminations, past projects have included installations at Les Troyens for Lyric Opera, Chicago, US and the 2017 Capital of Culture closing ceremony in Paphos, Cyprus.
Matt and Rob Vale of Illuminos commented, “The Compass is a rolling piece, which allows visitors to start and end their journey at any point. The overarching narrative and soundtrack allow you to experience how the varied elements fit together through sights and sounds, as you feel the movement and trajectory through researcher’s commentary.
“The Compass has been specially built in response to the shape and layout of Jubilee Square in Leicester, echoing its North, South, East and West walkways, and we can’t wait to premiere it at the British Science Festival.”
Jiten Anand, Director of Inspirate, commented, “We wanted to choose a concept which would educate but also encapsulate the imagination of visitors. The local youth panel offered a range of voices as we considered some fantastic proposals. The Compass looks set to be a spectacular installation and a standout event for Leicester.”
When can you visit?
The Compass will be open on Jubilee Square from Tuesday 13 – Saturday 17 September 2022. The opening hours are:
Tuesday 13 September: 11am – 6pm
Wednesday 14 – Saturday 17 September: 11am – 10pm
The Compass is a drop-in activity and pre-booking is not required. Entry is free for all attendees.
For further information on The Compass and all other events as part of British Science Festival 2022 please visit britishsciencefestival.org.
