Fairground: Thrill Laboratory--Excitement
Wednesday
1 November 2006
18:30 - 21:45
Thrill and bodily arousal – how do they relate? What is G-force and how can it be increased? How does G-force affect mind and body? What’s the role of fantasy in thrill? And... how might you design your own ride?
These are some of the questions we’ll be asking in Fairground: Thrill Laboratory on 31 October & 1 November. Each evening will include live experimentation on the Booster- one of the fairground’s most extreme rides - and a carnival of food, drink, performance, film, music and discussion, led by a team of scientists, artists, performers, technologists, psychologists, and showmen.
Tickets are £10 which includes:
1 thrill-trip on the ride of the night
Entry into Thrill-Lab-Lotto
Canapés
Soup shots
Fizzy pop
(Canapés and soup shots served before the event between 17.30 and 18.30)
Alcoholic drinks and special event cocktails will also be available… (Not included in ticket price.)
Programme:
Psyche and Soma Bar open from 17.30
Enter Thrill-Lab-Lotto to be part of the experiment…
Be sure you’re in the correct zone by 18.30 to hear the Thrill Experts
20.30 – 21.30 Ride the ride! Talk thrill with the experts.
Speakers (Excitement):
A Brief History of Tonight’s Ride
Dan Howland, Editor, The Journal of Ride Theory, Portland, Oregon, USA
Dan will speak on the history and design of the evening’s ride using original patents and simple models to show the rides’ movements.
Ride Commentary
Dr Alex Taylor, Socio-digital Systems Group, Microsoft Research, Cambridge
Sociologist Alex Taylor will provide a live running commentary from the ride explaining how thrill is experienced, drawing particular attention to ways of seeing, smelling and being – how do these experiences conjure up the sense of thrill?
Bring on the Booster
Jack Souilljee, KMG, Netherlands, manufacturer of the Booster
How do you make a business from selling thrill rides? The Booster manufacturer tells the story of how the ride was developed, marketed, manufactured and sold – and how this evening’s ride was delivered only three weeks ago!
The Fantastic Voyage of Autonomous Astronauts
Neil Gordon-Orr, Association of Autonomous Astronauts
Welcome to the emerging era of space tourism and star wars. Find out how community-based space exploration could investigate possibilities of life in space, beyond the forces of state, economy and gravity.
Hitting the G-Spot
Chris Welch, Astronautics and Space Systems Group, Kingston University
Take a look at the physics behind G-forces. Discover how these acceleration forces are used to provide thrill in fairground rides – and what they mean for space-flight training and space missions.
Space Flight: The Ultimate Fairground Attraction?
Kevin Fong, University College London
Imagine massive acceleration, hypersonic speeds, millions of pounds of thrust, then weightlessness and spectacular views of the Earth... what a ride! But human space flight isn’t yet routine and poses many risks – so is the ride really worth it?
The Ride:
George Irvin’s Booster
Ian Trowell, National Fairground Archive
‘Emerging post-World War II, propeller-based rides evolved from flight-training devices. The Booster is the quantum leap in this genre, huge to behold and gruelling to experience. Circular motion approaches 80 mph, G-forces come in at 4.3, just below body shut-down criteria.’