It’s been an exciting week in the Studio with preparations being made for two fantastic residency showcases, nu desine shipping the first of their AlphaSphere’s and lots of our amazing residents preparing for Bristol’s Mini Makers Faire...

Three years after first stepping foot in the Pervasive Media Studio, residents nu desine have, just last week, shipped their first ever order of AlphaSphere Elites. This is a huge achievement for the small team who have worked tirelessly to bring their revolutionary musical instrument to market. With the first batch released out into the world, nu desine are now hard at work preparing for the UK launch of the AlphaSphere. If you can’t wait any longer to get your hands on this new instrument, catch the ‘Sphere and the nu desine team at the Mini Maker Faire, Saturday 23rd March at MShed. Nikki has written a blog all about their Studio journey which you can find here.

Also at the Mini Makers Faire Ad Spiers will be bringing his Robot Foxes. Roborigami is a collaboration with Coco Sato a Giant Origami Artist and Peter Bennett an Interaction Design Researcher. The project was born out of a random meeting at the Secret Garden Party 2011, where they decided they wanted to merge their three skills and create a paper sculpture that would incorporate movement and sound. They decided to use foxes and the animals were created out of paper. Each fox was then fitted with a motor and speaker that allowed them to randomly cock their heads and make intermittent sounds. They showcased the foxes at the secret garden party 2012 and then playgroup festival. They’ll be having their first Bristol showcase this weekend at the Faire, so make sure you get down there to see them, and all the other delights they will have on show.

With all the REACT Future Documentary Ideas Labs now over Matt has been thinking about what the future of the documentary looks like, and how it’s evolved in his blog post here. In it he outlines some of the commonalities between the new and unexpected forms of digital documentary storytelling. It’s well worth a read, and lists some great examples. You can find out more about the REACT Future Documentary sandbox here.

This week we’re getting really excited about two fantastic residency showcases coming up. The first is our our Craft + Technology Residencies Showcase on 28 March. Come and hear about a music memory box for people with dementia, a flying lampshade that provokes playful interaction, and coins that trigger invaluable experiences, at this celebratory event marking the close of our pioneering Craft + Technology Residencies. Funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and supported by the Crafts Council, Watershed's newest residency programme brought together makers Heidi Hinder, Chloe Meineck and Patrick Laing, with technologists to explore new ideas that combine craft, culture and technology.This celebratory event will feature video documentation of the projects, a conversation with the makers, and a chance to experience the extraordinary work they have developed. The showcase will also include high tea with a glass of bubbly in the Studio, and a chance to chat informally with the participants, the labs and the Crafts Council. To reserve a free place, please visit the Watershed site. You can learn more about what the participants have been up to here.

The second showcase comes from Helen White our Communicating Science resident. Helen entered into this residency keen to explore her fascination with the aurora and investigate whether it would be possible to translate solar wind data into something beautiful. Helen will share her discoveries and ideas about working with complicated scientific principles, aesthetically bereft data sources and pursuing multiple artistic pathways on the way to producing her prototype work. There will be a chance to see the prototype in action and to ‘listen in’ to the sun. We will then be joined by an expert panel, with one of the founders of PocketSpacecraft.com, Michael Johnson and quantum chemist David Glowacki from danceroom Spectroscopy. Tickets are free but must be booked in advance. Contact Watershed box office on 0117 927 5100 or book tickets here.

With just under two weeks the opening night tickets are flying out for Give Me Back My Broken Night; a theatrical guided tour of the future of your city. Originally developed as part of Watershed's Theatre Sandbox Programme, the show returns to Bristol for its UK premiere following performances as part of the European City of Culture programme in Guimaraes, Portugal. Presented by FUEL, Uninvited Guests and Circumstance, the show is part of a series of Bristol Temple Quarter commissions. You can find out more and book your tickets on the Watershed website here, but you need to be quick as some dates are very close to selling out.

Don’t forget that tonight is the Man vs Machine party! Opposable Games have been working on creating a Tron mini game to show at the Filmic 2013: Tron + Man vs Machine After Party, and will be testing out a pop up arcade co-curated by Bristol Games Hub at the event. It should be a really good night with the Café/Bar in Watershed being transformed into an Elec-TRON-ic neon haven; with a Tron-inspired photo booth, day-glow makeup artists on hand and other surprises up their sleeves (including prizes for fancy dress). Unfortunately the film has now sold out but you can still join us for the Man vs Machine After Party in the bar from 9.30.

Lastly a reminder that there is no Lunchtime Talk or Open Studio next week due to the bank holiday and Easter weekend. We’ll be back on the 5 April with a fantastic talk by Luke Egan who will be introducing his fantastic project Musii. Musii is a responsive inflatable musical instrument that you play by bending and shaping the cones to create sound and colour. You can find out more on our events page here.