It’s been a week of intergalactic delights in the Studio with a fantastic space party last Friday, our communicating science showcase on Thursday and award win at The Learning on Screen Awards for some of our lovely residents. Read on to find out more..

Last Friday we were joined in the Studio by James Parton, director of Twilio Europe to tell us more about the service, and introduce us to some of his favorite creative projects developed using Twilio. From snow in Hackney, to interactive video installations on the Southbank Centre Twilio has been used for some awesome creative projects. You can read a write-up of the talk to find out all about them and to find out about the Twilio Fund 2013.   

Then on Friday evening some of our lovely residents organised and hosted a Yuri Night Space Party. Every year on April 12th people from around the world gather to celebrate the first human spaceflight and host Yuri’s Night parties. There was lots of geeky space fun including a showing of First Orbit, a recreation of Yuri Gagarin's first orbit of the earth, and DJ Andy Spaceland and his intergalactic disco.

This week Studio resident Michael from JA has been finishing off filming and editing a video for his upcoming citizen space science project. He has working in the Studio to try and find ways to incorporate social, education and gaming activities throughout development and the mission. You can find out more by reading a write-up of the Lunchtime Talk he gave in the Studio, and we’ll be bringing you more updates as the project progresses.  
 
Tickets are now on sale for REACT Books & Print showcase on the 1st May. From Jekyll 2.0, an immersive gothic experience that morphs with every breath you take, to Book Kernel a bespoke publishing platform for live events that ships and delivers in a day, these projects demonstrate the exciting, emergent possibilities of a fast-changing industry. Bringing together fascinating research with cutting-edge technology and creative brilliance, the teams have spent the last three months in a fast and furious process of R&D. Join us to see the results. You are invited to attend the premiere of the eight Books & Print Sandbox films, to meet the participants, play with the prototypes and toast their future success. Reserve yourself a free ticket here.  

If the REACT projects spark your interest, then check out this awesome job opportunity REACT currently have. They are looking for an experienced, curious, collaborative producer to join REACT to curate, produce and manage REACT’s Objects Sandbox scheme. You will have the ability to understand new ideas and where they need support. You will be a curator of people, understanding how to form collaborations and mobilize networks. You will have an interest in the Internet of Things and have a flexible, adventurous and collaborative approach to work. To read the job description and apply for the position visit the Watershed website here.

Will Luton had an article published on website gamesindustry.biz entitled: The Future of Games - F2P Is Not Evil Nor The Only Solution, which you can read here. His book, also about the Free2Play model is now available for pre orders on amazon. The book explains the Free2Play business model and how to design, build and run games that are profitable and fun. It covers subjects such as virtual economies, the psychology of play, and revenue sources and marketing. You can find out more, and order the book on his website.

With media attention on solar flares and their effects on positive events (the northern lights) or predicted negative events (technological disruption), Helen White joined the Studio in January to embark on a graduate and new talent residency supported by IOP Publishing. This Thursday saw the culmination of three months of research and development, as we were treated to a special viewing of her prototype ‘Solar Wind Chime’, that varies it’s sound depending on solar wind speed data from the ACE satellite. Helen was then joined on stage by a fantastic panel chaired by John Durrant from BDH, one of the founders of PocketSpacecraft.com, Michael Johnson, and quantum chemist David Glowacki from danceroom Spectroscopy. The event was recorded for Dshed so look out for it online next week.

Also, on Thursday Charlotte Crofts’ Curzon Memories App, created with Calvium, won General Education Multimedia Award at the Learning on Screen Awards 2013. The Learning on Screen Awards celebrate and reward excellence in the use of moving image and related media in learning, teaching and research. Charlotte’s App Curzon Memories is a location-based app which enables the user to explore inside and outside of the historic Curzon Community Cinema, Clevedon with their smartphone, using GPS and QR codes to trigger context-specific content, including oral histories, dramatisations of the family who built the cinema, archive photographs, architectural details and interpretation of cinema technology artefacts. You can find out more and download the App here.

This weekend Studio residents Tom Abba and Duncan Speakman from artists collective Circumstance, will be launching an extraordinary new project These Pages Fall Like Ash. They have developed These Pages Fall Like Ash as part of the latest REACT Sandbox, exploring new ways of looking at Books and Print and the digital novel. These Pages Fall Like Ash suggests a brand new way of experiencing the joy of reading, that challenges the print/digital divide, featuring creative input from award winning authors Nick Harkaway and Neil Gaiman. Book fans are invited to take part in an experiment where their participation is key to the story. The experience will start its journey on Saturday 20 April and will continue for two and a half weeks in Bristol. You can purchase your book to begin the adventure here.

On Monday next week, tickets will go on sale for Rik Lander’s project The Memory Dealer. The Memory Dealer is a play that takes place in several places across the city starting at Watershed. It is a form of interactive theatre where the audience becomes part of the story. Check our their website here to find out more information and don’t forget to book your ticket on Monday, it’s going to be a corker.

We’ve also just announced a very special one off Lunchtime Talk, in collaboration with UWE’s DCRC, with Ken Eklund on 30 April. From World Without Oil to Ed Zed Omega and Evoke (and Future Coast, upcoming), much of Ken's work enlists the hypothetical context of Alternate Reality Gaming (ARG) to pose questions about social change and societal challenges. He'll discuss "authentic fiction," the art of designing for mass participation, and the potential of play in social change. It’s completely free to attend, and booking is not required but we recommend that you arrive a little early to avoid disappointment as seats will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Finally don’t forget that next Friday we have an awesome Lunchtime Talk from our lovely Studio residents Stand + Stare. Lucy and Barney from Stand + Stare will take us through a brief history of their arcade-style storytelling project, Theatre Jukebox, as it evolved from a micro-residency in the Studio in June 2011 to being nominated for this year's SXSW Interactive Awards. You can find out more about this talk and our upcoming program on our events page here.