On Sunday we welcome earthlings of all ages for aboard The Mothershed ship for an afternoon of sci-fi adventuring. What will you find? A few friendly robots, a musical dance floor, astonishing contraptions from the mad scientists at Bristol Hackspace, and incredible workshops that will blast your imagination into territories unknown. All the events in our Fun Palaces Weekend have been conceived and inspired by you and your brilliant minds and are totally FREE. With so much on offer, beam up whenever you like. Here's what to expect from Sunday's trip:

Workshops + Discussion

Short Story Competition / Waterside 3 12:00-13:00

On Day Two of The Mothershed's mission, Bristol Con are on board hosting a Sci-Fi writing workshop. After a briefing on the art of the sci-fi yarn, you'll be sent out to visit authors stationed in and around the Harbourside area, and these local sci-fi writers will support you in developing your story. There will then be a closing workshop with guidance on adding the final touches to your extraordinary stories. Space cadets of all ages can the choose to enter the competition in teams or alone, and you can sign up for the competition at Box Office. This is your chance to win some fantastic prizes. With a month to submit your work to Bristol Con, there will still plenty of time to enjoy the rest of afternoon aboard the Mothershed to get some more inspiration!

Sci-Fi Panel Discussions in Waterside 3

13:00 - 14:00: Science Fiction + Technology

Does reading and watching Sci-Fi encourage an interest in science? Are there technological developments that would not have happened without science fiction? What have we achieved that was only science fiction fifty years ago? What do we want to see happen in the coming decades? Get some answers (and some more questions!) as you think about what sci-fi means to you!

15:00 - 16:00 Toilets in Space

What about day to day practicalities in space? From eating, going to the loo and even dancing the tango - how can everything we do on 21st century Earth be done in zero-gravity?! If you're writing a story for the Bristol Con competition we're running as part of our Fun Palaces Weekend, you might want to include a level of reality in your fantastic fiction. So how would you go about using a toilet in space?

Film

George Clinton: Tales of Dr Funkenstein + Short (15) / Cinema 1 18:00 - 19:20

As part of our Afrofuturism season we present Don Lett's hilarious and colourful profile of the godfather of funk George Clinton, whose 50-year career has defined the genre, from his 1950s days running a doo-wop, through the madness of the monster Parliament/Funkadelic machine of the 70s to his late 90s hip hop collaborations with Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg. Book your free tickets for the screening here.

Games + Installations

Gorb the Cyborg / Waterside 2 15:30 - 17:30

Earthlings of all ages - your ship needs YOU! Can you save The Mothershed from the evil Gorb the Cyborg, a robot that has been programmed to end humanity? Even though he has suffered previous damage to his sight and hearing he is still out to complete his mission and it's up to us to work as a team to solve clues and find the code word to deactivate the enemy once and for all. The main aim is not to be noticed by Gorb as you move around a small abandoned moon base. Stealth will be your friend, as will brilliant game maker and founder of Brighton Urban Games, Alex Latham who is the not-so-evil mastermind behind this activity. This fun, interactive game is suitable for all - sign up for your fifteen minute slot at the door to Waterside 2. With just four time slots available, make sure you get in quick!

Tangible Networks / Café/Bar 14:00 - 16:00

Perfect for Mothershed passengers looking to delve deeper into the mysteries of our planet and beyond, is our otherworldly installation that explores how mathematics can help us understand some of our universe's most complex systems. We'll be asking why a single neuron on its own can do very little, but when billions of them are together they can become the most powerful tool on our planet - the human brain. Nature on Earth also reflects this phenomenon, with a few fireflies together glowing in a random way, and once in a large group, they flash in time, appearing to the naked eye as a single being. The key to this scientific mystery lies in the interactions between each of these singular elements as they join forces in unexpected and beautiful ways. Tinker with our Tangible Networks installation which visualises the complex systems behind these intriguing group behaviours.

Kicking the Mic Dancefloor / Café/Bar 18:00 - 20:00

Before we make the final descent back to Earth, The Mothershed welcomes you to a last foray into the future. Head to the Café/Bar and find a musical floor, inviting you to stomp out melodic rhythms. Join the innovative minds behind Earth's only Guerilla Dance Project, as we explore how their unique and ingenious bit of tech loops and layers the sounds of different instruments to create compositions created by the dancer before your very eyes. How will we play music in the future? Perhaps Guerilla Dance Project will give us an inkling?

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