Dublin's Science Gallery prepares to hack the city in 2012

Dublin’s Science Gallery is renowned as one of the most innovative, interactive and educational attractions in Dublin, and 2012 is set to be another big year for the Pearse Street site. Currently, the acclaimed Surface Tension exhibition is in residence, bringing together work by artists, designers, engineers and scientists to explore the future of water. Running until the 20th of January, Surface Tension examines the increasing role that water supplies have to play in politics and economics, and ways in which it may be harnessed, cleaned and distributed.

Dublin has been named as European City of Science for 2012, and will play host over 5,000 scientists as part of a large Euroscience Open Forum in July, with the gallery also forecasting that they will welcome their millionth visitor since opening in 2008, so for such a landmark year, of course you need some incredibly stimulating and interesting exhibitions. Never ones to shirk a challenge, the gallery have devised a mantra of “bigger, better and more” for the year, with regular events like Ted talks, Ignite, Expose Yourself and Refresh all set to return, plus sporadic special talks from leading figures in the world of science and innovation to inspire the public.

The Gallery has also revealed its exhibition line up for the year, which looks quite lively to say the least. The 10th of February will see the opening of Edible, a foray into the future of food and an exhibition which you can eat, including an interrogation into emerging biotechnologies, innovative food cultures and novel culinary practices that are changing the way we feed ourselves. Other exhibitions to look forward to throughout 2012 include Happy, which will delve into the true meaning of happiness, Nanolab, an investigation of nanotechnology, and Game, an exploration into Ireland’s gaming industry and the future of gaming, focusing on augmented reality, the blurring of the lines between gaming and reality, and a look at educational gaming.

The main attraction of the year though is set to be Hack the City a June-September exhibition encompassing a festival in July, which aims to rethink our cities from the ground up through the spirit and philosophy of the hacker ethos. Hack the City will give Dubliners a chance to bend, mash-up, tweak and cannibalise our city systems, to create possibilities, illustrate visionary thinking and demonstrate real-world examples for sustainable urban futures. Everyone can get involved, and the gallery is seeking submissions from interested hackers, makers, doers, data nerds, hobbyists, artists, citizen scientists, tech geeks, activists, edgy engineers and DIY urban planners, and you have until January 20th to get your ideas in.

Hack the City is the centerpiece of the 2012 City of Science Year, and involves numerous potential partnerships around the city, with the hope of encouraging novel approaches to social and commercial ideas, which can be piloted and prototyped during the Summer. Urban experiments, intelligent augmentation of the city, future urban planning and city installations are all expected to be part of the fun, while you can also expect special live performances, unique physical and mental experiences, high-profile talks, discussions and debates, web-focused interactions, games, offsite events and collaborative experiences. Phew, doesn't that sound fun?

Funding is available for all interested parties, and for all the info on this exciting event, do see the Science Gallery website, which includes all the info on submissions. We’re sure to hear a lot more about Hack the City soon, so stay tuned, and if you’ve never visited the gallery, be sure to get in for the last few days of Surface Tension this month.