About this Event
Join a free open-house event at UCL East - Marshgate for a moment of contemplation on Earth Day 2024, whose theme, Planet vs Plastics, is a demand to end plastics for the sake of human and planetary health.
Opening with an introduction from Mark Miodownik, UCL Professor of Materials & Society, Director of the Institute of Making, and founder of the Plastic Waste Innovation Hub, the event will feature Gaia, an embodiment of our precious planet, accompanied by a soundtrack by BAFTA-winning composer, Dan Jones.
Find out more about the Gaia Public Programme at UCL East
About Gaia
1.8 million times smaller than the real Earth, Gaia is an artwork which embodies UCL as London’s Global University, and acts as a visual reminder of our place on this planet, and our collective need to protect it.
Artist Luke Jerram designed Gaia for people to ‘see the Earth as if from space; an incredibly beautiful and precious place. An ecosystem we urgently need to look after – our only home’.
Creating a sense of the ‘Overview Effect’, first described by author Frank White in 1987, the experience includes a feeling of awe and renewed sense of responsibility for the planet, as well as a profound understanding of the interconnection of all life.
About Professor Mark Miodownik
Mark Miodownik is the UCL Professor of Materials & Society. He received his Ph.D in turbine jet engine alloys from Oxford University, and has worked as a materials engineer in the USA, Ireland and the UK. For more than twenty years he has championed materials science research that links to the arts and humanities, medicine, and society. This culminated in the establishment of the UCL Institute of Making, where he is a director and runs the research programme. Mark also recently set up the Plastic Waste Innovation Hub to carry our research into solving the environmental catastrophe of plastic waste dealing with topics such as biodegradable plastics and product reuse and repairability. Mark is the multi-award winning author of New York Times bestselling book Stuff Matters. He regularly presents BBC TV and radio programmes on materials science and engineering. In 2014 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. In 2018 he was awarded an MBE for services to materials science, engineering and broadcasting.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
UCL East - Marshgate, 7 Sidings Street, London, United Kingdom
GBP 0.00