Opening: Friday 15 July at 12 noon (VIP Preview: Thursday 14 July at 5:30pm)

Liquid mercury, glowing uranium, or sinister arsenic – which element stirs you up? How much nickel does an average body contain? What element will you bring to the periodic table? Science Gallery’s summer exhibition Elements has something for everyone from hands-on experiments for the kids to world renowned artworks, and intriguing artifacts celebrating the iconic periodic table and to top it all off, Bring Your Own Element – the world’s first crowd sourced periodic table.

Highlights include:

• An exhibition of selected elements, including an iron artwork by Antony Gormley, a drawing made from stretched lead bullets by Cornelia Parker, and arsenic wallpaper by William Morris
• Commissions by Irish artists including Maser, Will St Leger and Gavin Beatty to create their own limited edition print, each representing a different element from the periodic table
• A crowd-sourced periodic table, for visitors to leave an item that represents one of the elements (an iron nail, a silver earring, an americium-containing smoke alarm) in a specially created display.
• Elements, Explosions, and Excitement: Chemistry shows by Sue McGrath, filled with weird and wonderful experiments especially for children
• A talk by Professor Carl Djerassi, who invented the contraceptive pill
• A diamond produced entirely from cremation ashes
• An ominously glowing model of a nuclear power station cast in uranium glass

The exhibition experience contains the following:

• Periodic Tables — Artworks that explore the iconic design of the periodic table.
• Portraits of the Elements — Artworks and artifacts that showcase of some of the most unique and fascinating elements from uranium and arsenic to mercury and lead.
• Elements of Life — A commissioned work that gives you your very own list of atomic ingredients.
• Atomic Kitchen — A hands-on zone where you can take part in experiments and create your own chemical reactions.
• Bring Your Own Element — A crowd-sourced periodic table, where visitors can leave items that represent each of the elements.

In an essay commissioned from Hugh Aldersey-Williams for the exhibition catalogue, the design of Dmitri Mendeleev’s iconic periodic table is put as simply as:

“In the 1860s, Mendeleev was writing a textbook for his students at St Petersburg University. Aware of the growing number of chemical elements that had recently been discovered, he wished to bring some order to what was fast becoming an unruly jumble. The story goes that he sat down at his desk with the names of all the known elements written out on cards in front of him, and began to shuffle them around as in a game of patience.”

Visitors to Elements will have an opportunity to directly experience the mysteries of the atomic world, with a chance to explore the diverse elements of the periodic table and their unique properties.

Events:

Saturday July 16, Sunday August 28, 1:30pm • Squishy Circuits Workshop

Join this interactive hands-on workshop where you’ll create electronics sculptures from conductive and insulating dough. Add LEDs or buzzers to make your creation come to life, while also learning how electricity flows in a circuit. Just bring your imagination!

Tickets: €4

Saturday July 23, August 13, 1pm & 3.30pm • Elements, Explosions, and Excitement Chemistry Show

Full of pops, bangs and fizzing craziness, this highly energetic chemistry show will shock your socks off! The ever sparkling Scientific Sue will demonstrate with the help of some brave volunteers, some of the wackiest experiments around – colour changes, super foams, disgusting slime and a fire-breathing dragon to name but a few!

Led by: Sue McGrath

Tickets: €6, 4 for €20

Thursday 4 August, 6pm • “What Can Theatre Do For Science: OXYGEN and PHALLACY”

Talk by: Professor Carl Djerassi, inventor of the contraceptive pill.

Best known for synthesising the first steroid contraceptive (“the pill”), Carl Djerassi has turned to fiction writing for the past two years, exploring the human side of scientists and the personal conflicts faced by scientists in their quest for scientific knowledge, personal recognition, and financial rewards.

In his only Dublin engagement, Djerassi will address the question of what the theatre can do for science, and illustrate it through excerpts from selected clips from “OXYGEN”. He will also perform a dramatic reading of an excerpt from “PHALLACY” with a focus on the element copper.

Tickets: €7.50

Other events in the pipeline include a nuclear debate, a carbon symposium and for those long summer evenings (that are surely on the way), plans are afoot for “liquid nitrogen ice cream evenings.” Updated details will be sent as new events are confirmed.

Full details and many more events at www.sciencegallery.com/events

Trinity College Dublin’s Chemistry Department Celebrates 300 Years in 2011.

This exhibition was established in partnership with the School of Chemistry at Trinity College Dublin to mark its 300 year anniversary. A curatorial team including Professor David Grayson, Head of the School of Chemistry, and award-winning TCD researcher Daniel O’Donovan have both been instrumental in the development of the exhibition.