Over the weekend of 6 and 7 June 2025, Big Ideas and the Royal Commission Award Holders returned to The Great Exhibition Road Festival (GERF) in South Kensington with their widely successful 1851der Tent. The 1851der Tent put a spotlight on three exhibits created by Science and Engineering Fellows, exploring breath and health, sequential cause and effect using found materials, and quantum signals, just in time to celebrate the International Year of Quantum!
Lungy
Lungy is an app created by Dr Luke Hale with daily breathing exercises to reduce stress and anxiety. It uses your smartphone’s microphone to recognise and respond to your breathing to produce real-time audio and visuals, like molecules breaking apart or fabric blowing in the wind. iPads and iPhones were available at the stall for visitors to ‘see’ their breath on screen.
Luke is currently developing Lungy as an app for asthma, supported by the National Institute of Health Research and Asthma + Lung UK.
Rube Goldberg Machine
Rube Goldberg was an American designer, engineer and cartoonist who became famous for his humorous and absurd drawings of machines which completed simple, everyday tasks in complicated and convoluted ways. A group of Industrial Design Engineering students led by Lucy Tam worked together on this exhibit to celebrate Goldberg’s work and create their own version of the Machine using found objects and recyclable materials. As well as finding joy in activating the sequential cause and effect of the students’ machine, visitors also had the opportunity to contribute new parts to the machine on a special crafting table.
Quantum
Fellows Freya Johnson and Giulia Rubino are currently driving the development of quantum computers with quantum technology, and they worked together to devise the design for this exhibit. Quantum stops being quantum when you look at it, and instead behaves like a classical system. To explain its complex nature to the general public, Freya and Giulia used an interactive steady hand ‘buzzwire’ game and a circuit board games console, which attracted visitors of all ages to take up the challenge against time!
“Returned having visited in previous years, always find it interesting and interactive” – 1851der Tent Visitor
This year, in addition to the banners inside the tent that introduced the history of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition 1851, we also had printed brochures to hand out to visitors, detailing more information about our Fellows’ specialties, with activities for children at the back devised with Angela Kenney of the Royal Commission for further engagement beyond the Tent.
“The experience helped to hone my science communication skills, especially as I was explaining the work of other Fellows, rather than my own.” – 1851 Fellow
The two-day free Festival saw 55,000 visitors across the array of tents, activities, and stages exploring a whole host of scientific areas. It was a huge success, we are proud to be a part of another year celebrating discovery, curiosity, research, and innovation with award holders and visitors alike. We look forward to welcoming everyone again next year for the 175th Anniversary of the Great Exhibition Road Festival!
With thanks to all our volunteers, the Royal Commission for the Exhibition 1851, the Award Holders and the Great Exhibition Road Festival.