The Reset Lab

During lockdown we've all become more aware of the world around us and the creatures who live in our neighbourhoods.  We've all been growing more food and trying new recipes too. So here are some short practical clips about looking after our shared patch of earth, served with a story and some delicious recipes too!

10am: Welcome!

10.15am: Story - Gluskabi and the Wind Eagle, a Native American tale, retold by Frances Kelly. Frances is a storyteller and community artist from Hull, and always brings her treasure trove of costumes to the Big Malarkey.

10.30am: How to Make Your Own Reset Button. A handy demo showing you how to make your own electronic button, with the simple craft packs available FREE at Hull Libraries (Central, Fred Moore, Western, Gipsyville, Freedom Centre, Bransholme, Ings and Greenwood).

10.40am: Wild About My Back Garden – three short videos about observing and caring for the creatures in parks and gardens:
- A Palace for Worms: Lausanne Tranter of Constable Community Allotment in Hull shows you how to make a simple wormery, to turn your kitchen scraps into beautiful compost
- Invertebrate BioBlitz: for all bug hunters out there! Have you ever wondered where you can find interesting wildlife in your local area? It might be closer than you think. Emma Peasland from the University of Hull shows you how to search for animals close to home and share your findings with other curious naturalists
- A haven for birds: More people are taking a closer interest in the nature around them than ever before. Dr Callum Macgregor from the University of Hull gives three simple tips for how to attract birds into your garden. You can contribute to science by recording the birds you see to iNaturalist, one of the largest online databases of wildlife sightings in the world.

11.05am: Calvin’s Creations: We check in with Calvin to see what he's been up to - pencils at the ready!

11.40am: Lucy Musgrave’s summer treats: Vegan chef Lucy Musgrave cooks up some delicious summery food from her Hull kitchen. We’re all being encouraged to eat more vegetarian dishes and 16 year old Lucy has lots of ideas you can check out in her book Powered by Plants. Lucy has been cooking since the age of 10, and is now supplying her fantastic vegan recipes to businesses across the UK.

11.50am: How to make a colourful Tie-dye T-shirt and pop-up animal cards from paper: fresh ‘how to’ ideas from Hull Libraries’ Makerspace artists – tie-dye from natural dyes, pop-up animal cards, bleach stencilled T shirts and a close encounter with our 3D printer.

12.00pm: Close

The future sounds like science fiction until it arrives in the present! Join us to find out more about 3D printers and other crazy ideas that could actually work. Are you friends with a robot yet?

3pm: Welcome back!

3.15pm: Paul Cookson’s nonsense selection: Paul Cookson kicks off the afternoon with poems about weird inventions and aliens. Get ready for some serious nonsense - march, robots, march!
Official poet in residence of the National Football Museum, Paul has brought his poetry to thousands of children all over the world, and received a National Reading Hero in the National Year of Reading.

3.30pm: Crazy Ideas! That just might work:  Science and fantasy collide as comedian Jed Salisbury and Science Communicator Sarah Cosgriff go head-to-head in a contest to find the craziest idea that might save the world. A Real Scientist will be on hand to award points.  Hosted by Phil Bell-Young of University of Hull, the team will be live on chat to answer your questions and field your crazy ideas too - join the conversation!  For 11+ years

4.00pm: Makerspace 3D printer demo. Watch the 3D printer in action in Hull Libraries' Makerspace, and find out what it can do.  Will it be printing our food and clothes in 20 years' time?

4.15pm: Troofriend: What if you could have the perfect best friend? What if they would do anything for you? Would it matter if they weren't human?   Fantasy writer Kirsty Applebaum introduces her new book set in a world where parents buy robot friends for their children. For 10+ years

4.30pm: How to upcycle an old T-shirt with a bleach stencil, and make a tent night light: More quick fire ‘how to’ videos from the makerspace team: DIY Fairy light jars, laser-cut tent night lights (cute), and ways to upcycle old clothes.

4.35pm: Calvin’s Creations: Robots? Transformers? Life on Mars? What's Calvin been up to?

5.00pm: Close

Plastic is here to stay. If we manage it properly it can help build and not destroy. A morning of new insights and hope for one of the greatest challenges of our time.

10.00am: Welcome!

10.15am: +R+R+Rap – rough cut by Plastic Citizens: Don’t miss this fantastic animated rap created by young people in Hull working with Plastic Citizens and My Pockets.  For more info go to https://www.kidsagainstplastic.co.uk

10.40am: The Journey of Plastic: The Journey of Plastic is huge, starting millions of years ago but often used for just seconds and carelessly thrown away. Here, Freija Mendrik from the University of Hull shows this journey, its impact on our world and how you can help protect our oceans through stop-frame animation. 

10.50am: Plastic Futures – Plastics is one of the most fantastic inventions. It has revolutionised medicine, enhanced food security and helps keep our houses warm. But we are hooked on plastic to such an extent we have created a monster. Dan Parsons will talk about how we need to find ways to reuse and recycle plastics in new ways to reduce the leakage of plastics into our environment and transition to what is known as a circular economy of plastics. Suitable for ages 12+

11.10am: So what can WE do? – live discussion. 11 year old Lucie Parsons is a campaigner for KidsVPlastic, she’ll be suggesting things we can all do to make sure we recycle safely to keep the earth, and our future, healthy.

11.25am: How to make pop-up papercraft houses and castles: quick ‘how to’ tips – pop-up papercraft houses and castles, and crayon T-Shirt designs

11.35am: Calvin’s Creations: We catch up with artist Calvin Innes to see what doodles have emerged from our plastic explorations

12:00pm: Close

When all's said and done, our family, friends and community are the most important part of our future. Join us for some thoughts on our close connections, with some poetry, stories, and crafts. Fingers on your reset button!

3:00pm: Welcome back!

3.15pm: Story – Writing in Sand: An ancient Persian story about friendship. Sita Brand is a storyteller from West Yorkshire, and Artistic Director/CEO of Settle Stories. She's a familiar face at The Big Malarkey Festival too!

3.30pm: My Friend – poetry workshop: Poet Paul Cookson shows you a really easy way to create a fantastic rhyming poem about your best friend.

3.50pm: Makerspace crafts: some more quick tutorials for making stuff to share – rock painting, no-sew bags. Plus we’ve thrown in quick tip on a DIY face mask from 10 year old Lucy Stanley – thanks for sharing Lucy!

4.00pm: Collective Story - World Rebooted: Hull writer Lee Harrison reads a brand new fantasy story, with help from the team, stitched together with ideas provided by YOU on the World Rebooted mood board!

4.30pm: Calvin’s Creations: A final check in with Calvin - what have you all been drawing?

4.59pm: Time to press the reset button – join us for the final count down!

5pm: Close

Thanks to all the artists and participants and everyone who has helped put this programme together, and especially to the University of Hull, Energy & Environment Institute. You can see more fantastic videos about their work here.

And a very special thanks to all the Makerspace team at Hull Libraries, and to Ted, Will, Lucie and families, and Kofi Smiles!