Patternarium at Eureka!

Gemma Gibb, Associate Editor

Book now

Patternarium at Eureka

5 December 2018-1 June 2019

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Eureka!
Book now

Hot on the heels of its last digital art experience Fusion, the UK’s only national children’s museum provides top luminary larks once more.

Patternarium, produced by Halfax creatives IOU, is a vast, interactive playful experience.

It brings to live in vivid colour the hidden patterns that surround us, such as energy and sound waves.

The fun lies in harnessing digital technology and mechanics to make patterns appear before your very eyes.

Walk, dance, tumble and play in the overlapping light trails produced by Volatile Light, a contraption which weaves curls, arcs and scribbles through the dark. Pedal bikes and move mechanical arms containing LEDs to create a light-painting of vivid patterns on a giant screen.

Manipulate and be part of a giant kaleidoscope which allows you to arrange objects over glass while a mirror spins to project the mesmerising results. Play with the type of drum most parents may prefer, controlling the pitch and frequency of sound waves to create patterns generated by sound with a laser beam.

Create glowing giant spirographs and scribbles like no other through the Cycloid Drawing Machine and giant Pendulum.

Freestylers and digital Jackson Pollocks meanwhile will love the ginormous Light Painting Wall. Grab a luminous prop (including LED lights, torches and glow sticks) to draw shapes to create a live, kinetic illuminated art work. Let us at it.

We love that Eureka’s ethos of learning through play is always the name of the game with brand new interactive exhibitions such as Patternarium complementing over 400 different experiences across eight zones.

We’re excited also that there are new plans afoot both for Eureka’s! Halifax site (just a jump away from Halifax station) and new Eureka! Mersey science and discovery centre on Wirral Waterfront in the coming years.

Admission to Patternarium is included in the price of admission to Eureka!, or free to Eureka! Annual Pass holders.

 

Where to go near Patternarium at Eureka!

The Piece Hall
Halifax
Tourist Attraction
The Piece Hall

Think Somerset House meets one of the great historic squares of Europe for the North. The Piece Hall is the beating heart of Halifax.

Square Chapel Arts Centre
Halifax
Square Chapel Arts Centre

With a mix of shows, family theatre, films, events and workshops, this arts centre is a vital part of Halifax’s new and thriving cultural quarter.

Meandering Bear
Halifax
Restaurant
Meandering Bear

Owned by the folks who run the award-winning Grayston Unity, the Meandering Bear is a great little independent bar and eatery in Halifax.

Revo Records, Halifax
Halifax
Shop
Revo Records

Trading for over 30 years, the iconic shop prides itself on stocking an eclectic selection of vinyl records – the latest new releases alongside second-hand vinyl.

Halifax Borough market
Halifax
Shop
Halifax Borough Market

This grand and historic market was opened by the Duke and Duchess of York in 1896 and has been at the heart of Halifax life ever since.

West Yorkshire
Gallery
Open Gallery

A beautiful and varied collection of contemporary art from across the UK. Their regular exhibitions are both seasonal and thematic and always worth visiting…

White Swan Hotel
Halifax
Hotel
White Swan Hotel

The White Swan Hotel offers an ideal location for those looking to explore West Yorkshire – its arts and culture, and its shopping.

Grayston Unity
Halifax
Café or Coffee Shop
Grayston Unity

The bar itself is small but you’ll find it a friendly place where you can get a lovely drink in a unique setting.

What's on: Families

A Lotherton Summer Holiday image of a child reaching for bunting
Until
Activity
A Lotherton Summer Holiday

Enjoy all things summer at Lotherton this school holiday. With six weeks of summer fun, including a whole host of children’s entertainment, sand pit, tractor trailer rides*, crafts, activities and

From £0.00
Summer at Aviva Studios
Until
ActivityManchester
Summer at Aviva Studios

From global dance and live music to storytelling, skateboarding and football, get ready for a dream summer on the banks of the River Irwell.

Free entry

Culture Guides

Detail of an abstract sculpture, with burned materials and rusty chicken wire at the centre, with rusted metal bars bent around it.
Exhibitions in the North

Chocolate fountains, beautiful batiks and medieval marginalia - this month's supersized Exhibitions Guide has it all.

Literature Events in the North

The autumn leaves might be falling already, but the harvest is plentiful as the live literature scene gets back into the swing of things after a summer break...

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

This season’s theatre is gloriously eclectic: from radical cabaret and reinvented classics to new musicals and boundary-pushing performance.

Cinema in the North

This month we recommend a season of Film noir, cult Australian movies and a huge celebration of DIY community cinema.