Patterns - Revealing Nature's Underlying Order and Form

'Patterns' aims to deliver a high-impact, large-scale, outdoor exhibition that will explore, through a series of glorious full-colour images and sculpture, the science of pattern formation in nature.

Launched at the end of January 2013 and running for 12 weeks, 'Patterns' be the flagship public offering of our 25th Anniversary Festivals, linking to a suite of activities across Scotland in celebration of the Scottish Government's 'Year of Natural Scotland'.

Free, open and accessible, the exhibition will provide a valuable platform for reaching new audiences. It will form a valuable part of our continued attempts to make science and technology easily accessible to those not necessarily engaged with, or targeted by, most traditional science communication activity.

Curated from a selection of world-class collections, a selection of up to 45 images and a number of specially chosen sculptural works will reveal some of the myriad of eye-popping visual formations that colour and pattern our world and will explain the role that the laws of maths and physics - the forces of nature - play in the manifestation of this astonishing order and regularity.

From the patterns on a butterfly's wings, to the windblown ripples of desert sand, the allure of snowflakes and crystals, and the spirals of galaxies, our world is full of beauty, symmetry and complexity. Science and technology can not only explain WHY this is the case but can - through the use of cutting-edge imagery techniques - also reveal these patterns in all their glory.

Choosing a number of these general themes, 'Patterns' will:
- Provide a beautiful and arresting visual demonstration of nature's underlying order.
- Reveal how mathematical and geometric principles act as a kind of pattern book from which nature constructs complex and sophisticated structures.
- Demystify the exciting secrets of just how patterns come into being; how the repetition of simple rules leads to the formation of some of nature's most intriguing
patterns in both living and non-living system.
- Showcase the work of artists/photographers whose work is inspired by nature's underlying structure and form.
- Demonstrate the vital role that science and technology play in making these patterns visible and explaining their genesis.

2013 is the Year of Natural Scotland and Edinburgh International Science Festival aims to tie this event to that overarching national objective to promote public interest and engagement in nature in science to align with a growing awareness and enthusiasm for the Natural Scotland agenda.

Now in its 5th year, the outdoor science exhibition is undoubtedly the most successful feature of the Festival programme in terms of widening public engagement and attracting the highest numbers of the general public from a broad demographic. In 2012 we had over 140,000 visitors and evaluation and appreciative enquiry indicated that the exhibition had clearly contributed to raising awareness of the relevance and importance of science.

Media coverage (examples attached) indicated that Edinburgh International Science Festival had produced an 'awe inspiring exhibition' which was 'thought provoking, educational, informative and visually stunning'. As a highlight of the Festival each year, the exhibition forms a key element of our marketing and promotional strategy.
Through logo accreditation within the Science Festival programme, website, signage and sponsorship, we would raise awareness of STFC amongst the widest public audience. We have a particularly good profile amongst, for example:-

- Science and technology firms;
- Power and energy firms;
- Academia;
- Research councils
- Heads of science, engineering and technology departments;
- Scottish Government and their strategic partners;
- Research Councils and learning societies and
- Eminent leaders, ambassadors and advocates in in the fields of environmental science, conservation, energy and climate change.

These agencies and individuals generally have an interest and strategic alignment with STFC - extensive opportunities for networking and dissemination are created through participation in Science Festival events. This is a growing feature of our adult programme.

The Science Festival is an active member of the UK science communication network, and participates in discussions and the sharing of ideas with our peers in an on-going capacity. We will receive visits from both UK and international delegations while 'Patterns in Nature' is on, and it will be a flagship and showcase event.

The exhibition will also be promoted and made available to other science and technology events during 2013, thus increasing capacity for further awareness raising and dissemination.