s of now, our Calgary is most famous for the Calgary Stampede. It’s “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth”- complete with fireworks, stage performances, you name it, the Calgary Stampede is hands down one of the most looked forward to events in this city. It’s a shame it couldn’t last longer, or there isn’t another show that measures up… But wait, there is now!
Although it’s a young event, Beakerhead is among stunning shows and festivals such as the Calgary Stampede, Globalfest, and the YYC Food Truck Festival, and it’s rapidly expanding in popularity. Beakerhead is a week-long festival in September, where famous performers, musicians and inventors congregate to show off the best of what they can do for the public- you! I’m not gonna lie when I say it’s pretty cool- after all, it’s the first event that combines science, art, and engineering in a showstopping blend. We are very fortunate to have it held here in our hometown.
Here are some photos from last year:
Now I could go on about the wonders of this celebration, but with the help of my past boss, YAA Program Coordinator Clea ( If you’re reading this Clea, thank you for all you’ve done!), I got the idea of interviewing a creator of Beakerhead! Which is how I had the amazing opportunity to speak to Mr. Jay Ingram, co-founder of Beakerhead. But first, you should know. Mr. Ingram isn’t just the co-founder of Beakerhead. If you think that name sounds familiar, maybe you’ve watched Daily Planet on the Discovery Channel, which he hosted. Or read OWL Magazine when you were younger, in which he wrote articles. Jay has a huge cabinet of accomplishments and milestones, so you can imagine I was pretty excited when I had the chance to interview him, although we only had time to focus on Beakerhead.
Jay Ingram and Mary Anne Moser, the founders of Beakerhead
How did you come up with the idea of Beakerhead and why did you decide to create it?
As I mentioned before, Mr. Ingram actually co-founded this festival, with cohort Mary Anne Moser. They decided to create Beakerhead because they realized that nothing of it’s sort really existed. There was nothing that really combined arts and science, so that is exactly why they decided to create Beakerhead.
Is there a reason why you named this event “Beakerhead”?
Beakerhead is possibly the most innovative name I’ve heard for anything, so I was dying to know what compelled it’s creators to give it that name, Originally, it turns out that Ms. Mary Anne Moser had two ideas for the name of the event. The first of those two ideas was “Robertson”, which is the name of a Canadian screwdriver. The second, if you couldn’t guess, was “Beakerhead”. According to Jay, that name just came out of nowhere- but it was a very neat word to say the least. Out of either Robertson or Beakerhead, Beakerhead was the more enigmatic of the two. And there you have it! Beakerhead. Right now, I can’t imagine it being called anything else. If you ask me, it suits the event perfectly because both the name and the festival are fun and creative.
Which component are you most looking forward to this year and which would you recommend to the youth of Calgary?
Mr. Ingram could not give a single answer for this question. And who can blame him- how is one supposed to choose a favourite from a plethora of amazing and completely different events? There are approximately 60 events and workshops (holy smokes), so one is bound to catch your own personal interest. I couldn’t possibly name everything, so check out the program guide for everything you need to know. However, Mr. Ingram was able to recommend one particular event. On the opening night of Beakerhead, which by the way is held in the world’s largest sandbox, there will be a stunning light show on the history of the Universe. For all you space, science, sound maniacs, or anyone who’s looking for a good show, check out the Rock and Roll history of Space Exploration. This event will take you through the journey of how the Universe was created, more than complete with sound and visual effects. Who’s presenting it? Mr. Jay Ingram himself- he’ll be speaking with a band playing in the background. There are also going to be two astronauts there, along with a member of the Wu-Tang Clan, and stories from Clara Venice. At the end of the night, the festival turns in to a dance party! Sounds out of this world.. (hahaha)
Some other highlights of #Beakerhead2015 include the Science of Coffee and Catapult Competition.
How many hours and people are involved with the preparations?
Beakerhead is a huge, huge event, and it lasts for a week, so I cannot begin to think of the amount of hard work poured in to it. But in this case especially, hard work will most certainly pay off. According to Mr. Ingram, one can not even count the hours contributed to this event. The amazing thing is, though, that there are really only 5 employees. Imagine doing that for a job- working all day for 15 hours. I know that I for one am excited to enjoy these individuals’ very hard work. Of course, these 5 employees couldn’t have prepared such a fantastic show without help. There are many, many volunteers who’ve also filled their days with Beakerhead preparations, and that’s not even counting the performers and engineers.
What do you hope will come out of the Beakerhead experience?
Mr. Ingram hopes that out of the Beakerhead experience, many things will be gained. Beakerhead is hoping to entertain people (which it most certainly will) and attract even more people to come. He wants one of the first and foremost things that people realize to be that there is a lot of engineering and science in art, and a lot of art in engineering and science. When people think of either art of engineering, they view them as single-minded concepts – either one or the other. But that could not be more wrong. There is no such thing as only being an engineer, or only being an artist – in everything, there is everything else. Beakerhead is hoping to inspire a creativity in art and science that usually goes unseen. If you attend Beakerhead, you will discover that engineering is so much more than just building, if you are an engineer, you can be more than a builder. You are a designer, a creator, and an artist. Mr. Ingram then brought up a very good point, and I could not agree more. Streaming students and young people in to either a technical path or an artistic path is useless and limiting. When you have skills in both areas, you should not have to cut out one side to forget about one part of you, just to focus on the other. Beakerhead aims to inspire you to see the combination of art, science, and engineering as one, in which you can truly have a good time.
What do you see in the future for Beakerhead?
Compared to other events, Beakerhead is still a baby, and I was curious to see how it’s going to grow up. Beakerhead is definitely going to be around for a long time and right now, the planners are thinking long term. They aim to continue to expand Beakerhead and eventually they want public awareness on a worldwide focus, and not just in the province. Hopefully one day when tourists think of attractions in Calgary, Beakerhead will be right alongside the Calgary Stampede, Sled Island, or Calgary Folk Festival.
If you had to sum up everything that Beakerhead is one word, which word would you use?
“Spectacle.” It’s hard to put it in one word because it’s an unfamiliar concept that people haven’t seen before.
What do you think is the most effective way of getting young people interested in the sciences?
There is no denying that especially in our era, science is one of the most important concepts. In order to promote awareness of it amongst youth (us), you’ve got to break down the barriers? How do you do this? By finding out what people care about – music, sports, and social life, and then relating to them. The thing is, those concepts are what the human experience is about. Science stands a bit outside that of those. You see, in school when you learn about science in facts and equations, that poses a problem. Students get the idea that science is all about the logistics, but it is so much more than that. In fact, if people got to know renowned scientists and engineers, they would find out that they aren’t just equation solving geniuses, they are just like the rest of us.
I noticed that you’ve written a number of science related books. Is there any one book that you’d especially recommend for the youth of Calgary to read?
“The Ultimate Book of Everyday Science”.
You are a role model for many people. Is there an individual who has inspired you or who you look up to yourself?
I had to ask him this question, because it always puzzles me. Do people who are role models have role models themselves? It turns out that although Mr. Ingram does not have a specific person who he looks up to, he does admire certain individuals. The type of people whom he admires most are those who break down barriers and try things no one else has tried, which is essentially what Beakerhead is doing now. For example, Mr. Ingram states, Elon Musk, Elon invented Tesla Motors, a new and unheard of idea. In essence, he admires those who take ordinary ideas and tweak them into completely different things.
And that concludes this q&A with Jay Ingram! Thank you again Jay for giving YAA the pleasure of meeting you, though briefly.
All of you should check out Beakerhead on at least one of the days- it will be a memory you won’t forget soon. Follow Beakerhead on twitter and Facebook!
P.S. Beakerhead is mostly free of cost!