As part of Metal’s Village Green, The MediaShed presents The Eco-Media Open Day featuring: The Internet vs. Pigeons Race; Human Telephone Lines; A Requiem for Cod; an Olympics of Lobbing, Shouting and Whistling :: September 27, 2008; 12 – 4 pm :: Chalkwell Park, Chalkwell Avenue, Southend-on-Sea.

An afternoon of fun experiments to see how we can combine “natural media” with “man made media”. We will be linking together ecology, human bodies and other gadgets to devise ingenious methods of communication inspired by natures own systems of signals, warnings and imprints. Taking inspiration from early media like shouting, carrier pigeons, throwing and the message-in-a-bottle, we will try to turn the ecology of Chalkwell Park into a living switchboard!

THE GREAT INTERNET VS. PIGEONS RACE with Derek Shaw from SoSLUG and the Leigh Pigeon Club: We will be releasing pigeons throughout the afternoon and timing their flight home against the speed of an internet message sent to the same “address”. The person who picks the fastest bird every hour will win a prize. Including demonstration of a wartime message carrier.

THE HUMAN TELEPHONE LINE: In a recreation of an early experiment by Alexander Graham Bell, we will show how you can make a phone call through a chain of human bodies!

A REQUIEM FOR COD with Dr Matthew Fuller: Short Film. A 1971 sound recording of cod breeding is played under water to young codlings as they enter the Thames Estuary.

THE NATURAL MEDIA OLYMPICS: As part of the Cultural Olympiad we are organising 3 track events to find out which “natural” form of media can transmit messages the furthest:

Shouting: How far can you shout a message and still be understood?

Lobbing: Can you throw a message further then you can shout?

Whistling: Inspired by “El Silbo”, the official whistling language of the Canary Islands which can carry for 3km. We will test to see who can whistle the furthest.

…and much, much more!