Bringing Motion to Life: Girls in STEM Explore Zoetropes and Creativity

What an amazing Girls in STEM Club session this week at the Discovery Science and Technology Centre!

The girls were fortunate to be joined by a fantastic team of curators from the Bendigo Art Gallery, Lina, Loren, and Narelle, who brought creativity and science together in an inspiring hands-on workshop.  The focus of the session was motion, specifically, the fascinating world of stroboscopic effects and zoetropes.

Drawing inspiration from kinetic artist Alex Saxon, whose sculptures move through wind, gravity, or applied force, the girls were challenged to recreate similar effects using LEGO.  They explored how rotating displays, when viewed under intermittent light, can create the illusion of movement.

Lina introduced the principles behind zoetropes, explaining how a simple sequence of small changes can tell a compelling story.  Using cylinders with narrow vertical slots, the girls built their own miniature scenes inside.  When spun and viewed through the slots, their creations appeared to spring to life.

Working in pairs, the girls let their imaginations run wild.  From a dramatic shark-versus-crab battle to a garden growing before your eyes, and even expressive moving figures, each story was unique and inventive.

Throughout the session, they experimented, tested, and refined their designs under the guidance of the team from the Art Gallery, learning through trial and error what worked best.  The results were a wonderful blend of creativity, problem-solving, and scientific discovery.  The parents were in owe about their girls’ creations.

A truly engaging and inspiring experience for all involved!

And they even found time to add a few more bricks to the large display in the LEGO exhibition, which now clearly appears as a butterfly.