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GRAVESEND

Fourth Portal at St Andrew's, Royal Pier Road, Gravesend, DA12 2BD

Welcome

The Past and Future always meet in the Present

Gravesend Innovation Showcase 2024 [Official] SMALL JM Logo Black 20November2024.jpg

View all Innovation Showcase 2024 events at a glance

Showcase List Glance
EVENT
LOCATION
EVENT START TIME
INTRODUCTION
The Laserium
2. St George's Church Hall
19:00
Transforming Sound Into Light A fully immersive 800 laser experience with music by Funki Porcini.
Meet Mechanismo - Engaging and Playful Robots
1-2, 14, 17 Popping Up
11:00
The Mechanismo team will be demonstrating their troupe of joyful robots that incorporate advanced sensing technology, four-wheel drive, and expressive movements.
Your Opinion On AI
4. Julius Caesar Italian
11:00
Come and tell Dr. Glenn McGarry what you really think about AI, do you feel included in the discussion? What do you want to see happen? Do a vox pop about the future!
The Bell Agency
13. House of Lelya
15:00 & 17:00
The Bell Agency opens out into a mesmerising slow motion sound world. Somewhere between performance and unfolding realisation, led by Charles Hayward.
Drum Machine
14. The Grand GYG
18:00
Charles Hayward is an English drummer/singer/composer and a founding member of the experimental rock group This Heat. Charles will invite people to join him for 5 minute drumming sessions.
Polaroid Exhibition
9. Gravesend Library
11:00
Polaroids photos exhibition from the Saturday 16 Nov workshop using Instax ‘Polaroid’ cameras to explore and photograph urban spaces.
Green Yonder - Sustainable Design Futures
2. St George's Church Hall
10:00
Playful, assessable and interactive devices to raise awareness of the complex sustainability issues resulting from society’s increasing adoption of emerging technologies like AI and ‘smart’ Internet of Things.
Doraraathara
14. The Grand GYG
18:00
Doraraathara is a live performance blending generative art, spoken word, and technology to explore creativity in the digital age, followed by a Q&A with creators, Jennifer Bell & Kristian Jones.
Nodevember
Across Town Centre
1 November
Nodevember is a global challenge to learn, share, and connect through procedural programming with tools like Blender. Running throughout November as part of the Innovation Showcase – join in!
Large Language
14. The Grand GYG
16:00
Gravesend's spoken word community welcomes the general public to explore the interactions between poetry and A.I. Watch, perform, or have your say!
How to do VFX
14. The Grand GYG
19:00
Beginners guide to the tools and techniques of the VFX trade
Polaroid Workshop
FINISHED
FINISHED
A hands-on workshop, participants will use Instax ‘Polaroid’ cameras to explore and photograph urban spaces.
AI, Archaeology, Avatars and Pocahontas
1. St George's Church
13:15
Who gets to write the history of figures like Pocahontas, and how will AI and avatars, as a form of modern statues, shape these narratives? Explore who controls the stories of the past and the future.
AI Responsibility
1. St George's Church
14:00
Associate Dean for Research and Innovation in the City Law School, Professor David Townend will lead a discussion on the challenges and opportunities being presented by AI for law and the legal profession.
Wicked Avatar Problems
1. St George's Church
12:30
Untangling questions of multiculturality in visual representation.
Art of VFX 1896-2024
14. The Grand GYG
16:15
Tools and techniques to trick the audience
Fair AI Futures?
4. Julius Caesar Italian
10:30
Have your say on the future of Ai and ask what will a FAIR AI FUTURE look like at the University of Nottingham’s Innovation Showcase hub on Gravesend High Street.
Innovation in Gaming
1. St George's Church, Gravesend
11:30
Experience the world of innovation through gaming on real vintage computers, 3D modelling and AI.
Game Changing AI Future
1. St George's Church, Gravesend
16:00
Next Level: How gaming created our AI future (and why we should be excited about it) with journalist James O'Malley.
Museum of Portable Sound
9. Gravesend Library
11:15
The Museum of Portable Sound is a digital museum housed on an iPhone that explores sounds of daily life as well as the acoustic environments of London and many other cities worldwide.
Museum of Portable Sound
14. The Grand GYG
16:00
The Museum of Portable Sound is a digital museum housed on an iPhone that explores sounds of daily life as well as the acoustic environments of London and many other cities worldwide.
Debugging Craft Beer Myths
12. The Compass Alehouse
12:00, 14:00 or 15:00
Join one of The Compass Alehouse's lively tasting sessions that uncover the history, innovation, and hidden truths of the beer world.
NHS Pharmacy First Service
8. Pender Pharmacy
12:30
Pharmacist Steven Kane will discuss the expanding healthcare access through the NHS Pharmacy First Service at Gravesend’s trusted Pender Pharmacy.
Shaping Processes
10 Munns of Gravesend
13:30
How artists Naomi Boyle and Dawn Cole use innovation to adapt and personalise both traditional and new
Reclaiming Wisdom
9. Gravesend Library
12:00
Reclaiming Wisdom invites us to rethink the purpose of education, as artist and theorist, Professor John Wood advocates for a shift toward holistic learning to address biodiversity loss and the climate crisis.
Traditional Apprenticeships in the Digital Age
9. Gravesend Library
14:00
Embracing tradition in a modern world: Adapting apprenticeships and notions of work as old industries reinvent themselves.
Mini Jam with Tiny Synths
9, 15-17, Popping Up
11:00
Join producer and electronic artist, Felix X Tigersonic for one of the relaxed pop-up interactive workshops where you'll explore the world of tiny synths. No experience is needed.
Laser Cutting
3. Mug and Meeple
11:00
Introduction to laser cutting with Glenn at the team at the Mug and Meeple.
Enhancing Student Engagement
9. Gravesend Library
11:00
Enhancing Student Engagement in Remote Learning: Exploring the Acceptance of Educational Technology in Higher Education Amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic

Laserium set up at Fourth Portal Lab, Gravesend, for Funki Porcini performance, 26-28 January 2024.. 

Our beautiful chilled-out Fourth Portal, nestled by the river Thames in Gravesend, is slowly teasing out the town's innovators, creators, entrepreneurs and curious.  

The former seafarers chapel has transformed into a relaxed social space and venue introducing advanced technologies surrounded by an eclectic array of furnishings, books and retro computers. 

There are Macs free to use, fast internet, a licensed bar, coffee roasted in HMP Mount purchased directly from the growers, and much more, all under stunning stained glass windows. 

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Rethinking how materials are made, adapted and recycled will be a prominent component of the emerging technological revolution and is central to public engagement at the Fourth Portal. 

For summer and autumn 2023, the Fourth Portal Lab focused on paper before moving on to textiles for winter and spring 2024. 

Fourth Portal stimulates knowledge exchanges by bringing technology, social gathering and innovation to life.

Using specially selected objects that coalesce with local history, rich conversations have emerged, leading to collaborations and learning.