GRAVESEND

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

Welcome

The Past and Future always meet in the Present

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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.

Business Studies Master students from the University of Sheffield visited Gravesend and were fascinated by the Fourth Portal.

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FOURTH PORTAL - Creating Memories
Beautiful way to finish a Friday, kids and Granddad trying to find the badges on the stained glass

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The famous Neil, founder of one of the oldest online blogs covering the history of South East London, Transpontine.

South East London blogzine - things that are happening, things that happened, things that should never have happened. New Cross, Brockley, Deptford and other beauty spots. EMAIL US: transpontineblog at gmail.com Transpontine: 'on the other (i.e. the south) side of the bridges over the Thames; pertaining to or like the lurid melodrama played in theatres there in the 19th century'.

Darren brought Jack and Jasmine from Jasmine to enjoy the fair and see the Fourth Portal. The children decided to spend more time in the Fourth Portal :)

Tony was Chief Papermaker at the Empire papermaking factory in Greenhithe and provided a great lowdown on the entire paper and print factory set up from Northfleet to Dartford. He will become part of our print industry series of events.

Yunus, Aliyah, Abdul found the Fourth Portal amazing and Addul bought himself the Compact Etymological Dictionary from our bookshelf, which will prove useful when he starts Oxford studying Classics.

In comes Luna, pushing her pram all alone. She parked her pram and went upstairs to chill with a book on the bed. Mum and Nan arrive to say Luna decided she wanted to return to the Fourth Portal

Tia, Ellise, Olivia, Chloe, Nula, Jorja and Dylan are a growing band of teenagers returning to the Fourth Portal.

Chello player Clementine and daughter Camden are becoming regulars to the Fourth Portal and were fascinated by the pipe organ.

Gravesend fire eater Rebecca, who is off to Glastonbury to perform, stumbled on the Fourth Portal with local creative Jasmin who styles hair in the town. They both embraced the concept and the vibe before enjoying our CBD drinks sitting by the beach.

Darren took a few visits before finally deciding that the Kingfisher print by artist Kevin Gavaghan was certainly for his living room wall.

Curator of the Homage to the Homebrew Computer Club, Mark Gladwell, along with fellow enthusiasts Jon and Claudia and a busy room.

Fourth Portal engineer Graham explained the 3D printed monotype tape reader he designed, its purpose and how it will extract data using a mobile phone from punch holes to Ben and Sam.

Tess immediately began dancing on seeing herself on the virtual stage in the Fourth Portal Lucia House. On hearing the gramophone she danced in circles for the entire record.

Mo and Barry, who chaffaurs the Gravesend mayor had a good morning in the Fourth Portal, enjoying the coffee and Dawn Cole's work.

Franco Teez and Zoe loved the gramophone and everything about the Fourth Portal. Memories triggered the links to the future were apparent.

Photo captures the Fourth Portal really becoming a place where the generations just begin to talk.

Auto Engineer, Colín returned with a story from his time on the Thames and that of his father, a tugboat pilot. Possibility of Colin becoming involved with one of our emerging projects.

Badges, computer games, books and everything of intrigue were in the family frame of reference.

Ian and Harriet were in Gravesend for a wedding and spent a good chunk of the afternoon in the Fourth Portal. The Lindisfarne album had the now lost view of Newcastle from their home window of the riverfront.

It is not difficult to really begin liking people in Gravesend when people come in with such positive energy.

Chris, Lauren and Tonto live locally with Chris' parents Susanna and Stephen, visitors from Hong Kong. Lauren loved the idea of there being a refill station so close to home, having had the Fourth Portal recommended by Päivi from LV21. All found the place cool, particularly Tonto, who enjoyed the chews.

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.

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.

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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.