Latitude 2017: Come the Revolution

Latitude’s Wellcome Trust programme has grown in ambition, specificity and reach. Using what we have learnt from last year we have honed our objectives. We want to present science in a way that has specific relevance for the audience. We aim to achieve better health outcomes by encouraging audiences to embrace new research and increase understanding of themselves and the science of why and how. We want to make it ‘personal’ and easy to embrace the format and idea behind the science. We will be testing new ways of engaging people through theatrical and discursive formats.

Our 2016 evaluation showed greater scope to position science as part of our mainstream cultural programme for changing ideas, environments and how audiences access this information. It also helped us better understand 16-25 year-olds and their motivations for attending, which formats engaged them and their perception of science. In 2017 we will use our learning to design health-related science events specifically for this audience.

Through direct engagement with our audience, scientists have the opportunity to learn directly about the awareness and impact of their work, informing their research and setting up possible artist collaborators and future public engagement.