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The Reading Festival of Weather, Art and Music launches today
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Reading Festival of Weather, Art and Music

By Paul Cassell
February 02, 2012

Science and art will collide in an exciting new festival to hit the town this summer.

WAM – the Reading Festival of Weather, Art and Music – will form part of the town’s celebrations to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and run from June 1 to 3.

Mayor of Reading Councillor Deborah Edwards will launch the event at Reading Town Hall today – and the festival promises a fascinating mix of events for young and old to enjoy.

It is being run by West Reading musician Pierrette Thomet in partnership with The University of Reading, the Met Office, the Royal Meteorological Society in Oxford Road, West Reading, and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts in Shinfield.

The festival looks to draw on town’s position as a centre for weather and climate research and showcase its rich musical and artistic talent.

Four events will take place at the festival which will be held at Forbury Gardens and Reading Town Hall – WAM Music, WAM Art, The Weather Fair and The Weather Factory.

From Friday to Sunday festival-goers will be able to enjoy WAM Music, a prestigious gala recital by Royal Academy of Music soprano Alison Pearce and another with a scientific difference by WAM director Pierrette, who will use cutting-edge sonic arts installations.

The event will finish with a Big Jubilee Picnic on the Sunday.

WAM Art on the Saturday and Sunday will feature weather-inspired work by Reading artist Julia Rogers.

On Saturday, people will have the chance to present their own weather forecast, take part in weather experiments, observe a professional weather station and marvel at a tornado generator when the Natural History Museum’s OPAL (Open Air Laboratories) Weather Roadshow arrives in town as part of The Weather Fair.

The fair will also see visitors able to build their own weather station at Reading Town Hall and attend talks and discussions with meteorological experts. For details visit www.wamfest.co.uk

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Most recent user comments 9 of 9

Thanks for the clarification James. I've never played at Finchampstead so I would never have guessed that!

Dong-Ding, 3rd world slum
03/02/2012 at 11:19

@Dong-Ding The ground is Finchampstead. The picture was taken by our sports photographer Eddie Greville and I chose it because of the cloud build-up and overall artistic feeling.

web editor James Ashford, Reading
02/02/2012 at 16:57

The reason I don't think it's IBIS is because I don't remember there being any space behind the sightscreens as there is in this picture. If it's the IBIS that I'm thinking of then there should be a football pitch behind those hedges but it doesn't look like there is here. Whereas Buckingham had 2 sightscreens as per the picture, a hedge along the boundary that side of the ground and their number 8 kept edging our opening bowler over the slips and under those bloody covers!

We could both obviously be wrong as there are probably quite a few grounds, as you say, that look similar to the picture. Can you confirm GetReading or is this a standard picture that's been plucked from google or somewhere?

Dong-Ding, 3rd world slum
02/02/2012 at 16:39

Ding-Dong I spose it could be a lot of grounds but there is something familiar about that beech hedge that reminds me of the swashbuckling 43 run innings I hit at Ibis in 1997?. I beleive I hit 8 boundaries off some very tricky bowling before being plumb LBW to an ancient spin bowler - happy days.

Fondue
02/02/2012 at 15:21

I didn't notice the cricketeers. I was too busy looking at that nasty black cloud looming over the field.

Arthur Mo
02/02/2012 at 12:47

Ibis play at the leisure centre complex don't they? If so then I don't think it is no, it's too open to be there. It looks very similar to Buckingham CC.

Dong-Ding, 3rd world slum
02/02/2012 at 12:14

Is that Ibis ? if so enjoyed many a criketing battle there.

Fondue
02/02/2012 at 11:09

I'd hardly say that being a centre for the biggest scam going at the moment, climate research and global warming, is a good thing. However the thing that I'm struggling to work out is why is there a picture of a cricket match in this article?