Scribble - Science & Art Workshop

Scribble comes to Guildhall Square on Friday 18 September, a collaboration between Skate Southampton and John Hansard Gallery that looks at the maths behind skateboarding. For the day, they're turning the square into a skaters' haven and installing steel sculptures inspired by mathematical concepts, which add a new dimension to the jump and grind of the boards.

It's not just for watching from the sidelines, either. You can catch live skating demonstrations and get a proper look at the shapes and angles needed to land tricks. The whole thing is about seeing how the geometry of a ramp or the angle of a rail actually works in practice, rather than just hearing about it in a classroom. If you've ever wondered why a certain trick needs a specific kind of ledge or how a skater calculates their line mid-air, this is where you'll see it played out in real time.

One of the best things about it is that you don't need any experience with skating or maths to get something out of it. You can just hang around the square and watch the session, or lean in and follow the logic of the tricks as they happen. It's as much about the sport as it is about the science, and the two sit side by side rather than one explaining the other.

It's a collaboration between Skate Southampton and John Hansard Gallery, and it all happens in Guildhall Square on 18 September. If you're in the city that day, it's a good one to drop by.