Tangle is a thought-provoking and peaceful drop-in activity that allows anybody to participate creatively while also reflecting on their own lives. Each person’s contribution builds into a single textile sculpture that brings to life scientists’ research into lifelong health and ageing. The project was developed by Einstein’s Garden in collaboration with scientists from UCL, and made its debut at Green Man 2017. This September it will feature at Harvest Stomp 2018, a free event to see the summer out in style with activities and fun for all the family in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London on 23rd September between midday and 6pm. Find Tangle just outside the Timber Lodge Café, near the play area.

Everything that goes into your life is important – what you eat, where you grow up, who your friends are, your education and all the tiny details. These threads of our lives intertwine and lead to different outcomes for health and ageing. This activity will allow you to create your own life course thread, before weaving it into the growing sculpture. By untangle the threads of people’s lives, scientists can understand more about living a long, happy and healthy life.

As you use different colours of yarn to make your own personal lifecourse thread, you can chat to researchers from UCL who work on understanding the factors that influence healthy ageing, using data from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development, the first British birth cohort study.

Tangle is supported by Wellcome as part of a three-year award experimenting with new approaches to creative science engagement. It was first presented in Einstein’s Garden at Green Man 2017, and is produced by Einstein’s Garden in collaboration with UCL scientists. Discover the full story on our Projects page: