◼️ Tom⇒maths: 2026

Maths at the Big Bang Fair: Everywhere and Nowhere

I've just got back from 2026's Big Bang Fair at the NEC in Birmingham, having last attended in 2024. On both occasions my attendance was as a volunteer for an organisation whose name I won't mention here because I want it to be clear that these are my thoughts rather than theirs. This year, I left feeling thoughtful. In contrast, my experience in 2024 left me frustrated enough to decline an invitation to return in 2025. To introduce the source of that frustration, I invite you to play a game of 'spot the difference':

Side-by-side comparison of two Big Bang Fair promotional lanyards, labelled “2024” and “2026” in large purple text. Both feature the same pale blue design with a smiling young woman in a turquoise shirt with oversized white polka dots, looking upwards with an expression of excitement. The main slogan reads “REDEFINE THE FUTURE WITH…”, but the wording beneath has changed: the 2024 version says “Science, Engineering & Technology”, while the 2026 version says “Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths”. Aside from minor layout adjustments and a thumb partly covering the top edge of the 2026 lanyard, the designs are nearly identical. The image highlights a shift from the familiar STEM expansion of “Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths” to the less common ordering used in the earlier version.

Spot the difference: lanyards from The Big Bang Fair 2024 (left) and 2026 (right)

The return of the "M" to Big Bang's branding was encouraging. But after three days at the fair, I came away wondering whether mathematics had really returned in any meaningful sense. Maths was everywhere at the event, yet almost nowhere was it recognised as maths.

Book Review: Dreams of Amarna by Rachel Mary Wright - Craft, Creativity & Archaeology

In this review of Dreams of Amarna by Rachel Mary Wright, I explore how an art-based creative journey intersects with themes of archaeology, textile art, and unexpected mathematical thinking. This post offers both a personal reflection on the book and key takeaways for readers interested in creative process, history, and cultural exploration.

Introducing Dreams of Amarna

Unusually amongst books that get reviewed on this blog, Dreams of Amarna is not a maths book. Of course, it's difficult to see anything as entirely 'not-maths', but this 170-odd page, full-colour, hardback tale of embroidery is about as far outside my usual comfort-zone as it's possible to get.