Upcoming Talks & Debates
Ethical Matters:
The Burnout Paradox: Breaking Free
Ethical Matters:
The Burnout Paradox: Breaking Free
Burnout is said to be the defining feeling of the post-pandemic world - but why are we all so exhausted? Burnout coach Anna Katherina Schaffner brings together science, medicine, literature and philosophy to explore the causes and history of exhaustion and burnout, revealing new ways to combat stress and negativity.
Brockway Room | Virtual event
Ethical Matters:
A Secret History of Thinking on Paper
Ethical Matters:
A Secret History of Thinking on Paper
Diaries and notebooks have become dependable and versatile tools for creative thinking and recording everyday life and ideas. Irving Finkel, founder of Great Diary Project and Roland Allen, author of The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper discuss the history and importance of putting it down on paper.
Brockway Room | Virtual event
Gresham College:
Touching the Sun
Gresham College:
Touching the Sun
Using results from NASA's Parker Solar Probe – the fastest moving human-made object ever – and ESA's Solar Orbiter, this spectacular lecture takes a new look at the mysteries of the Sun, and its effects on the Earth.
In person | No Option
Ethical Matters:
Seeing Truth in Museums
Ethical Matters:
Seeing Truth in Museums
Artist and art historian Dr Jane Wildgoose discusses the research behind Seeing Truth in Museums, exploring the colonial legacies of museum collections and the impact of historical collecting practices. Drawing on her discoveries in museum archives, she reflects on stolen artefacts, racial science, and intergenerational trauma, and how these themes shape her artistic practice.
Brockway Room | Virtual event
Seeing Truth in Museums Conference
Seeing Truth in Museums Conference
This half-day conference brings together artists, curators, and Indigenous knowledge holders to critically examine the colonial legacies of museum collections. British artist and art historian Dr Jane Wildgoose and Tasmanian Aboriginal artist Janice Ross will lead discussions on how museums can address the violent and coercive histories behind many collections, tackle intergenerational trauma, and advocate for truth, reconnection, and reparation.
Brockway Room | No Option
Ethical Matters:
Why Optimism Wins
Ethical Matters:
Why Optimism Wins
Sumit Paul-Choudhury makes a vital argument: that optimism, irrational though it might be, is central to the human psyche: it seems to give us an advantage in everyday life and in the evolutionary race. And it will play a critical role in overcoming the challenges of the twenty-first century.
Brockway Room | Virtual event
Ethical Matters:
Mavericks: Lessons from History’s Most Extraordinary Misfits
Ethical Matters:
Mavericks: Lessons from History’s Most Extraordinary Misfits
TikTok historian J Draper digs out unusual stories of individuals that have shaped the world, and discovers the lessons their unique experiences can teach us. Meet William Buckland, who wrote the first account of a dinosaur, Peter the Wild Boy and Eleanor Rykener – a gender-bending sex worker from medieval England.
Brockway Room | Virtual event
Sexpectations:
Redefining Consent, Work and Rights
Sexpectations:
Redefining Consent, Work and Rights
Sex work takes place in the darker corners of society whilst taking up a garish place in the public imagination. We host former sex-worker and campaigner Elizabeth G, and Stacey Clare , joint-founder of the East London Stripper Collective, to discuss sex work and fighting for the rights of those involved.
Brockway Room | Virtual event
Adventures In The Electroverse: The Story
Adventures In The Electroverse: The Story
Join Martyn Ware, founding member of The Human League and Heaven 17, in conversation with Holly Elson, Head of Programmes at Conway Hall, as they discuss the story behind his Adventures in the Electroverse exhibition.
Brockway Room | Virtual event
Ethical Matters:
The Power of Sound: Creating a Better Future
Ethical Matters:
The Power of Sound: Creating a Better Future
To close the Adventures in the Electroverse series, Martyn Ware, electronic music pioneer, will be in conversation with Cherub Sanson, a leading sound healer and sound artist, to explore how music and sound can drive positive change.
Brockway Room | Virtual event
Sexpectations:
Single and Thriving
Sexpectations:
Single and Thriving
Being single can offer freedom, self-discovery and self-determination. Nicola Slawson explores being un-partnered in a world designed for couples, and how to find the joy in the life that you are already living. She keenly celebrates the opportunities of being single.
In person | In person
Sexpectations:
Messy Modern Love
Sexpectations:
Messy Modern Love
During lockdown people shared their confessions of messy love with Philippa Found. It became a counterpoint to the stigma around love stories, standing against the shame we carry with our love. They tell us something radical: your darkest secrets, your most repulsively shameful thoughts, feelings, and behaviours: you’re not alone.
Brockway Room | Virtual event
Gresham College:
The Biggest Cosmic Map
Gresham College:
The Biggest Cosmic Map
Asteroids were for years considered 'celestial vermin' – objects which got in the way of more interesting fodder for astronomers. Now, they are central to our Solar System's story, the building blocks from which planets are made, and capable of telling us the history of the last five billion years.
In person | No Option
Ethical Matters:
The Spirituality Gap: Searching for Meaning in a Secular Age
Ethical Matters:
The Spirituality Gap: Searching for Meaning in a Secular Age
At a time when more and more people in the Western world are moving away from organised religion, what does spirituality look like? Abi Millar explores our post-religious world and asks ‘can we embrace ritual in our own lives even if we are wary of religion?'
Brockway Room | Virtual event
Ethical Matters:
Women and the Far Right
Ethical Matters:
Women and the Far Right
We are in a new age of self-radicalising, right-wing extremists planning violence against society. As the far right gains popularity and acceptance, its ranks have swelled with an unlikely category of members: women. Lois Shearing and Lizzie Dearden discuss their researches in to the dangers of the rising far-right.
Brockway Room | Virtual event
Ethical Matters:
The Empathy Fix
Ethical Matters:
The Empathy Fix
Keetie Roelen provides readers with the tools to relate to poverty, realise why current interventions often don’t work, and to respond to the situation in a way that gives everyone a sense of dignity and agency. Through empathy, we can all contribute to a more equal society.
Brockway Room | Virtual event
Gresham College:
The LGBT+ Showstopper: ‘I Am What I Am’
Gresham College:
The LGBT+ Showstopper: ‘I Am What I Am’
Join Professor Dominic Broomfield-McHugh, Gresham Visiting Professor of Film and Theatre Music, in exploring Jerry Herman's I Am What I Am as a broadway musical piece and its resurgence as a gay anthem during the AIDS crisis.
In person | No Option
Gresham College:
Asteroid Adventures
Gresham College:
Asteroid Adventures
This lecture considers two missions – Lucy, which flies past asteroid DonaldJohanson in April 2025, and OSIRIS-ReX, which recently returned from the threateningly near-Earth asteroid Bennu carrying samples of this unusual world.
In person | No Option
