Have you ever considered who decides what is cool, appealing, fashionable, undesirable, threatening or healthy? We consume the media for knowledge and entertainment but do we ever stop and think how that consumption shapes what we get to know and like and what we don't? Join Samantha Allen to explore notions of beauty, heritage and 'the savage' to understand why we often think the way we do.
In this talk we discuss the history of the Dandy, its relevance to fashion, arts, drag and theatre today and how we might learn from this playful archetype to further embody our own inner Dandy.
In this talk we delve into a world where the outlandish is ordinary and the ordinary seems outlandish, of clowns and comics, dancers and dreamers, of performance just below street level or in a tucked away attic up many flights of seemingly endless stairs. Join us as we discuss who what where when how and why is Cabaret.
Join us as we explore the occult subcultures of the fin de siecle and uncover their stories. We will talk about their symbolism and rituals in the context of historical coloniality and militarism.
The use of smartphones is a modern phenomenon reflecting our attitude towards consumption, technology and cultural change. Starting with a general observation of cultural change in terms of consumption in China, this talk then takes the use of smartphones as an example, to share original perspectives deriving from a global and comparative research project.
In the last of his talks on the Devil, author and occult historian Gavin Baddeley brings us bang up to date, detailing the part played by the Prince of Darkness in the crises we currently face. From the Second World War to Satanic Panic to September 11th and war in Ukraine - we will explore the role of Devil in 20th century.
In our third talk on the history of the Devil, we examine the role the outwardly demonic played in this Age of Empire, with a particular focus on the English. Empire is now synonymous in many minds with Evil. So too, increasingly, is the intellectual movement known as the Enlightenment...
In the second of his talks on the Devil, Gavin Baddeley discusses the post-medieval period. Europe was convulsed with barbaric violence. Countless people were brutalised and often burnt alive during ‘the Witch Craze’. In our talk, Gavin focuses on the oft overlooked Satanic aspect of the phenomenon, before examining some of the other colourful individuals accused of being in league with Lucifer.
Using texts and sources spanning across literature, drama and contemporary politics, in this talk we explore the importance of Astrology to the Renaissance World View and what implications it may have for our own renewed interest in astrology.
Join cult film expert and trash movie aficionado Gavin Baddeley, as he beckons us to venture past the tinsel of Tinseltown, to investigate the dark underbelly of Hollywood’s obsession with Christmas, unwrapping the forgotten films that put the X-Rated into Xmas and the ho ho ho into horror?
