Join us to explore the celebratory history and purpose of a Caribbean Carnival to understand its combination of Trinidadian roots, African traditions and Jamaican sound system culture and how it came to symbolise freedom in the face of oppression for the Afro Caribbean community in West London’s Notting Hill carnival.
As we discuss all aspects of freedom, this event aims to open up a conversation about hierarchy, order, authority and discipline as an essential part of a functioning society. We will study Japanese social structure as an example of such a model.
We will look at artists who use their art to hold a mirror to society and expose problems or issues around them. Join art historian Bojana Popovic as she takes us on a journey exploring works by Ai Weiwei, Kahinde Wiley, Kara Walker, Banksy and others.
The multi coloured world of cabaret is a vast spectrum of performance, incorporating visual arts, comedy, music, dance, strip tease, the list is seemingly endless. Join us as we discuss who what where when how and why is Cabaret.
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.
Scheduled to coincide with the major Frieze Art Fair in London, join Contemporary Art Specialist Bojana Popovic, to learn more about what makes some art works worth millions. In this lecture we will explore what makes an artwork valuable and what set of guidelines to look out for when buying art, whatever the price range.
The 20th century dawned and light penetrated occult circles that had previously remained a well guarded secret in the form of daring new initiates ready to break open the boundaries between this world and the next. Join us as we explore the occult subcultures of the fin de siecle and uncover their stories.
To celebrate International Day of Peace, we will focus on some of the features of both Western and Gandhian ways of carrying out peacemaking. This will give us greater understanding on the range of perspectives of peacebuilding.
We will explore ideas of beauty as intellectual endeavors through mastery of Geisha and see how Japanese aesthetics and consumption of arts relate to everyday life: tea ceremonies, creation of flower arrangements, playing musical instruments, traditional singing and declamation, classic Japanese dancing, etiquette and deportment, the art of donning a kimono.
Japanese philosophy Yasuragi teaches us to take a moment and be present, to notice wonders we are surrounded with. Join our talk on Japanese philosophy Yasuragi and explore Haiku poems as a way to find harmony and peace.
