Join exhibition curator Colin Harrison and explore the development of Pre-Raphaelite drawings from the technical supremacy of Millais on the 1840’s to the bold portraits of Rossetti in the 1870’s

During a speech in 1957, Prime Minister Harold MacMillan declared “our people have never had it so good”. Now, more than half a century later, are we fundamentally any better off? Through discussion of technological advances, social changes, political reforms, and economic shocks and recessions, this panel will seek to question whether the world we currently live in is indeed a better place than it was in the 1950s.

Chaired by Professor Brian Nolan, Professor of Social Policy, the panel will consist of:

*Dr Max Roser, James Martin Fellow at The Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School
*Dr Anders Sandberg, James Martin Fellow at the Future of Humanity Institute
*Professor Robert Walker, Professor of Social Policy

A drinks reception will follow, all welcome.

Franz Schreker: Kammersymphonie (1916)
Lewis Coenen-Rowe: A Cosmic Joke (2014)
Wassily Kandinsky/Thomas de Hartmann, orch. Gunther Schuller: Der Gelbe Klang (1909)
8.00pm, Tuesday 12th and Wednesday 13th May 2015

In this multimedia collaboration, four graduate students aim to present the aesthetic strands of two early twentieth-century works and their contemporary possibilities. A staged production of Kandinsky’s colour opera Der Gelbe Klang, paired with Schreker’s Kammersymphonie and Lewis Coenen-Rowe’s A Cosmic Joke, will explore the potential of staging concert works and the affective possibilities of lighting design in music.

Der Gelbe Klang, or ‘The Yellow Sound’, is a 30-minute colour opera by Kandinsky and was first published in his almanac Der Blaue Reiter in 1911. Though plans for its performance never materialised, the work was eventually completed and performed in 1982 in conjunction with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. The opera is divided into six ‘pictures’ and is devoid of narrative or a plot: its emphasis is on movement, colour and expression.

Director: Cecilia Stinton
Lighting Designer: James Percival
Musical Director: Matthew F. Reese
Composer: Lewis Coenen-Rowe

Tickets £5.00
ticketsoxford.com
Tel. 01865 305 305

Sponsored by the St. Hilda’s College Graduate Seminar Fund

The Annual Zola Skweyiya Lecture

Do you want to learn something new?

The Knowledge Project offers affordable evening courses in exciting subjects. Our classes are taught by specialists in small, friendly groups and open to all. The coming term is set to be our busiest schedule yet, packed with new courses and some old favourites. All courses will be held in the comfortable setting of Oxford International College, taught by passionate and talented postgraduate students. As always, our proceeds will be donated to local children’s charity Jacari. You can find out more about our relationship with Jacari here.

Introduction to Contemporary Art. Thursdays 6-7.30, 14th May – 2nd July. £80

This course is for anyone who loves art (or would simply like to understand what the new Tate Modern exhibition is all about. You’ll cover: performance, feminism, land art, conceptual art, appropriation and globalisation. The course is discussion led so come with questions and opinions!

We are also offering courses in:

Introduction to Novel Writing. Mondays 6-7.30, 11th May – 29th June. £80

Our flagship course covering all the key aspects of novel writing: voice, world-making, perspective and of course endings and beginnings. No experience necessary!

What is Feminism? Tuesdays 6.30-8pm, 12th May – 30th June. £80

This fantastic new course – developed by the talented Monique Ma-Velous of Sydney University (Gender Studies) and University of Oxford (Creative Writing) – explores what it means to be a feminist in today’s world.

Creativity. Tuesdays 7-8.30, 12th May – 30th June. £80

This new and innovative course explores how creativity makes us happy, even replacing the job of therapy, and what the right creative medium is for each individual person.

Positive Psychology. Saturdays 10-11.30, 16th May – 4th July. £80

This new course looks into the popular topics of positivity and resilience. Why are some people more resilient than others and how can we increase our resilience? Why are some people more optimistic and is it possible to make ourselves happier?

Premium: Introduction to Shakespeare. Fridays 7-8.30, 14th May – 2nd July. £150
This premium course will help you to discover the world of the Bard in six discussion based classes and two outings to local plays. With the aid of a passionate postgraduate student, discover the double meanings within Shakespeare’s plays and why this playwright is still so loved today.

To enrol simply visit our website, select the course you would like to follow and fill in an enrolment form. Your space will be confirmed upon payment. Be sure to stay up to date with all of our goings on by visiting our Facebook page and feel free to contact us with any further questions.

Twenty minute introductory talk, Q&As, one hour of discussion. Free entry, no need to book, all welcome.

From Italian Pre-Renaissance paintings to English Literature and contemporary poetry, discover how the medieval world inspired the young artists of the Pre- Raphaelite Brotherhood

Having seen the election results unfold, the topic of political strategy and communication is as relevant as ever in highlighting the ways in which politicians and organisations seek to influence public opinion and shape political debate. The Oxford Forum welcomes you to the Political Strategy Panel Debate to discuss the challenges faced, and the solutions provided, in devising an effective communication strategy.
This event will be co-hosted with the PPE society and the Journal of Political and Constitutional Studies.
Following the debate, we will be having dinner with the speakers in the private dining room of Christ Church. Tickets are available to purchase at
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/oxford-forums-political-strategy-speaker-dinner-tickets-16819258856
It is an unmissable opportunity to engage more directly with the speakers!

Delivered by Astor Visiting Lecturer Dr Mary McKay, NYU

This symposium offers an innovative and exciting ‘coming together’ of language teachers and teachers of the creative arts, asking the questions:
What does creativity mean to me? What do I do about it as a teacher? Why does it matter?
It will offer exciting new ideas for teaching language through dance, poetry, art and play; and will give participants opportunities to share and try out creative teaching ideas that connect language with other ‘intelligences’.
The plenary speakers are world-class creative educators both within and beyond the TESOL profession, including Jean Clark (dance educator), John Daniel (poet), Charlie Hadfield, Jill Hadfield, Chris Lima, Alan Maley, Amos Paran, Rachel Payne (art educator), Rob Pope, Jane Spiro and Nick Swarbrick (specialist in children’s play).

Fees include gourmet Friday evening meal & Saturday tapas lunch for all delegates.

William Morris and Edward Burne- Jones developed the Pre Raphaelite’s ideals into both mystical and moral associations. Find out how these associations contributed to the Art Nouveau movement

Delivered by Professor Philippe Van Parijs, University of Louvain

Join us at the Museum of Natural History for an evening of talks and networking to celebrate the research behind our new exhibition,‘Biosense’.
The exhibition features contemporary research, including how bacteria sense their micro-world, why oxygen sensing could revolutionise human medical treatment, and the way that the light around us affects our behaviour.

Enter a lost world of music and poetry as more than 300 years of Mughal rule approached its end at the hands of the British in 1857. William Dalrymple, award-winning historian, in performance with the celebrated North Indian vocalist Vidya Shah, takes us back to the bygone era of matchless splendour, bringing to life a world of emperors, courtesans, politics, bayonets, intrigue and love, through words and music. Doors open at 17.45. Food and drinks in the Pitt Rivers Museum till 9p.m. after the lecture. Signed copies of ‘The Last Mughul’ and ‘Return of the King’ available after the lecture.

How do the humanities engage with business, and vice-versa? And what might this relationship lead to in the future? This panel will explore the reciprocity – existing and potential – of business and the humanities, considering the contribution humanities researchers and graduates can make to the business world and how the humanities might benefit in return.

Speaker: Dr Donald Drakeman
Panel: Professor Elleke Boehmer (Chair), Professor Howard Hotson, Professor Sally Maitlis

Panel Bios

Don Drakeman has been an entrepreneur and venture capitalist in the life sciences for many years. A lawyer with a PhD in the humanities, he has also written extensively about religious history and constitutional law. His book, Why We Need Humanities, will be published later this year. He is currently Distinguish Research Professor in the Program on Constitutional Studies at the University of Notre Dame, and a Fellow in Health Management at the University of Cambridge.

Elleke Boehmer is Professor of World Literature in English. She has published Colonial and Postcolonial Literature (1995, 2005), Empire, the National and the Postcolonial, 1890-1920 (2002), Stories of Women (2005), and Nelson Mandela (2008). She is the author of four acclaimed novels, including Screens again the Sky (short-listed David Hyam Prize, 1990), Bloodlines (shortlisted SANLAM prize), and Nile Baby (2008), and the short-story collection Sharmilla and Other Portraits (2010). A book on ‘Empire’s Networks’ and a new novel, The Shouting in the Dark, are forthcoming.

Sally Maitlis is a Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Leadership at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. Her areas of expertise include sensemaking in organisations, trauma and adversity at work, and processes of personal growth. Sally conducts research in a range of public and privatesector organisations, with a particular interest in the cultural industries,studying symphony orchestras, dancers, and other creative professionals. She specialises in qualitative research, closely observing individual, team and organisational processes as they unfold in real time, and analysing these processes through talk and text.

Howard Hotson is Professor of Early Modern Intellectual History at the University of Oxford. He currently works on traditions of religious non-conformity in the Holy Roman Empire in the post-Reformation period, pedagogical innovations linking Ramus to Comenius and Leibniz and a book on the intellectual diaspora of the Thirty Years War. He also directs the Oxford-based collaborative research project, ‘Cultures of Knowledge: Networking the Republic of Letters, 1550-1750’.

Image: The Moneylender and his Wife, The Yorck Project, Wikimedia Commons

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The second of the College’s 50th Anniversary termly lectures will be given by Thomas Heatherwick, designer of the 2012 Olympic Cauldron and one of Britain’s foremost design talents.

Thomas Heatherwick on Heatherwick Studio

Established by Thomas Heatherwick in 1994, Heatherwick Studio is recognised for its work in architecture, urban infrastructure, sculpture, design and strategic thinking. Having designed projects ranging in scope from a handbag to an urban master plan, Heatherwick Studio refuses to specialise and embraces the continuity of designing across different scales. In this talk, Thomas Heatherwick will present a series of the studio’s past and present projects, with a focus on the working process and how the studio approaches new briefs.

Free event, booking essential.

Six members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), including comedian and journalist Mark Thomas are taking legal action against the Metropolitan Police’s monitoring and keeping of their information on a database that deals with extremists. An illustrated talk by four of those in the case discuss how journalists documenting protest are coming under surveillance. The panel includes photojournalist and campaign photographer Jess Hurd, Video Journalist Jason N Parkinson and Photographer David Hoffman, chaired by curator of OVADA’s current Resistance is Fertile exhibition, Adrian Arbib.

Art critic and arts and culture journalist for The Guardian, Jonathan Jones will question whether art really is a civilising force.

The award-winning video journalist and campaign filmmaker, Zoe Broughton, has spent more than 20 years putting herself on the frontline – going undercover at an animal-testing lab, being chased by police while filming on a high-speed motor boat and dodging landmines in Burma! Zoe presents an illustrated talk about her work at OVADA as part of their current Resistance is Fertile exhibition.

A discussion about the ethics of Arts Sponsorship with Jeremy Spafford, Director of Arts at the Old Fire Station, and representatives from arts activists Art Not Oil – a network is dedicated to taking creative disobedience against institutions such as Tate, National Portrait Gallery and the British Museum until they drop their oil company funding. Together the panel will explore the ethics of sponsorship at a time where funding for the arts continues to be drastically cut. Who is it acceptable to take money from and what is the price that we pay? [IMAGE: Liberate Tate]

Renowned art critic Andrew Graham-Dixon will offer an insight into the world of art appreciation.

‘TRADE IN UK-AFRICA RELATIONS’: Event taking place on July 1st at Oxford Brookes University.

This is part of an ESRC seminar series on British Policy after Labour: Coalition, Austerity, Continuity and Change.

This seminar, the fifth in a series of seven and the first since the Conservative election victory in May, will focus on Trade in UK-African Relations and will feature a number of prominent speakers from the worlds of academia, policy and civil society.

It starts with coffees at 1030 and ends at 1630 (a buffet lunch will be provided).

Places are limited so if you are interested in attending could you please confirm by sending an email to me (shurt@brookes.ac.uk) as early as possible.

If you would like to read more about the ESRC series and previous/upcoming seminars then please take a look at our website – http://www.open.ac.uk/socialsciences/bisa-africa/uk-africa-policy/ – or follow us on Twitter @UKAfricaSeminar.

I have also written summaries of the main themes of the four seminars on my blog – http://internationalpoliticsfromthemargin.net/

Special Turner Event at the Ashmolean Museum

Turner’s High Street, Oxford: a Unique Townscape

With Colin Harrison

Wednesday 8 July, 11am-12pm, Lecture Theatre

Find out more about Turner’s most significant townscape and the greatest painting of the city that has ever been made. Senior Curator of European Art, Colin Harrison, will give a special talk from 11am on Wednesday 8 July.

Tickets £5/£4 concessions. Booking is essential.

To find out more about the Ashmolean’s current campaign to secure Turner’s painting for the nation visit: http://www.ashmolean.org/turner/

Talk – Perspectives: Cheating

A short series of talks on cheating, fakes and frauds to accompany the exhibition by Lynn Hershman Leeson.

Speakers include:

Nigel Warburton: The Ethics of Cheating
Warburton discusses how and why we decide to cheat and if it’s ever ok to cheat.

Nigel Warburton is a freelance philosopher, podcaster and writer, described by Julian Baggini as ‘one of the most-read popular philosophers of our time’. His books include A Little History of Philosophy, Philosophy: The Basics, Philosophy: The Classics, Thinking from A to Z, The Art Question, and Free Speech: A Very Short Introduction. He is the interviewer for the popular Philosophy Bites podcast which he makes with David Edmonds and which has been downloaded nearly 19 million times, and has formed the basis of two books, Philosophy Bites and Philosophy Bites Back.

Robert Hutton: Lying
Hutton will talk about how we lie to ourselves and to each other, the sorts of lies we tell and how you can spot a lie.

Robert Hutton is a British political reporter for Bloomberg News and author of the Journalese collection Romps, Tots and Boffins and the Uncommunication guide Would They Lie To You?

Megan Aldrich: Authenticity and the Gothic Revival
Aldrich will discuss William Beckford at Fonthill Abbey, who on occasion lied about the provenance of his decorative and antiquarian objects because he was so caught up in the ‘narrative’ of what he wanted them to be. Aldrich will talk about the fashion for creating false and imagined architectural histories in England in the 19th Century.

Megan Aldrich began her career in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. She curated the exhibition on the Crace firm of decorators at the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery in Sussex in 1990 and edited the accompanying publication. She is currently Senior Fellow in Object Based Studies at Sotheby’s Institute of Art.

Free, booking essential via https://www.modernartoxford.org.uk/event/perspectives-cheating/

Exhibition Tour with Paul Teigh

Join Modern Art Oxford’s Production Manager, Paul Teigh, for a tour of the Lynn Hershman Leeson exhibition Origins of the Species (Part 2).

Free, booking essential via https://www.modernartoxford.org.uk/event/exhibition-tour-with-paul-teigh/

What the World is Losing, a talk with Dr Paul Collins, Dr Robert Bewley & Dr Emma Cunliffe

A special talk with Dr Paul Collins, Curator of the Ancient Near East Collections at the Ashmolean Museum, as well as Dr Robert Bewley and Dr Emma Cunliffe from the University of Oxford School of Archaeology

Saturday 25 July, 10.30am‒12pm
Ashmolean Museum Lecture Theatre

FREE entry. No booking required.

*** Spaces limited. Please arrive early to secure your seat. ***

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Middle Eastern cultural heritage is under threat as never before. These talks highlight what the world is losing in Iraq and Syria, as well as talking about Oxford University’s ‘Endangered Archaeology of the Middle East and North Africa’ project.

Dr Paul Collins spoke in April this year about the recent destruction of museums, libraries, archaeological sites, mosques, churches and shrines across northern Iraq to highlight the unique heritage that is being lost.

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This is a free Festival of Archaeology Talk. See the full programme of events at: http://www.ashmolean.org/events/Festival/

As part of OVADA’s current exhibition of contemporary Chinese art, WASTELANDS, we are pleased to present an Ink Painting workshop with artist Shoran Jiang. This workshop introduces the Chinese tradition of calligraphy and ink painting – a centuries old tradition that has recently been strongly revived and is now thriving in China. You will have the opportunity to learn about the materials and styles of Chinese ink painting and have a go at calligraphy and brushstrokes. Whether you are a complete novice or accomplished painter this workshop will provide an insightful introduction to this wonderful Chinese tradition.

Cost: £12 per person (£10 for OVADA Associates). Includes materials and tea/coffee.

Booking essential: Please send your name, contact number and amount of places required, by email to: info@ovada.org.uk

Venue: OVADA warehouse – 14A Osney Lane – Oxford – OX1 1NJ

For further information visit: www.ovada.org.uk/wastelands-workshop