The development of painting in London from the Second World War to the 1970s is the story of interlinking friendships, shared experiences and artistic concerns among a number of acclaimed artists, including Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, Frank Auerbach, David Hockney, Bridget Riley, Gillian Ayres, Frank Bowling and Howard Hodgkin. Drawing on extensive first-hand interviews, many previously unpublished, with important witnesses and participants, the art critic Martin Gayford teases out the thread connecting these individual lives and demonstrates how painting thrived in London against the backdrop of Soho bohemia in the 1940s and 1950s and ‘Swinging London’ in the 1960s.
What happens when you bring together two people at the top of their game but from different spheres? Ed Hawkins is a climate scientist and works for the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS) and the University of Reading. Ed focuses on improving predictions of climate change and its impacts. Nicola Davies is the author of more than 50 books for children: fiction, non-fiction and poetry. They have collaborated to create an original piece of work that will explore the issues around extreme weather events.
The Trans.MISSION project was created to bring science and culture together with the aim of communicating cutting-edge science to new audiences through new methods.
More information about the Trans.MISSION project can be found here.
The South African-born, anti-apartheid campaigner and politician chronicles the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela, from lawyer to ANC freedom fighter, from political prisoner to President of the Rainbow Nation. He charts Madiba’s post-office humanitarian campaigns and gives an intimate and revealing portrait of the beloved global icon. The legacy is more complex, and Hain examines the state of the RSA today after Zuma’s corruption, and as Ramaphosa accedes to power. Chaired by Sarfraz Manzoor.
Award-winning Meath-based playwright Deirdre Kinahan talks about her work, with a reading of her tender and funny hit play Halcyon Days (Irish Times Best New Play, Edinburgh Fringe First) with celebrated Abbey actors Maura Hastings and Des Cave, directed by David Horan.
Established in 1964, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species. It is a critical indicator of the health of the world’s biodiversity and a powerful tool to inform and catalyse policy change. The list provides information about range, population size, habitat and ecology, threats, and conservation actions. Hoffman currently heads up the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) global conservation programmes and was previously chair of the 25-member IUCN Red List Committee. Bohm is a researcher in the Species Indicators and Assessments Unit at ZSL. Emily Beech is a Conservation Officer at Botanic Gardens Conservation International.
