Researchers put on series of eye-catching events as part of Being Human Festival

A world-leading research team in the University of Wolverhampton’s School of Humanities is getting set to deliver an exciting series of community activities in November after securing funding for a series of community activities as part of the forthcoming Being Human Festival 2022.

The team, led by Sebastian Groes, Professor in English Literature at the University, secured over £4,000 to fund the series of events with the School being selected as a Hub for the festival which is run in partnership with the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the British Academy (BA), and the School of Advanced Study, University of London (SAS).  The programme is co-curated by the Head of the School of Art, Maggie Ayliffe.

The Being Human Festival runs from 10 to 19 November 2022. The events, which are part of a 10-day national programme of big ideas, big debates and engaging activities for all ages, champion excellence in arts and humanities research at the University of Wolverhampton.

The Positively Disruptive programme events include delving into Digital Humanities with focus on using eye tracking technology to explain unconscious biases. The Reading the Black Country event will be held at Black Country Living Museum.

There will be interactive encounters, both in person and online, with care and chat bots and the opportunity to cuddle the Japanese LOVOT robot that’s powered by human emotions, an opportunity to discover Geopoetics in local parks in a Walking Wolverhampton for Wellbeing event as well as a chance to create and maintain disruptive energy in the city through art following the British Art Show 9 exhibition.

A storytelling session by Dr Daisy Black will explore The Bayeux Tapestry: A Positively Disruptive Yarn, which stitches together a vivid, epic and moving account of the events leading up to the 1066 Battle of Hastings. Professor Groes will also interview the Booker Prize winning writer, Julian Barnes, at an event in London. 

And a Resonating Hearts between Ukraine and the Black Country event creates a literary bridge between the two countries using literature and poetry to unite cultures whilst supporting and inspiring people in times of crisis. Contributors to this event include the Ukrainian poet Halyna Kruk and West Midlands writers Liz Berry and Lisa Blower.

Being Human is the UK’s only national festival of the humanities. A celebration of humanities research through public engagement, it is led by the School of Advanced Study at the University of London, the UK’s national centre for the pursuit, support and promotion of research in the humanities.