Fruits of the Earth: Food and Art

Posted on: October 2nd, 2023 by mlpEditor

What do food and art have in common? What reflections can representations of different types of edible goods inspire?

This talk, presented by art historian Sara Riccardi, will focus on food in art, from traditional Dutch still lives, such as those painted by Jan Davidsz. de Heem, to contemporary candy floss installations.

The presence of food in the visual arts across the centuries is very common, and its significance highly varied. Some foods have symbolic meanings, linked to religious or mythological traditions. Some function as status symbols, when found in certain areas at specific times in history. Others can make us reflect on the connection between society and nature and, in contrast, on our modern-day consumerist habits. Sara will explore these themes, starting from examples of artworks that present a link to food, in some way or another.

By looking at food from the angle of its artistic representation, this talk will seek to inspire a new insight into our aesthetic experience of it. You will be encouraged to think about the meaning of food in our lives, and its role in different societies at different times. Sara’s presentation will inspire a new appreciation of one of the most fundamental experiences – that of nourishing our body with what the Earth offers us.

So, you think it’s easy to be an opera singer?

Posted on: August 29th, 2023 by mlpEditor

Opera is an extraordinary, multi-disciplinary art form. It brings together a variety of talented artists and performers. Orchestra musicians, singers, dancers, designers, scenographers, costume designers and makers collaborate to produce spectacular productions.

With its roots in the many forms of musical theatre practiced for centuries all over the world, opera originated in Italy c.1600. The first drama considered to be an opera was composed by Jacopo Peri in 1597. But the first opera of significance was L’Orfeo, composed by Claudio Monteverdi in 1607.

What does it take to become an opera singer? The writing is interpreted by singers of different ranges: soprano, mezzo soprano, contralto, counter-tenor, tenor, baritone, bass-baritone, bass. Within those terms are further and notable nuances of vocal colour, description and flexibility.

Lynne Dawson, Head of the School of Vocal Studies and Opera at the Royal Northern College of Music, will give an insight into the training needed to prepare singers for this demanding profession. She will also talk about her career singing with orchestras and conductors all over the world.

The Chinese in Britain – the latest chapter

Posted on: August 22nd, 2023 by mlpEditor

How do the recent influx of Chinese migrants from Hong Kong compare to previous ones in British history?

The Chinese in Britain are a simultaneously visible and invisible community. Historically rooted in the port cities of Liverpool and London – as witnessed by their once bustling Chinatowns – the Chinese diaspora in Britain has now spread to towns and cities throughout the UK.

Much Chinese immigration to Britain has stemmed from political upheaval in China in the last century. Compared to the diaspora in the US, the influence of Britain’s historic ties to Hong Kong has been apparent. Families are overwhelmingly from Guangdong, China’s southern region, and mainly Cantonese speaking.

The economic and social pressures that greeted many of these refugee families were often similar to those experienced by the Windrush generation. The pace of Chinese immigration to Britain picked up as Hong Kong’s handover to China in 1997 became imminent.

Another influence is the role British universities have played since the 1970s, in training successive generations of Chinese scientists. Bilateral exchanges have created valuable connections to a multi-ethnic country of continental proportions. Cultural and educational links formed with Britain have meant that Chinese migration, predominantly from Hong Kong, has been enriched by a small but growing settlement from other Chinese regions, together with inward investment.

In this event with Newsnight Economics Editor Ben Chu, we will seek to address questions such as what are the barriers to integration for this specific cohort of young British-born Chinese, sometimes tagged as “BBC Chinese”? How might their aspirations and world view be influenced by the experience of being torn from Hong Kong’s cosmopolitan 24/7 oriental hothouse atmosphere to a distant European alternate “motherland”? Could their imposed isolation and diminished status as refugees give rise to a growing nostalgia for Chinese culture? And might they be susceptible to blandishments from Beijing aimed at the Chinese Diaspora?

George Monbiot in Conversation with Sarah Bridle

Posted on: August 21st, 2023 by mlpEditor

One of our most fearless voices on nature, climate change and the environment, George Monbiot’s new book, Regenesis: Feeding the World Without Devouring the Planet considers a way to grow more food with less farming and transform our relationship with the Earth. Through discoveries about fertility, perennial grains and new ways of growing protein and fats, George demonstrates how cutting edge thinking and tiny lifeforms could save the planet and provoke a regenesis. A passionate and eloquent speaker, George is committed to working with others to defend the natural world he loves and counts Greta Thunberg, Robert Macfarlane and Yanis Varoufakis amongst his many fans.

Presented by Manchester Literature Festival in partnership with Manchester Lit & Phil.

 

TO BOOK TICKETS: visit the event page on HOME’s website

Reparations for our slavery links – how might they work?

Posted on: August 10th, 2023 by mlpEditor

The battle for reparations for the illegal trafficking, torture, murder and exploitation of enslaved Africans during Britain’s slave-trading era is gaining traction. Influential organisations, institutions, and individual families have acknowledged their guilt and have offered to pay financial compensation.

Robert Beckford will argue that, while those who have diligently campaigned for reparations for over half a century welcome these developments, they should also be cautious.

His presentation will identify three areas of immediate concern. These are ‘miscalculation’ of the debt,’ the ‘erasure of Black campaign history’ and ‘hegemonic control of the compensation narrative.’

The lecture will also consider an alternative programme for meaningful restorative justice based on ‘liberative ethics,’ ‘constructive engagement’, and ‘historiographies of the underside.’

 

This event forms part of the Manchester Lit & Phil’s programme of events following the publication of the Report by researchers from the University of Central Lancashire’s Institute for Black Atlantic Research: The Manchester Lit & Phil and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, 1780-1865.

Delivering the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Strategy

Posted on: July 10th, 2023 by mlpEditor

What does the future of healthcare look like for our region? Sir Richard Leese is the man to tell us.

The 2022 Health and Care Act created Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) across the whole of England. Greater Manchester ICS came into existence on July 1st that year. NHS Greater Manchester and our region’s ten Councils are now charged with working together to improve population health, to tackle health inequalities, deliver good value-for-money health and care services, and have regard for the wider economic and social role of the NHS.

At the core of Greater Manchester’s ICS’s approach to meeting these challenges is a neighbourhood model that integrates and aligns NHS and Council Services. But improving population health must mean addressing the social determinants of poor health. And this goes far beyond the provision of integrated care services, however effective they may be.

The NHS and Councils have come together with a vast array of stakeholders, including citizens themselves, in the GM Integrated Care Partnership. In March this year the partnership board signed off the comprehensive medium term strategy to meet the objectives set in legislation.

Following that, in late June 2023, the GM Integrated Care Board agreed its 5 year Forward Plan, setting out how the healthcare strategy was going to be delivered and how it would measure and account for that delivery.

It is an immense endeavour that will require the broadest engagement. But Richard Leese and his dedicated team believe it sets out a route to a far, far healthier and happier city-region.

Join us for this talk to hear the inside story on how the vision will be delivered.

Four Ways of Thinking: Statistical, Interactive, Chaotic and Complex

Posted on: June 28th, 2023 by mlpEditor

What is the best way to think about the world? How often do we consider how our own thinking might impact the way we approach our daily decisions? Could it help or hinder our relationships, our careers or even our health?

Acclaimed mathematician David Sumpter has spent decades studying what we could all learn from the mindsets of scientists. His book Four Ways of Thinking (published August 2023) is the result.

Thinking about thinking is something we rarely do, yet it is something science questions all the time. Rather than being about facts, scientific and mathematic disciplines are, in large part, about finding better ways of reasoning. Our primary mission is to shape our own minds in a way that gets us closer to the truth.

David will illustrate four ways of thinking (Statistical, Interactive, Chaotic and Complex) through the lives of four mathematical scientists — Ronald Fisher, Alfred Lotka, Margaret Hamilton and Andrej Kolmogorov. But that doesn’t mean you have to be a mathematician to enjoy this talk!

He will combine personal experience with practical advice, showing how these tried and tested methods can help us with every conundrum. From how to bicker less with our partners, to pitching to a tough crowd.

Engineering enzymes to reduce plastic waste

Posted on: June 27th, 2023 by mlpEditor

Plastic waste is a global pollution crisis. Finding effective solutions to tackle PET plastic pollution is crucial for preserving our environment and creating a more sustainable future.

PET plastic, short for polyethylene terephthalate, is a commonly used material in bottles, containers and packaging. Unfortunately, PET plastic waste has become a significant environmental problem. When not properly recycled, PET can persist in the environment for many years, contributing to pollution in our oceans and ecosystems.

Current recycling methods for PET plastic face several challenges. The processes can be energy-intensive and costly. And the quality of recycled PET may not always be on par with virgin plastic, limiting its usability.

In 2016 scientists found an enzyme, a special type of protein, called IsPETase that can break down PET into its original building blocks. This discovery generated a lot of interest in using biological methods to recycle plastics.

But enzymes such as IsPETase are not immediately suitable to be used on a large scale, as they are not robust or efficient enough for industrial use. Whilst enzymes can be engineered to meet these industrial demands, the process is very challenging when working with plastic degrading enzymes.

In this online talk, Dr Elizabeth Bell will describe the development of a high-throughput platform for engineering plastic degrading enzymes using a process called directed evolution. Directed evolution is a mimic of natural evolution but done on a laboratory scale. It focuses on tailoring the specific properties of an enzyme to meet our requirements.

Elizabeth and her team used this platform to create a new variant of IsPETase that can withstand high temperatures and is more effective at breaking down PET. The engineered enzyme can also selectively degrade the PET component of a multi-material plastic that is commonly used for food packaging.

This study demonstrates that laboratory evolution can be used as a powerful tool to engineer enzymes to effectively break down plastics. With further research and development, these engineered enzymes could play a crucial role in reducing plastic waste and promoting a more sustainable future.

Creating the tiniest machines: harnessing molecular-level motion

Posted on: June 13th, 2023 by mlpEditor

What possibilities do molecular-level machines hold? Are we at the dawn of a new industrial revolution, where molecular machinery will become an integral part of our lives? The incredible work of scientists like Professor David Leigh and his team would certainly seem to suggest that.

The best way to appreciate the technological potential of controlled molecular-level motion is to recognise that nanomotors and molecular-level machines lie at the heart of every significant biological process. Over billions of years of evolution, nature has not repeatedly chosen this solution for performing complex tasks without good reason.

But in stark contrast to biology, none of mankind’s fantastic myriad of present-day technologies exploit controlled molecular-level motion in any way at all. Every catalyst, every material, every plastic, every pharmaceutical, and every chemical reagent: all function through their static or equilibrium dynamic properties.

When we learn how to build artificial structures that can control and exploit molecular level motion and interface their effects directly with other molecular-level substructures and the outside world, it will potentially impact on every aspect of functional molecule and materials design. And this will surely bring an improved understanding of physics and biology.

The possibilities these new ‘tiny machine’ technologies are creating are truly incredible.

You can find out more about Professor Leigh’s work on The Leigh Group website.

A curious person’s guide to Digital Art

Posted on: April 19th, 2023 by mlpEditor

‘Digital art’ practice includes a wide variety of mediums. From computer, generative, robotic, kinetic and net art, through to post-internet, virtual reality, and augmented reality art.

For those who are unfamiliar with the terms and technologies, it can be a confusing world to enter. But this art sphere – which conceptually has its roots in the avant-garde art movements of the first half of the 20th century – is a fascinating space to explore.

Dr Claire Reddleman’s talk will address digital art as a relatively new era of art’s development, while also looking at its roots in more traditional kinds of art making.

She will consider the current abundance of digital art to explore in three ways. Firstly, looking briefly at digital ways of preserving and displaying non-digital art works.

Claire will then consider art and artists who continue some traditional artistic concerns (such as depicting landscape, contemplating the self-portrait) but using digital methods.

And finally, she will look at some examples of artists who work in completely digital ways and whose work is only encountered online.

No prior knowledge about art practice or digital technology will be needed – just bring your sense of curiosity!

 

* We have changed venues. This event is now taking place at Friends’ Meeting House*

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