Manchester Lit&Phil Literary Book Club

Posted on: December 23rd, 2025 by Alan Wareham

Exclusively for members.

The Lit&Phil inaugural book club will be discussing Emily Brontë’s only novel, Wuthering Heights.

As Emerald Fennell’s bold new interpretation of Emily Brontë’s only novel is released in cinemas on Valentine’s Day, we ask how it is that one of literature’s most destructive depictions of love has come to be viewed as one of the most enduring romantic stories of all time.

To answer the question, we’ll probably explore how Brontë depicts social convention, class, morality, revenge, nature and cyclic change to tell her story. We might also want to think about who she chooses to narrate the tale and how it unfolds. And by turning the mirror onto ourselves and how we live, we might better understand our own need to project romantic love onto an otherwise twisted and dark tale.

The Lit&Phil Book Club is free and exclusively for members, operating on a first come first serve basis up to a maximum of 15 members.

Inspiring Young Minds in Manchester & Beyond

Posted on: December 19th, 2025 by Alan Wareham

How can we spark curiosity, creativity, and confidence in young learners through science? In this thought‑provoking lecture, Professor Lynne Bianchi will draw on her extensive research and experience to explore what makes science education truly meaningful for children aged 5 to 14.

Working in close partnership with teachers across the UK, Professor Bianchi has seen first‑hand how science and engineering can become powerful platforms for wonder, imagination, and lifelong learning. She will discuss the evolving educational landscape, highlighting both the opportunities and the challenges that shape teachers’ confidence and curriculum development. Central to this is her influential framework, the Trajectory of Professional Development, which has guided many educators in rethinking their approach to science teaching.

As the government’s curriculum review looms, Professor Bianchi will share her vision for the “next‑step” science curriculum, one that equips children not only with knowledge, but also with the confidence to ask questions, explore possibilities, and connect science to the world around them.

The lecture will spotlight the decade of impactful work she has led in the Science & Engineering Education Research and Innovation Hub, at The University of Manchester. This will include raising awareness of the Manchester-born global campaign – Great Science Share for Schools. Attendees will be invited to reflect on their own perspectives: what is science learning for, and how can we ensure it inspires every child?

Join us for an evening of insight, reflection, and inspiration as we consider how to shape the future of science education for the next generation.

Practical Information

The talk includes a Q&A session.

Booking is essential. Lit&Phil members: we recommend logging into the website to make booking your free member ticket quicker and easier.

Accessibility Information

The venue is wheelchair accessible with an accessible toilet on the ground floor. Please contact us regarding any specific accessibility requirements you may have by emailing events@manlitphil.ac.uk

Truth in the Age of Algorithms

Posted on: December 18th, 2025 by Alan Wareham

In this talk, Dr Jennifer Cearns explores predictive AI as something surprisingly familiar: a modern form of divination.

Like older techniques for reading the future, today’s algorithms promise to help us navigate risk, uncertainty, and the desire to know what comes next. Dr Jennifer Cearns considers the cultural ideas built into AI, especially our long, messy history of defining “intelligence”, and how these assumptions shape what we treat as knowledge or truth.

Drawing on ethnographic research in the US and the UK, Dr Jennifer Cearns asks what kinds of truths AI seems to produce, and how these connect to much older ways of knowing that have shaped Western culture since the Enlightenment.

By viewing AI not just as a technical tool but as a cultural product, Dr Jennifer Cearns shows how predictive systems both challenge and reinforce existing assumptions about knowledge, revealing how our ideas of truth are becoming increasingly networked, iterative, optimised, and future oriented.

Who Should Attend

Anyone curious about how AI shapes decisions and our ideas of truth.

Practical Information

The talk includes a Q&A session.

Booking is essential. Lit&Phil members: we recommend logging into the website to make booking your free member ticket quicker and easier.

Accessibility Information

The venue is wheelchair accessible with an accessible toilet on the ground floor. Please contact us regarding any specific accessibility requirements you may have by emailing events@manlitphil.ac.uk

The Morphology of Modern Manchester

Posted on: December 12th, 2025 by Alan Wareham

In Britain, during the post-war period, many urban design professionals were architect-planners. A considerable proportion of these were employed by local authorities. A drive by the state to use legislation to control and influence the shape of development created a very specific set of political circumstances. Central government policy was filtered and interpreted by local government councillors and their officers and each town or city approached this in a different way. The legislation and the training enabled a very particular mode of urban design that was characterised by ambitious three-dimensional visions. Such ambition was also underpinned by non-statutory guidance that reflected the zeitgeist for vertical separation in urban settings, such as Sir Colin Buchanan’s Traffic in Towns.

In this talk, Richard Brook will examine Manchester as a case, through which to explore the nested tiers and networked relationships of government, governance and the private sector in the creation of new city space. Manchester’s 1945 Plan, directed by City Engineer and Surveyor, Rowland Nicholas, was one of the most comprehensive in Britain, yet it faltered due to a lack of capital, lack of statutory powers and lack of material resources. In the 1960s, Manchester’s first Chief Planner, John Millar, revisited the urban design of the entire central area with a team of talented young planners, recruited from the region. Their work was arguably greater in its scope and definition than that produced in 1945 and shaped the city for the next 50 years. Though only partially realised, the framework for development established in the mid-1960s and approved in 1968, set the tone for almost all the changes to follow for the next 50 years.

Now, as the palimpsestic traces of earlier visions are increasingly obscured by the pace of contemporary urbanisation, using rich visual material collected over the last three decades of research, Richard will position architectural histories alongside planning and urban histories. He will show how central government legislation was interpreted spatially by Manchester’s planners using drawings and models and how these visions continued to inform development well into the twenty-first century. In so doing, he will present an inverted archaeology of the city that traces the patterns established on paper and the long-term physical residue of these gestures.

Who Should Attend?

This talk is for anyone who cares about how Manchester came to look and work the way it does, curious residents, city enthusiasts, students, and professionals alike. You’ll enjoy it if you walk, cycle, drive or shop in the city centre and want to understand why streets, routes and buildings are arranged as they are. Community group members, councillors and people in planning, architecture, transport, heritage or development will get clear, visually rich insights into how past decisions still shape today’s city. No prior knowledge needed, just an interest in Manchester’s story and a desire to see familiar places with fresh eyes.

Practical Information

The talk includes a Q&A session.

Booking is essential. Lit&Phil members: we recommend logging into the website to make booking your free member ticket quicker and easier.

Accessibility Information

The venue is wheelchair accessible with an accessible toilet on the ground floor. Please contact us regarding any specific accessibility requirements you may have by emailing events@manlitphil.ac.uk

Rewilding the Lowlands: Lessons from Knepp and Beyond

Posted on: December 9th, 2025 by Alan Wareham

How can rewilding take root in a landscape as densely populated, fragmented, and historically cultivated as lowland Britain? In this talk, Charlie Burrell will explore that question through the remarkable story of the Knepp Wildland Project in West Sussex – a pioneering experiment in letting nature lead.

Knepp began over twenty years ago as a bold gamble: to step back from intensive agriculture and allow natural processes to shape the land. The result has been a flourishing mosaic of habitats – scrub, wood pasture, wetland and meadow – alive with returning species from turtle doves to purple emperors and nightingales. But Knepp is also part of a wider movement. Across Britain and Europe, rewilding is challenging assumptions about conservation, land use, and the relationship between people and nature.

Charlie will use Knepp as a model to examine the spectrum of rewilding – from large-scale wilderness restoration to smaller, community-led and agricultural projects. Drawing on historical land use, he will discuss how the landscapes of the past can inform the ecological and social choices of the future.

The talk will also explore the powerful forces now driving the rewilding movement – from climate change and biodiversity loss to a growing recognition that nature recovery can deliver real economic and social benefits. Charlie will highlight the emerging role of philanthropy, particularly through the Endangered Landscapes and Seascapes Programme of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative, which is helping to finance major restoration projects across Europe.

Finally, he will turn to one of the most exciting frontiers in this field: how Nature-Based Solutions can be valued and monetised to create sustainable funding streams for nature. Using Nattergal, a company he chairs, as a case study, Charlie will show how private capital and ecological ambition can align to restore degraded landscapes, capture carbon, and revive biodiversity.

This promises to be an inspiring evening charting the next chapter in Britain’s evolving relationship with the wild.

Practical Information

The presentation will include time for questions and discussion. Booking is strongly advised.

Access

The venue is wheelchair accessible with an accessible toilet on the ground floor. Please contact us regarding any specific accessibility requirements you may have by emailing events@manlitphil.ac.uk

 

A History of Pies and Puddings

Posted on: November 20th, 2025 by Editor-Jo

Food historian Neil Buttery (author of The Philosophy of Puddings and Knead to Know: A History of Baking) explores the history of some of our most beloved British foods: pies and puddings, from their origins on the top tables in medieval meals to the present day, where they are beloved by many (and treated with suspicion by some).

In the Middle Ages, Britain used to have a great tradition of baking huge pies – called coffyns and pasties – filled with whole joints of venison and wild boar. There were large luxurious mince pies too, filled with expensive exotics and plenty of meat, but these fancy pies all pale in comparison to the humongous and rather grotesque Yorkshire Christmas Pye of the Georgian era, filled with the bounties of the northern landowners sent by horse and carriage to their city friends.

The history of puddings is much more convoluted – the simple question of ‘what is a pudding?’ is a surprisingly difficult one to answer: black pudding, haggis, jam roly poly, steamed treacle sponge, trifle, ice cream – how can all of these be puddings? Then there is the added complication of any dessert or afters also called ‘pudding’. The pudding has gone through quite an evolution since its humble origins as a mixture of blood and fat boiled in intestines.

Neil will also present some of his research on regional foods: there’s a regional pudding associated with almost every region of England, why did such a proliferation of regional puddings occur and what does this tell us about the origins of some of our most beloved regional and national pies and puddings: Manchester pudding will, of course be represented, plus Yorkshire pudding (and the fact it’s not from Yorkshire), Cornish pasties (and the fact they’re not from Cornwall) and haggis (and the fact it’s not Scottish). Bombshells these may be – but they tell us much more about the social history of food and how foods become associated with particular places and quickly integrated into the cultural landscape of a region or country.

Refreshments (mulled wine, mince pies, tea, coffee and soft drinks) will be available for an additional cost. Please select the appropriate ticket type when making your booking.

Tour of Santiago Yahuarcani Exhibition: The Beginnings of Knowledge

Posted on: November 19th, 2025 by Editor-Jo
Working from Pebas, a remote town in northern Peru, Santiago Yahuarcani creates large-scale, narrative-rich paintings using natural dyes on llanchama — a bark cloth made from the ojé tree native to the Amazon. Yahuarcani’s work exists outside of Western art history, instead harnessing ancestral memory, the sacred knowledge of medicinal plants, and the sounds of the jungle, to create artworks that are urgent acts of education and resistance.

The Beginning of Knowledge, Yahuarcani’s first international solo exhibition, brings together key works from 2010 to the present day, showcasing his profound visual storytelling over the last fifteen years. From portrayals of Uitoto origin stories to memories of the enslavement of the Uitoto people during the Putumayo genocide (1879-1912), the works honour and preserve intergenerational legacies and invite us to consider how Indigenous knowledge can shape a more just and interconnected future.

Our Guide

Join Darren Pih, Head of Exhibitions and Collections, and co-curator of this exhibition to learn more about Yahuarcani’s practice.

A Tour of Manchester Art Gallery’s Remarkable Collection

Posted on: October 28th, 2025 by Editor-Jo

A Tour of Manchester Art Gallery’s Remarkable Collection of Pre-Raphaelite Paintings

Pre-Raphaelite paintings have a way of striking you, even from a distance. They are often bejewelled with luminous colour, redolent of some beautiful dream world and indeed, many evoke the same sense of a lost past that can be found in poetry. The human figures seem almost too real, whilst the trees, grasses, leaves and flowers appear possessed of a vibrant living force.

Manchester Art Gallery has some of the very finest examples but of course, like much else in the art world, they tend to divide opinion. Gallery visitors come from far and wide to see them but there are also detractors who find the works overly sentimental.

Join volunteer guide John Ward in a quest to determine whether or not these world famous masterpieces speak as powerfully to us as they once did to our forebears.

The Space Elevator

Posted on: October 25th, 2025 by Alan Wareham

Graphene was first isolated in 2004 and the Nobel Prize in physics was awarded in 2010 to the two researchers who performed the work at the University of Manchester, UK.

Since then, graphene has been steadily developing and a whole landscape of two-dimensional (2D) materials has been discovered. Graphene has been found to be the strongest, lightest material known. It is now being manufactured on an industrial scale.

This new material will transform many industries. In this talk Rob and Adrian, from the Graphene Engineering and Innovations Centre on Sackville Street, will explain what graphene is, its latest applications, and how it will enable the ultimate civil engineering project: The Space Elevator.

The talk is structured as follows:

• What is graphene and the other 2D materials

• How graphene is already finding more uses than you might realise

• How rockets work and their limitations

• What is a space elevator and how it overcomes these limitations

• The state of the art in tethered lift manufacturing

• Could a space elevator really be built?

Adrian and Rob delight in explaining commercial activity and complex science in plain language, so you don’t have to be an expert to enjoy this talk. Bring your questions and they will answer as many as they can.

Adrian is a member of the board of directors of the International Space Elevator Consortium (ISEC). He is also the founding editor of the Nixene Journal, a monthly publication that tracks the academic and commercial activity of graphene and 2D materials worldwide.

Rob is the CEO of Nixene Publishing, he contributed to the commercialisation module for PhD students at the Graphene NOWNANO Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) and shared an international panel with Nobel Prizewinner Prof Sir Kostya Novoselov, “A series of varied perspectives on our 2D futures”.

They are based at the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC), on the University of Manchester campus in the UK.

Rob & Adrian regularly present the science in plain English to audiences ranging from the general public, to universities, NASA and the USA government.

Who Should Attend?

  • Curious minds fascinated by how cutting-edge science advances from discovery to real-world application.
  • Students and educators in physics, materials science, engineering, or technology seeking inspiration from real research success stories.
  • Professionals in manufacturing, construction, aerospace, or energy sectors interested in how graphene and other 2D materials may disrupt their industries.
  • Entrepreneurs and innovators exploring emerging technologies and future business opportunities enabled by advanced materials.
  • Space enthusiasts intrigued by the concept of a space elevator and the future of human space access.
  • Members of the general public who enjoy learning how novel materials can reshape society, economy, and imagination.

Questions to Reflect On

  • How can a material just one atom thick profoundly influence engineering, transportation, and even space exploration?
  • What are the main challenges in producing and applying graphene and other 2D materials at industrial scale?
  • Could graphene-based technology enable humanity to rethink the limits of physics and infrastructure, even beyond Earth?
  • What would a space elevator mean for the future of space travel, global logistics, and sustainability?
  • How does fundamental research, like that done in Manchester, lead to commercial and societal transformation?
  • What lessons can we learn from the collaboration between scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs in bringing revolutionary ideas to life?

Practical Information

The presentation will include time for questions and discussion. Booking is strongly advised.

Access

Access to the event is via the Altrincham Street entrance.

Accessibility Information

Please contact us regarding any specific accessibility requirements you may have by emailing events@manlitphil.ac.uk

How the Maasai of Kenya use regenerative farming for climate resilience

Posted on: October 17th, 2025 by Editor-Jo

For centuries, the Maasai people of East Africa have lived in harmony with the land, moving with the seasons and maintaining a delicate balance between people, cattle, and wildlife. Today, climate change, land privatisation, and conservation policies restrict this traditional mobility, challenging both livelihoods and culture.

Dalmas Tiampati, a Maasai herder and climate activist, leads the Maasai Centre for Regenerative Pastoralism in Kenya. His work integrates indigenous ecological knowledge with regenerative land management — restoring degraded pastures, empowering communities, and reviving cultural governance systems.

In this talk, Dalmas will share the Maasai philosophy that “a herder is a herder of herders” — a vision of leadership rooted in care, responsibility, and interdependence. He will explore how traditional pastoral wisdom aligns with modern sustainability science, and how innovations such as azolla cultivation can produce local biofertilizer and livestock feed at no cost, offering a nature-based path to climate resilience.

Dalmas will be available after the event to talk freely with any attendees who would like to carry on the conversation directly with Dalmas.

Who Should Attend?

  • Professionals in ecology, sustainable agriculture, and international development.
  • Students and researchers in environmental science, geography, and anthropology.
  • Policymakers and NGO representatives working in regeneration and food systems.
  • Members of the public seeking insight into indigenous solutions to the global climate crisis.

Questions to Reflect On

  • What can the world learn from indigenous approaches to land stewardship?
  • How can regenerative pastoralism heal ecosystems and cultures simultaneously?
  • Can traditional knowledge and modern science work together to mitigate climate change?
  • How might innovations like azolla reshape sustainable farming in arid regions?

Practical Information

The presentation will include time for questions and discussion. Booking is strongly advised.

Access

The venue is wheelchair accessible with an accessible toilet on the ground floor. Please contact us regarding any specific accessibility requirements you may have by emailing events@manlitphil.ac.uk

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