Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences Cultural Programme

Our students experience a range of exciting visits and events.

There have been many events over the years since the Cultural Programme was first established. Highlights have included Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story; Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra at Eastside Jazz Club; the dissection of institutional racism through Blue Orange; creating a woodland with the Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust and more recently, a talk with BBC LGBT+ news correspondent Ben Hunte.

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Spades used by LANS students and staff to plant over 400 trees in Bournville, Birmingham

 

 

 

Cultural Programme 2021-22 - Resistance

Below is the list of our Cultural Programme for the the first semester of the current academic year. We hope this gives you an idea of the exciting and diverse events you can expect to participate in (free of charge) as a Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences student at the University of Birmingham. 

October

  • Mariposa - this year, for our welcome week freshers' event students went to the Birmingham Hippodrome to see DeNada Dance Theatre perform Mariposa.
  • Dazzle Walk - with walkspace artists Fiona Cullinan and Pete Ashton
  • Celebrating Black History Month -  a trip to the Midlands Arts Centre to see Cleveland Watkiss explore his heritage through his collection of a Great Jamaican Songbook.

November

  • A Trip to Coventry - reconciliation, resistance, art. Students visited the Cathedral and the Herbert Gallery hosting the Turner Prize this year 
  • The LANS wild garden - students will be converting the leaking pond into a bog garden and starting the process of creating a small area of wildflower meadow behind the ERI Building
  • Grenfell: Value Engineering - Scenes from the Inquiry at the REP Birmingham forest-green-rovers-group-photobisis
  • Forest Green Rovers - the 'world's greenest football club'. After introductions and a quick Q&A with the chef, students will be given a tour with the groundsman and CEO Henry Staelens, followed by drinks and food in the Green Man Pub and access to the club shop. All this leading up to the game: Forest Green Rovers vs Bristol Rove

Taylor Williams

Second year LANS student

“For someone who doesn't have a huge interest in sports or football, this event was really enlightening. You could feel how passionate everyone was for the club's initiative - they all wanted to do their bit to make a difference. It was really interesting to learn the various ways that the stadium has become more sustainable and inclusive, and how they are inspiring other, larger football clubs to take on similar initiatives.”

December

  • Desi Pub Crawl - Desi Pubs is a story about migration, survival, love and food. For over 40 years, the Black Country has been quietly incubating a gastro revolution, the ‘Desi pub’. Together with the creators from the art initiative Creative Black Country, we will visit three of the ‘Desi Pubs’ in Smethwick
  • Sabine Von Mering - Risking Arrest as a form of Pedagogy? Academia and Climate Activism in 2021 - This lecture forms part of our Distinguished Lecture Series.

Adam Dorey

Final year LANS student

“It was fascinating to hear about radical pedagogies, especially how political acts can be transformed into educational acts. Von Mering's argument for non-violent campaigning was convincing and her practical campaigning advice was useful, highlighting the importance of reaching out to similar groups across the UK. It was refreshing to hear about academics moving from the academic ivory tower and engaging with the realities of the carceral system. If you're interested in activism, I'd recommend checking out this talk!”

Cultural Programme 2020-21 - Ruptures

Below is the full list of our Cultural Programme for the past academic year. We hope this gives you an idea of the exciting and diverse events you can expect to participate in (free of charge) as a Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences student at the University of Birmingham. Please note - due to COVID-19, most of our events took place on zoom. We have also included the events that were scheduled to go ahead but had to be re-scheduled. We are hopeful they will be re-scheduled when feasible to do so.

October

  • Les Blancs by Lorraine Hansberry, adapted by Robert Nemiroff, was performed at the National Theatre in 2016. It provided an induction to the Cultural Programme for all first years. It made a very timely intervention in the wake of Black Lives Matter to discuss issues such as systemic racism and cultural hegemony.

Susannah Clapp

The Guardian, 3 April 2016

“It shows how absolutely the history of black nations has been scripted by whites. That is a lesson for the stage. Let alone life.”

  • How to make change happen panel with social activists and decision makers to discuss the key questions of this term's theme 'Ruptures'
  • HINTERLANDS - Ruptures in the Industrial Past of the Midlands with Sophie Huckfield and Mark Essen.  'Virtual tour' with a 360 degree camera to take a picture of around 10 locations around the West Midlands to explore the urban hinterlands of the Birmingham and Smethwick canals, stories and histories which continue to define the present and future of the area.
  • Visit of the THE END OF FUN! Exhibitionat the Ikon Gallery by Czech artist Krištof Kintera.

November

  • Celebrating Black History Month – Alicia Garza: The Purpose of Power Video Event
  • Extinction Rebellion ran a workshop ‘Making Change through Art’.
  • Rosie Kay Dance Company - Absolute Solo II. Studio at the REP Birmingham
  • Celebrating Disability Awareness Month - ALWAYS BE COMEDY with Rosie Jones

December

  • LANS Short Film week. A collection of films that explore our theme RUPTURES.
  • Yasmin Alibhai-Brown on 'Ruptures'. This lecture forms part of our Distinguished Lecture Series.

February

  • Celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month with BBC news correspondent Ben Hunte. During this event Ben Hunte tells us about how he reports on events and has the resilience to keep going.

Alex Harris (they/them)

Final year LANS student

“I found myself hugely grateful for Ben's dedication to platforming the most silenced members of the LGBT community and reassured that there is space being made for those voices in the mainstream media. I am so glad I had the opportunity to listen to him and to ask him questions via the LANS Cultural Programme”

  • Gabby Edlin, founder of Bloody Good Period. Gabby tells us all about making change, in big ways, and in small ways, about how you can organise, include others and change things for the better.

Eleanor Thomas (she/her)

Second year LANS student

“It was amazing to hear Gabby speak as she is one of my activist role models. From period poverty, taboo and education, to building an anti-racist organisation, it was great to get an insight into the work of Bloody Good Period.”

  • ReThink, Re:Place Festival - New Union - Virtual Policy Hackathon.

March

  • DanceXchange - Ruptures in Dance, online dance class.
  • How to make change II panel with Narku Laing, Matthew Lloyd and Lucy Ellinson - Sharing experiences of social activism. Narku is a research assistant at the LMU Munich, Matt currently does his PhD in International Political Economy at Kings College London and Lucy is a queer actor and activist.
  • Communicating Science with four speakers who communicate science to all different walks of life.
  • Lyrics Writing Workshop with Maverick Sounds. Maverick Sounds deliver lyric writing courses in custodial and community-based settings.

April

  • A walk through Garden City Bournville. Together with an Art Historian we want to explore England's 'First planned community'.
  • LANS Sustainability Assembly. We want to build a LANS Green Impact Team - and share first results during a LANS Assembly. Following up on our ideas of the first Assembly back in February 2020, a far distant time before the pandemic.

May

  • Forest Green Rovers - the 'world's greenest football club'. It is the first and only vegan football club in the world. And also the first club on the planet to be certified carbon neutral by the United Nations.

Cultural Programme 2019-20

Below is the full list of our Cultural Programme for the 2019-2020 academic year. Please note - we have also included the events that were scheduled to go ahead towards the end of Semester 2. Due to COVID-19, they unfortunately did not go ahead.

October

  • Rebel Music by Robin French. This performance took place at The Rep and provided an induction to the Cultural Programme for all first years.
  • How to Fail with Elizabeth Day as part of the annual Birmingham Literature Festival.

Emily

Second year LANS student

“I thought it was interesting how Elizabeth Day referred to your twenties and often this assumption that it's going to be like 'Sex and the City'. But it's not going to turn out like that and that's OK.”

  • Nadiya Hussain: Finding My Voice talk. 
  • Life drawing at the Ikon Gallery, Birmingham. 

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 LANS students showing off their finished charcoal drawings

November

  • LANS x London: trip to Ashurst Emerging Artists Gallery and Imperial War Museum. 
  • Jamie Hannaford: What do we talk about when we talk about drought? This lecture forms part of our Distinguished Lecture Series.
  • Bollywood night: film and food. A refreshing exploration of culture and film outside of the Western sphere. Organised by one of our final years.
  • Screening of Erik Knudsen’s film ‘Cleft Lip’, followed by a Q&A with the Director himself. This event was in collaboration with the College of Ancient History and Archaeology at the University of Birmingham.
  • Jaguar Land Rover Factory Tour.

Vincent

First year LANS student

“The factory itself is gigantic and has one of the smartest robots in the country. In addition, I realised the important role of Birmingham in the industrial economy of Britain.”

December

  • Rugby Challenge Cup: Worcester Warriors v Dragons.
  • Salt of the Earth film screening in our very own student hub.

January 

  • Moscow City Ballet: Swan Lake. Complete with live orchestra, breath-taking choreography and a dazzling cast.
  • Vitality Netball Nations Cup. We were lucky to watch both matches – JAM v NZ and ENG v SA. 

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England vs. South Africa in the Vitality Netball Nations Cup, Arena Birmingham

  • ‘Creating a Woodland’ with the Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust. Both students and staff managed to plant over 400 trees at a site in the Bournville area of Birmingham. 

February

  • Celebrating LGBTQ history month with Paris is Burning: screening and discussion. This event was hosted by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity Reps, Megha and Jasmine. 
  • Exploring ideas through comedy with Andy White. Andy shows us how to find humour in whatever topic you may be presenting and also how to use humour to find new perspectives in ideas.

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Students engage in an intimate workshop with renowned comedian, Andy White

  • Professor Tom McLeish: The Poetry and Music of Science, and the Role of Creativity in Science and Arts. This lecture was part of our Distinguished Lecture Series and can be watched via this video link.
  • Warwick Congress 2020. With an emphasis on entrepreneurship and innovation, this year’s congress aimed to inspire the next generation who can advocate change. 
  • Visualising the mechanics of plant cells using virtual reality. Galane Luo introduced us to a virtual reality project within Mathematics. 
  • Writing Love Poetry with Al Anderson. LANS students had an exclusive workshop with Anderson at the Barber Institute and were encouraged to read examples of love poems, especially by LGBTQ writers, before writing their own. 

March

  • Exploring Creativity with Puppets with Sophie Huckfield. This workshop focussed on a range of different puppet techniques – from movement, to voice to character development. 
  • Bollywood film night showing Ek Ladki To Dekha Toh Aisa Laga – one of the first mainstream LGBTQ+ films in Bollywood cinema. Hosted by one of our final years.
  • SIX: The Musical. The six wives of Henry VIII finally take to the mic to tell their tales, remixing five hundred years of historical heartbreak into an eighty-minute celebration of 21st century girl power. 
  • Exploring Grime with Ian Clarke from Sound Community LTD. This workshop explored Clarke’s mission to co-ordinate and deliver music making projects for Birmingham Youth Offending Service. He has been doing so since 2004 and now strives to increase participation.  

Future events

Students are invited to suggest events themselves, so future Cultural Programme activities may encompass your own personal passions and intellectual pursuits.