The University of Leeds is playing a key part in Light Night Leeds this year, hosting 12 events on campus as part of the city’s biggest free annual multi-arts event.
Visitors will be welcomed on Friday from 6-10pm alongside staff and students to enjoy performances, discussions and interactive activities, showcasing some of the amazing work that takes place at the University.
Dr Charlotte Haigh, Academic Lead for Public engagement at the University of Leeds, said: “The University is very proud to be a part of the vibrant cultural community in Leeds. Light Night brings this community together and we look forward to welcoming visitors to the events taking place at the University.”
To find out more, download the Light Night on Campus 2017 leaflet here.
For full details of the wider Light Night festival across the city, which takes place this Thursday as well as Friday, see whatson.leeds.gov.uk/lightnight.
Highlights of the University's events include:
Soapbox Art and Science
The Soapbox Art & Science project brings science to arts fans, and the arts to scientists. Twelve artists and 12 scientists – all women – have been working together to bring complex scientific concepts to life and to the public.
Outside, in Beech Grove Plaza, there will be artworks about stars and satellites, neutrons and the northern lights, and presentations from some of the University’s most eminent scientists and arts scholars about what inspires them.
Some of the participants include:
- Dr Joslin McKinney, Associate Professor in Scenography in the School of Performance and Creative Industries, and Dr Catherine Walsh, from the School of Physics and Astronomy, on the topic “From interstellar snowflakes to life, ice and chemistry in space.”
- Dr Jane Scott, from the School of Design, and Professor Michelle Peckham, from the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, will tackle “Seeing is believing – how microscopy can show you what cells are made of.”
- Dr Philippa Shepley from the School of Chemical and Process Engineering, and artist Rosie Shepley will talk about “Condensed Matter Physics: Beyond the North: the secret life of magnetic domains.”
- Joanne Armitage from the School of Media and Communications and Freya Wilson from the School of Physics and Astronomy, will tackle “Keeping secrets safe in satellites. Quantum physics, cryptography, secrets.”
- Dr Lorna Dougan from the School of Physics and Astronomy and the Astbury Centre at Leeds, and textile artists Rhiannon Gregory will talk about “Exploiting engineered proteins to design novel biomaterials that solve healthcare challenges.”
- Professor Jane Plastow, from the Workshop Theatre at Leeds, and Dr Zoe Davies from the University of Kent, will discuss “Environmental spaces and the feel-good factor: understanding how biodiversity influences human wellbeing.”
- Dr Patricia Abellán, a SuperSTEM research fellow at the School of Chemical and Process Engineering, and Dr Tatiana Abellán from the University of Murcia, on the topic “Soft-matter and Nanoplasmonics: Below the surface of matter.”
A full list of the speakers can be found on Soapbox Science
Abstract Playground AP3 at the Roger Stevens Building by Will Hurt
Housed in a custom-built arcade game cabinet, this new artwork is part video game and part musical instrument, and allows audiences to interact and reconfigure the iconic listed Roger Stevens Building.
Will’s work challenges us to look at the real world in a different way. This piece was commissioned as part of the Leeds-based Shine Emerging Artist Programme.
(Re)Sounding the City
Improvising musicians and multi-media artists come together to provide an organic, collaborative, and shifting soundtrack that celebrates the urban landscape of Leeds. In-between the sets, join in and improvise your own soundscape with provided instruments.
Green Light at stage@leeds
A people (and bicycle) powered sustainable light installation, created to celebrate the upcoming launch of the University’s Sustainable Theatre Living Lab project. Get on board to help light the night.
The Urban Forest at Night
Wander from tree to tree along a gently lit night time forest trail around the University campus. Admire beautifully lit trees in their autumnal glory, discover their value and their cultural significance, and learn about the carbon they store and the air pollutants they absorb.
Voices of Light and Dark at the Treasures of the Brotherton Gallery
Enter into the dark and experience the illumination of poetry. Listen to poems in a special display from our sound archives. All the poems have a strong Leeds connection and explore the theme of light and dark.
Further information
- To find out more, download the Light Night on Campus 2017 leaflet here.
- Refreshments will be available from the café in Parkinson Court and Leeds Student Union throughout the evening.
- Car parking is available on campus from 5pm – £1 per hour, payment via debit-credit card only on departure.
- Please note: Our photographer will be taking pictures for marketing purposes by the University of Leeds and Leeds City Council. By entering the event you agree to have your photo taken. If you prefer not to have your photo taken please pick up a yellow lanyard from Parkinson Building and place it around your neck. This way we know not to use your image.