Saturday 24 May 2025 BOOK PLACE
£35. Students and online tickets are free
In a time when thinking is in the hands of AI, creativity in education is optional and paintings are products, the question needs to be asked does art actually work?
The need to create, to translate thoughts and ideas into physical form, is one of the fundamental cornerstones of what makes us human. It is a mode of expression, a language, if you will, more universal than the spoken or written word, and one which permeates our everyday lives, not only through the realm of fine art, but also architecture, design, fashion, landscape, and more. Art is everywhere and it informs the way in which we shape our individual and collective identities and interact with others.
To discuss the question of how art works we have invited a group of leading thinkers and practitioners from a range of backgrounds to participate in talks and panel discussions, touching on the power of art for problem solving in a time of crisis, the place of art in education, the intimate relationship between art and science, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and the perspective it offers on human creativity; and we will discuss the role of the arts in the treatment of mental and physical conditions including the rehabilitation of people in the prison system.
The incredible 13th century tithe barn at Messums West is a space where ideas and knowledge are shared, bringing together a diverse spectrum of people from around the world under a single wooden roof to discuss art, culture, society and our environment. This one-day symposium seeks to explore, through examples from the creative industries, science, education, economics and welfare, why the arts and the act of making are so integral to fostering empathy – arguably lacking in the world today – thinking about art and creativity as a language through which we understand ourselves and others.
Join us in-person or online for a day of engaging discussion and debate in this magnificent setting.
