Being Human Festival 2024
Event details
Description
The Being Human Festival is an annual celebration of the humanities, taking place across the UK. This year's theme is Landmarks - physical or metaphorical (or both), and how they shape our world.
The University of Sheffield is joining in the festivities with a range of exciting events, detailed below.
Art and the Archive: A Peak District Imaginarium
Open everyday 10am to 4.30pm, 9-16 November
At Castleton Visitors Centre
A pop-up art exhibition/installation based on seldom-seen images from the extraordinary Peak District National Park photo archive. A Peak District Imaginarium will be co-created during hands-on creative workshops for the public over two weekends in Castleton Visitors Centre. Join artists Paul Evans and Jon Harrison, along with academics from The University of Sheffield, for this free, spellbinding experience, employing the magic of AI to bring the past into the present and visualise potential futures.
Using advanced but easy to use image generating technology, archive slides and photos will be brought vividly to life based on participant’s prompts. Memories, questions and impressions – recalled or inspired by these nostalgic, emotive and fascinating images – will take exciting new forms in a contemporary version of ‘scribing’ or visioning. Using archive images from previous generations to capture present-day perceptions and imaginative depictions from local people and Peak District visitors, A Peak District Imaginarium will encourage curiosity, exploration, participation and a sense of collective ownership of this extraordinary landscape, its communities and heritage.
No booking required.
Pints of Interest: Pubs as Social Landmarks
Wednesday 13 November, 6.30pm
At the Sheffield Tap
How have pubs changed Sheffield? Over the last three centuries, public houses in all shapes and sizes have influenced how the city has evolved as an industrial and post-industrial urban space. The pub as a place of community, socialising, entertainment, and more helped bring people together and make Sheffield the distinctive beer capital that it is today. With increasing numbers of closures, changing drinking habits, and the rise of ‘craft’ brewing, what lies ahead for these dynamic establishments?
Join us at the Sheffield Tap for a night of discussion and debate on the history and future of the pub in our iconic city. With a panel of local publicans, alcohol producers, and beer enthusiasts, we’ll be sharing and gathering stories of landmark pubs, and exploring the future of pubs. You’ll also be invited to share your own experiences and memories of pubs and boozers in Sheffield and contribute to an ongoing project on the history of alcohol.
From Object to Place: Mediating Archival Narratives in Urban Spaces
Thursday 14 November, 2pm
At Sheffield Archive
The history of the Jewish community in Sheffield goes back to the beginning of the 18th century. It produced a rich and vibrant heritage and culture which had a determining impact on the social, economic and cultural life of the city. T
his workshop will focus on urban spaces in Sheffield’s city centre and their association with the community, using objects, documents, stories and soundscapes, to offer an immersive experience. It will introduce you to a website and a walking app that will take you through the streets of Sheffield’s city centre, from Figtree Lane to West Bar Green, from Campo Lane and North Church Street to Silver Street and Lee Croft. As you walk, stories and sounds will be triggered through GPS technology to paint a picture of a time long past but one of crucial importance to the development of the Jewish community in Sheffield and of the city itself as a multicultural space.
Taste of Hong Kong: Landmark Flavours with UK Ingredients
Saturday 16 November, 2pm
At Broomhall Community Centre
Discover how Hong Kong's food culture, often mistakenly believed to be solely derived from Chinese cities like Guangzhou and Shanghai, has evolved through a complex interplay of local and Western influences. This event will delve into the historical development of Hong Kong’s “ice rooms (冰室),” a blend of British-style tea houses, ice cream parlors, and traditional Cantonese tea houses, highlighting their role as social and cultural landmarks.
Explore the nuanced history and flavors that define Hong Kong's culinary landscape, and learn how the Hong Kong diaspora in the UK is preserving and adapting these traditions with locally available ingredients. This participatory event is a celebration of cultural exchange, community heritage, and the enduring legacy of Hong Kong’s gastronomic landmarks.