British Academy Late: Searching for Wellness
About this Event
Join us for a vibrant evening of conversations, performances, workshops, and exhibits exploring wellness in all its complexity, drawing on the latest research in the humanities and social sciences. Explore the architecture and extensive art collection of the Academy’s historic building, as you uncover new ways of thinking about living – and feeling – well.
Discover how ideas of happiness have evolved across cultures and time with a panel of leading historians; celebrate the transformative power of the dancefloor with a live DJ performance; experience the mental benefits of fibre crafting in a drop-in creative workshop; and learn how birdsong, sleep, sport, and grief shape wellbeing in unexpected ways with bite-sized talks from our funded researchers.
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Important Information
This event takes place in person only.
A full programme with timings will be circulated with registered attendees ahead of the event.
As tickets are free, we release more than the available seats to account for no-shows.
- Entry to the Late is first-come, first-served. We recommend arriving early to avoid disappointment.
- A ticket does not guarantee entry to the main event space (SHAPE Room). If it reaches capacity, you'll be directed to the bar next door to watch a live stream.
- Entry to each activity within the event is also on a first-come, first-served basis.
Talks in the SHAPE Room and Lee Library will have live subtitles delivered by 121 Captions.
See information about the accessibility of the venue.
If you have any questions about this event, please refer to our Public Events FAQs. If your question is not answered, please email [email protected].
The British Academy is a registered charity, number 233176.
Programme
Conversations
Good vibes only? Exploring happiness through history
Professor Claire Langhamer FBA, Professor Richard Whatmore FBA
How has our understanding of happiness changed over time? Discover how different cultures and societies have imagined happiness – from good fortune and virtue to pleasure and prosperity – with our panel of leading historians. Find out what these shifting ideas reveal about our obsessive pursuit of happiness today.
Eat, sleep, work, repeat: rethinking wellness at work
Dr Tom Vickers, Dr Simon Willems, Professor Ying Zhou, and Dr Amelia Horgan (chair)
What really makes a job feel “good”? Discuss how wellbeing fits into work today with our panel of researchers, as they explore what a good working life looks like. They’ll examine the promises and pitfalls of workplace wellness, who has access and who is excluded, and the impact of new technologies.
Where we gather: spaces of wellbeing
Anjali Prashar-Savoie, Dr Patria Roman-Velazquez, and Emma Warren (chair)
From nightclubs and salsa bars to markets and bingo halls, explore how the spaces where people gather shape identity, belonging, and collective wellbeing. Drawing on research and activism, delve into the role these spaces play for youth, queer, and migrant communities in London – as sites of joy, refuge, and resistance – and what is at stake as many continue to disappear.
Ten-Minute Talks
The joy of football: play, emotion, and wellbeing
Dr Mark Doidge
As the 2026 Men's World Cup fades into history, it can seem that the game of football is a global machine focused on victory, spectacle, and money. For many across the world, it is a far simpler phenomenon. Drawing on Dr Mark Doidge’s work with refugees, explore the pleasures of football and its importance to social, physical, and mental wellbeing. Take a journey from the Jungle in Calais to the parks of the UK to discover the role of football plays in providing a sense of normality and fun for the players.
Sniff your way to a good night’s sleep
Professor Sasha Handley
The use of different smells to improve sleep-quality is a billion-dollar industry and it has captured the interest of TikTok’s #sleepmaxxers. But this is not just an influencer-driven fad. Explore the long and surprising history of sleep-promoting scents with Professor Sasha Handley. Those hoping to use scents to promote healthy sleep today are part of a rich historical tradition dating back to the early modern period.
Why does birdsong make us happy?
Dr Eleanor Ratcliffe
Why do some birds make us happier and calmer, while others stir powerful memories and emotions? Drawing on over a decade of research, discover how birdsong shapes our wellbeing, connects us to others, and deepens our relationship with nature. Following the talk, take part in a guided creative activity and craft your own ‘bird of happiness’ out of recycled materials.
Choreographies of grief
Dr Edgar Rodriguez-Dorans
When someone important in our lives dies, we face a paradox: they can feel more present in our thoughts, yet are absent from our physical world. Drawing on Dr Edgar Rodriguez-Dorans's innovative research into how choreography and movement can support bereavement, learn how we use our bodies to process grief, and how we are moved by, and move with, those we’ve lost.
Exhibits and Performances
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
Explore the contradictions of modern work culture in this exhibition curated by Dr Simon Willems. Through film, photography, and installations that challenge corporate wellness narratives, reflect on what wellbeing in the workplace really means.
Aanjaalii DJ set
Writer and DJ Anjali Prashar-Savoie performs under the moniker Aanjaalii, crafting sets that break free from genre boundaries in favour of movement and dynamism. Expect hypnotic and far-reaching selections, built around rhythm, bounce and seductive tones. Aanjaalii has played at The Warehouse Project, Fabric, Body Movements, and Colour Factory, and is a resident DJ at Sisu, a collective championing women and non-binary DJs.
Drop-in Activities
Is catch-singing the wellbeing solution we’ve forgotten?
Dr Katherine Butler
What have we lost now that singing in harmony is not a regular social activity? Experience why rounds and catches were such a popular form of recreation for adults from all walks of life in Tudor England in this interactive workshop. From tongue-twisters and musical jokes, to drinking songs and mimicking urban soundscapes, learn simple songs that bring to life the early modern soundscape and show how singing in harmony can be accessible, bonding, playful, and funny.
All welcome – no singing experience necessary.
Coping creatively through crafting and colouring
Dr Emma Palmer-Cooper
Find out how crafts like crochet and colouring can support wellbeing in this hands-on workshop. Learn simple, fun, and accessible techniques that can be incorporated into your everyday routines, while exploring the research behind why creative activities reduce stress, support mental health, and build resilience.
No experience required.
Tour of the British Academy
Discover the extensive art collection and historic architecture of 10-11 Carlton House Terrace on a guided tour with expert British Academy staff or explore the building at your own pace with a self-guided tour.
Please note, the guided tour is limited to 12 people. Sign up on arrival.
Agenda
🕑: 05:45 PM
Doors Open
Info: Registration starts. Tickets will be scanned on entry. Bars open in Wohl Gallery and No. 11 Lobby.
🕑: 08:30 PM
Ten-Minute Talks and Conversations End
🕑: 06:00 PM
Workshops Start and Exhibition Opens
🕑: 06:15 PM
First Ten-Minute Talk and Conversation
🕑: 08:45 PM
Performance Starts
🕑: 09:30 PM
Event Ends
Info: Bar closes
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 0.00 to GBP 15.00
