Symposium | (Re)discovering Natural History

This is an (ONLY) in-person symposium (There is no live-stream or recordings). There are banded tickets, please choose carefully.

Refunds are allowed up to a week before the start of the event, so please take that into consideration BEFORE booking.

Join us at the Linnean Society of London for a one-day interdisciplinary symposium that brings together a fantastic line-up of historians, archivists, curators, and artists to ask how we can make the most of special collections to ensure that --

1. We find the stories that matter (through research methodologies and interpretation).

2. We tell those stories in a way that is engaging and accessible to all (through the ways in which we interpret and share them).

3. We tell and display these stories in spaces that are inviting and welcoming to all (through, for example, outreach and accessible exhibition design).

The symposium will enable our expert speakers to share their experiences and knowledge of working with these challenges in various contexts. The symposium aims to create an opportunity for speakers and attendees to network and share ideas that will inform better practice and lead to tangible results. The event also intends to encourage and foster dialogue between those working in academia, GLAMs, and archives.

Programme (detailed programme in agenda below, including talk abstracts):

9.30 am - 10 am: Registration

10.00 am - 10.15 am: Introductions

10.15 am - 11.00 am: ‘The Rev. Thomas Birch Freeman’,

Speaker: (Historian and author)

11.00 am - 11.30 am: Coffee Break

11.30 am - 12.15 pm: ‘Labelling Matters: Reviewing the Pitt Rivers Museum's Use of Language for the 21st Century'

Speakers: (Director, Pitt Rivers Museum) and (Research Curator, Pitt Rivers Museum)

12.15 pm - 1 pm: ‘Following the Nose: Using Smell to Open up Archives’

Speakers: (University of York) and (UCL)

1 pm - 2 pm: Lunch Break

2 pm - 2.45 pm: (Title TBC)

Speaker: CBE (Natural History Museum, London)

2.45 pm - 3.30 pm: ‘Powered by Research’, Dr Oliver Cox (V&A)

3.30 pm - 4 pm: Coffee Break

4 pm - 4.30 pm: ‘Working with collections-as-data to explore the gaps and silences in natural history knowledge production’

Speaker: (Queen Mary University of London & NHM)

4.30 pm - 5.30 pm: ‘Sloane, Plants, and Resistance’

Speaker: (Artist and photographer)

5.30 pm - 7 pm: Drinks Reception in Library (Please note: A paid bar is available, drinks are not included in ticket price)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Concessions

Please buy the concession ticket if you are any of the below:

⁃ 65 years of age, or over

⁃ Under 26 years of age

⁃ Currently in receipt of UK government benefit (including, but not limited to, Income Based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit and Housing Benefit, and Universal Credit).

⁃ Currently in full-time education.

(NB: We want to ensure that everyone who would like to attend can do so. If the cost of the ticket is prohibitive, please reach out to the organisers.)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Further information

This symposium is organized by India Cole (QMUL, Oxford Botanic Garden) and The Linnean Society. We are grateful for support from Queen Mary University of London and the British Society for the History of Science.

To hear about our other events, subscribe to Linnean News.

By registering for an event with us, you agree to our Terms and Conditions.

Programme (detailed programme in agenda below, including talk abstracts and extended speaker bios):

Host or Publisher Linnean Society of London