The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) will be making us wonder this summer as it launches its third annual events programme, Curious.
Designed to make us think about life, death, our planet and our daily lives, the carefully curated series of events will offer the chance to engage with some of the RSE’s Fellows, who are world-leading experts.
Following the success of Curious in 2020, this year’s programme will take place from the 9th to 27th August. All events will be hosted online and will cover four topics; our planet, health and wellbeing, innovation and invention, and Covid-19.
Events will include panel discussions, talks, premieres, walking tours and “Tea and Talk” events inspired by the coffee house discussions of the Scottish Enlightenment, where people would gather to debate issues of the day. Curious minds can learn more about topics daily, from green aviation and forensic history to medieval manuscripts and our relationship with death.
Highlights of this year’s programme include:
- Britain’s most decorated woman Olympian of all time, Dame Katherine Grainger, in conversation about the impact of culture and sport on our mental health
- A panel event with renowned Scottish artist Victoria Crowe FRSE, who will discuss her exhibition of 12 paintings, Another Time, Another Place. She will be in conversation with Shetlandic poet Christine de Luca, who has responded to the exhibition with poetry, resulting in a book capturing the collaboration published by the Scottish Gallery.
- The world premiere of Thirteen Fragments, a powerful piece of digital artwork featuring spoken word and movement exploring women’s experiences and their resilience in Scotland. The piece has been created by award-winning writer/performer Hannah Lavery, the result of a collaboration between the National Theatre for Scotland and the RSE as part of its Post-Covid Futures Commission.
Dr Rebekah Widdowfield, Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Edinburgh said:
“Our mission is to make knowledge useful, and with Curious, we are doing exactly that. We are bringing together some of Scotland’s leading thinkers and practitioners to share their incredible knowledge and insights about the most critical and exciting issues of the day. If you are curious about the world around you, join us this summer for a thought-provoking programme of events.”
Professor Martin Hendry, FRSE Programme Convenor of the RSE Public Engagement Advisory Group said:
“Our Curious programme features a stellar cast of world-leading experts, tackling a wide spectrum of fascinating topics over three weeks of digital engagement – and, hopefully, stimulating a rich legacy of reflection and discussion long thereafter. Curiosity is the gift that keeps on giving!”
Events will take place every day during the three-week run.