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(Guided tour) Between languages, between homes: Visual stories of language and belonging in Edinburgh
When
Saturday 5 September 2026
12:00 - 12:30
Where
The Royal Society of Edinburgh
22-26 George St, Edinburgh EH2 2PQ
View directions on Google Maps
Format
In-person
Age
Suitable for ages 16+
Cost
Free to book
About this event
Get a guided tour of this exhibition by the research behind the project on reflections on language, home and belonging in Edinburgh
This one-off session allows you a chance to have a guided tour of the exhibition “Between languages, between homes: Visual stories of language and belonging in Edinburgh” on it’s opening day.
Join Dr Min-Hsiu Liao, an Associate Professor orf Languages and Intercultural Studies at Heriot-Watt University and researcher who investigates multilingual practices in multimodal spaces, including museums, heritage sites, and urban linguistic landscapes.
The exhibition features drawings that were the creative output of 20 art workshops that were led by refugee artists across Edinburgh.
These workshops brought together participants from diverse linguistic and ethnic backgrounds. Through drawing, they explored and expressed their experiences of old and new languages, as well as their reflections on leaving former homes and finding a sense of belonging (or not belonging) in Edinburgh.
Featuring both the creative outputs and accompanying captions written in English and other languages, this exhibition foregrounds the multilingual and multicultural worlds of the contributors, offering personal insights into language, migration, memory, and place.
The workshops were part of an RSE-funded project called Counter-translating the City: Walking through the Linguistic Landscape and Soundscape in Edinburgh, led by Dr Min-Hsiu Liao (2024–2025) in partnership with Edinburgh & Lothians Regional Equality Council.
Event type
Curious
Workshop
Contributors
Dr Min-Hsiu Liao
Associate Professor, Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies, Heriot-Watt UniversityDr Min-Hsiu Liao’s research explores the material and spatial dimensions of language. Her work investigates linguistic and translation practices in multimodal spaces, including museums, heritage sites, and urban linguistic landscapes. She examines both the use of languages and the experiences of language users, including migrants and other multilingual communities. She views home languages not as barriers to communication for newcomers to a city, but as valuable assets: sources of security and belonging that can help people connect with a new language, navigate unfamiliar spaces, and potentially build a new home. She is a member of The International Association for Translation and Intercultural Studies (IATIS) and British Association for Applied Linguistics (BAAL). Her exhibition project for the Curious is funded by The Royal Society of Edinburgh and BAAL, with generous support from Edinburgh & Lothians Regional Equality Council. She speaks Mandarin, Taiwanese Hokkien, and English.
Contact us
If you have an event enquiry, please email us on public_engagement@theRSE.org.uk.Event testimonial
What is Curious?
Curious is the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s (RSE) free festival that celebrates the research, ideas and knowledge shaping society today.
Each year, Curious brings a packed programme of free in-person and online events covering themes from the arts, humanities, policy, science and more. To date, we’ve welcomed over 10,000 attendees for talks, workshops, exhibitions and discussions where you can learn from and speak with Scotland’s leading thinkers. As part of the RSE’s mission to make knowledge useful and accessible for everyone, Curious is open to anyone who wants to learn more about the world around them. No specialist knowledge is needed, just bring your curiosity.
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