Jan - Bertie Pearce - Now you see it, Now you don’t. The Art of Visual Deception 

The ever popular Bertie Pearce returns to brighten up the dull old month of January. He promises us the quirkiest lecture we will ever hear as he explores perspective and trompe l’oeil.  A whistle stop tour of visual amusement and surprises in which he says we will be "visually fried". Don't miss it.

 

18 Feb Lizzy Rowe - John Piper: an Oxfordshire Artist

Lizzy Rowe is an art historian who studied at the Courtauld Institute in London before joining English Heritage as a guidebook editor. She currently lives in Oxford where she teaches Art History in primary schools, as well as giving guided tours and talks. 

In this talk she finds traces of John Piper, the neo-Romantic British artist, writer and designer all over Oxfordshire and shows Oxfordshire through the eyes of a man who cared deeply about the countryside and our built heritage and celebrated it in his art.

 

18 Mar Eleanor Janega - Women in the Middle Ages

Dr. Eleanor Janega is a medieval historian specialising in propaganda, urbanity  and sexuality in the late medieval period. Her work highlights the ways in which society has been influenced by the past and also tells us stories about history that are not actually true in order to justify  our own desires.

Dr. Janega is renowned for her approachable style of history, making complex concepts digestible and entertaining for non-expert audiences

 

15 Apr Dr Paul Roberts - Sicilian Splendours 

Paul Roberts, recently retired from the Ashmolean Museum, returns to dazzle us with his expertise in all things classical. This time he will direct his enthusiasm and knowledge to the wonders of Sicily with all the riches of its varied classical heritage. Expect wonderful photographs of sites which Paul has just visited and all his usual erudition and archaeological experience.

 

20 May Simon Booker - Strictly Nature

Simon Booker lives locally. A keen photographer for many years, his interest in photographing local wildlife was fuelled by the lockdown which started in 2020. At a time when none of us could travel or pursue most of our usual interests and activities Simon started sharing some of the photos he took on his daily dog walks. This was the genesis of his website Stokerpix which is a wonderful compilation of some of his photos of local wildlife. We look forward to seeing some of his best in his talk. 

 

17 Jun Dr Kathryn Harkup - Vampirology 

Kathryn Harkup has visited us on several occasions and fascinated us with her talks on a variety of scientific subjects ranging from the poisons used in the novels of Agatha Christie to the secret lives of the chemical elements. She trained and worked originally as a research chemist but found that the best outlet for her interest in anything gothic, gory and geeky was as a science communicator. Her subject in June definitely falls within this area as she will lead us on a spooky tour through the history of vampires with frightening tales from folklore, blood sucking bats and sinister scientific stories. 

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