News

The Sussex Festival of Ideas aims to harness the transformative power of the arts and humanities to fashion new ways of thinking about the past, present and future, and build a more inclusive and creative world.  Returning for its fourth year in 2024, the festival brings together students, staff, and the wider community for a lively programme of talks, events and activities.  

This year, the festival invited students from the University of Sussex to curate a programme of thought-provoking events, drawing on their individual expertise and unique skills. Each event received wrap-around support and funding to help bring their creative visions to life.   

The festival’s first strand of events will commence on the 22 April, promising a vibrant and engaging week of events, workshops, and interactive experiences.  

You can find a full programme of student events below (more events coming soon!). All events are free to attend but have limited availability, so book now to avoid disappointment!  

Curating Conflict: Curator talk & exhibition | 22 April 2024   

Organised by Madeleine Woodhouse and Caroline Oulton (MA Art History and Museum Curating) 

Curating is an activity with different iterations, from curating a small collection of objects on a mantelpiece, to a large scale art exhibition in a gallery. Dr Aleema Gray (curator of the Black British Music exhibition opening at the British Library in April) will talk about the exigencies of curating exhibitions and her own experience. Between 22 April and 24 May, small collections of objects interpreting the theme of conflict will be displayed in the university library.  

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Letterpress Masterclass with Printer Richard Lawrence & Publication Launch | 22 April 2024  

Organised by Harriet Rose (BA English) 

Have you ever thought of experimenting with printing, making your own books or zines? Are you curious to discover the art of letterpress printing with the help of an expert? Did you know that Sussex University has a working printing press that is being used to create unique publications? 

Oxford Printer Richard Lawrence will be running a letterpress masterclass in Arts B151. Whether you’ve never heard of letterpress printing before or you have already tried publishing your own work, this event is open to anyone who wants to learn more and view the Old Albion press housed at the University of Sussex. There will be a Book/Zine launch afterwards where students who have been running independent print projects and experimenting with the Albion press will showcase and sell their print projects.   

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Who's That Next To You? | 22 April 2024 

Organised by Manasi Barmecha (MSc Marketing and Consumer Psychology)  

“You alright?”  

How many times have you been asked this? How many times have you asked this question? Can we ask questions that elicit real answers from the person next to us? What would those questions sound like?  

This interactive session, facilitated by student Manasi Barmecha,  invites you to reconnect with yourself and the other participants in a way that is fun, different, and meaningful. Let's carve out time from our busy lives to truly be present and ask questions that help get to know a person deeply while finding out new things about ourselves. 

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A Roundtable on the Post-Truth Rhetoric of the Covid-19 pandemic | 24 April 2024 

Organised by David Russell (PhD candidate in English) 

The inquiry into the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic is ongoing, bringing into focus issues of communication by politicians and experts during the years of this crisis. Meanwhile, the post-truth era has dawned, bringing with it ‘alternative facts’, and ‘fake news’, concepts that bear a troubling resemblance to Orwellian doublethink.  

We are only just beginning to understand how these new rhetorical modes impact global events. Join a panel of experts from the fields of Media, Politics, English, and Medicine as they discuss how post-truth rhetoric continues to shape both our comprehension of and responses to the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath.  

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Do Your Own Thing: A Conversation with Artist Richard Phoenix | 25 April 2024 

Organised by Esme Boardman Hoare, Ailish Donovan, Menna Owen, Millie Reina, Jude Wilson (BA Art History) 

Musician and artist Richard Phoenix talks about his work, including the 2024 Turner Prize Year 9 education programme and the ‘best underground arts scene you’ve never heard of’, Do Your Own Thing, a project run by learning disability arts organisation Heart n Soul.   

Richard will explore the transformative potential of working to support creative young people to make the music and art they want to, and how new voices can open up established ideas of ‘Do It Yourself’ culture.  

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African Storytelling Fiesta: A Journey into African Knowledges | 25 April 2024 

Organised by Namse Peter Udosen (MA Inernational Education and Development) 

Join us for an evening of storytelling and discussion led by University of Sussex Chevening Scholar and writer Namse Udosen, Pendo Fondo (Sussex MA graduate International Relations), and Mamoudu Sanghre (MA student International Education and Development).   

The evening will include traditional African drumming and poetic stories of wisdom about the environment and nature, including a reading by one of Africa’s foremost performance poets, Bash Amuneni. The performances will be followed by a panel discussion which will explore the power of oral tradition; the significance of oral storytelling in preserving and transmitting knowledge across generations in African cultures and how storytelling has been used as a tool for resistance against colonialism, oppression, and other forms of adversity in African history.   

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About the Sussex Festival of Ideas 

The Festival of Ideas has been developed as a platform to connect students, staff and the community. It aims to harness the transformative power of the arts and humanities to fashion new ways of thinking about the past, present and future.  

The inaugural Festival took place across four days in 2021 with a four-day programme of more than thirty events. Since then, the Festival has consisted of a programme of on-campus talks and events co-created by Sussex staff and students held between March-April and a curated programme of events hosted at venues across the region as part of the official Brighton Festival programme in May.