Speakers

Past Speakers

Held on 16 September 2019

The Aztec Legacy: Continuity and Change

Chloë Sayer is a freelance specialist in Mexican art and culture. She lectures extensively all over the world, leads cultural tours to Mexico and has made ethnographic collections in Mexico and Belize for the British Museum.

The Aztecs of central Mexico have been described as warlike and bloodthirsty, yet their creative achievements were breath-taking. Tenochtitlan, the shimmering Aztec city, built on a lake with a population of 250,000, lay at the heart of a vast empire. While religion dominated every aspect of Aztec life, military might was also accompanied by exceptional developments in art and architecture.

Held on 21 October 2019

Faces and Identity

Professor Caroline Wilkinson will describe the Faces of Merseyside Project, contemporary forensic identification and the depiction of faces from the past including a discussion of the challenges and limitations of this research, using famous historical figures, such as Richard III and Robert the Bruce. Caroline is Director of the Face Lab, and Director of Liverpool School of Art & Design. With a background in art and science, her research and creative work include subjects as diverse as forensic art, human anatomy, medical art, face recognition, forensic science, anthropology, 3D visualisation, digital art and craniofacial identification.

Held on 18 November 2019: The Aidan Woodcock Memorial Lecture

Aidan was the founder Chairman of The Society of Thirteen and supported the Society even after he moved to Surrey. He died in 2016 aged 90. This lecture is in recognition of his contribution to the Society and to music more widely.  He was a violinist for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra before the war and again after the war under Sir Malcolm Sargent. Then he moved to the London Symphony Orchestra but retained his local links to music and the Society.

Behind the Scenes at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Michael Eakin, the Chief Executive of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, will explore the 180 year old history of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and its work today. From modest beginnings as a concert giving Society, it is now one of the busiest music organisations in the country with a world class Orchestra, a major concert hall, and an extensive music education programme. Michael will talk about what is necessary to bring a concert to the stage– from the role of the Chief Conductor, to the work the musicians do off-stage; from performances in Liverpool Philharmonic Hall to concert halls in Tokyo and Beijing.

Held on 16 December 2019

 

The Lower Mekong: Water, Watts and War*

Jim Holmes is a freelance documentary photographer now living in Chester. He has spent 30 years specialising in documenting humanitarian work worldwide with a focus on the individuals and communities affected. He has worked in almost 50 countries throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia including collectively living in Vietnam, Laos and Japan for over 20 years. His lecture follows one of the world’s mightiest rivers as it flows through the mountains of Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and out into the sea from its verdant delta in Vietnam. But will the vast hydropower dams change this waterway forever?

*Joint lecture with the Royal Geographical Society

Held on 20 January 2020

Military Photographic Reconnaissance

Aldon Ferguson is a military historian with a national reputation.  After a commission in the RAF he spent 17 years working in the former Soviet Union as a Chartered Surveyor.

Since the beginning of warfare, it has been vital for military commanders to have knowledge of their enemy’s disposition, numbers and support in order to plan future campaigns and battles. This lecture explains how military information is gathered and interpreted in modern times, starting from the use of static balloons to the ultra-sophistication of modern satellite imagery.

Held on 17 February 2020

Materials to Shape our Vision

Rachel Williams is Professor of Ophthalmic Bioengineering at Liverpool University and has over 25 years of experience in the design and development of advanced materials with particular emphasis on their applications in ophthalmology. She will discuss how innovations in the design and production of advanced materials are making a significant contribution to the development of treatments for ophthalmic diseases. She is a Fellow in the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Held on 16 March 2020

An Englishman in Patagonia

John Pilkington is an author, traveller and lecturer. He has been called, “one of Britain’s greatest teller of travellers’ tales.” John spent three seasons exploring this southernmost part of South America, including Tierra del Fuego and will tell us about the sheep farming pioneers who, early in the 20th century, set down roots against almost impossible odds. He will explain the region’s current battles with climate change and volcanic fallout and what really happened to two notorious early settlers – Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

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